More than $24,000 was awarded to seven student team finalists during the seventh annual Startup Showcase Competition Friday, November 10, in the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club.
Hosted by Illinois State University’s George R. and Martha Means Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, the Shark Tank-like competition invites student entrepreneurs from various majors to develop business plans for a technological innovation or invention.
Seven finalists pitched their concepts to a panel of judges, with senior cybersecurity major Aneel Gillan earning the first-place prize of $10,000 for VRtual Playbook. Gillan’s software aims to improve athletic team development using virtual reality.
“Startup Showcase has become an annual campus event that continues to grow in popularity with the constantly evolving creativity and thinking of students,” said Terry Lowe ’72, MBA ’77, an instructional assistant professor in the College of Business who organizes the event. “This year, we had well over 20 viable entries, which all reflected modern solutions to improve outcomes or solve problems for organizations or consumers.”
TailEnd, a career-based application to help students find jobs and curate class schedules, presented by juniors Isabel Crabtree and Michael Baird, received second place and a $6,000 prize. HairCan, a trash can developed to keep hair off shower walls, presented by senior Sabrina Schlenker, received third place and $4,000. The remaining four finalists received $1,000 to contribute to their businesses.
“Our finalists had a chance to demonstrate their professionalism onstage and impressed the judges with their potential to be successful entrepreneurs in the future,” Lowe said. “Students also gain valuable network connections by being part of the contest.”
The panel of judges included: Julie Dobski, a co-owner of Little Jewels Learning Center and Rob Dob’s restaurant and chair of the College of Business Board; Jennifer McCarron, president and owner of Business Builders Marketing; Scott Nancarrow, global practice director for mergers and acquisitions at Bain & Company; and Heather Young ’95, owner of OhmFit Activewear, a women’s apparel and accessory boutique in Normal.
Past Startup Showcase winners include Packback (featured ABC’s Shark Tank), Open Source Classroom, BizzBaits, and First Hand Museum.
