One minute can go by pretty quickly, especially when the pressure is on.
Allen Community College students had just one minute to pitch a business idea Tuesday afternoon during the annual Allen Elevator Challenge. This is the third year for the contest, which has grown each year with 17 taking part this time. Community members judge the best pitch, and give three awards worth $100 each.
The idea is to encourage students to think about business opportunities, and to compete in the Allen Entrepreneurship Challenge in the spring, business instructor Niccy Denny said. Then, they’ll flesh out their business ideas with a full proposal, and will present to another group of judges to win larger cash prizes.
“This is to get the students’ feet wet,” Denny said. “We hope they’ll expand on their projects.”
SEVERAL presentations were related to food insecurity or health. A clothing store or a service to help with personal grooming, or cleaning services were also suggested.
Chapman Osborne of Wichita won the “Judge’s Choice” overall prize for best sales pitch and best idea. He wants to design an app, “Pristine Health,” to help students improve their health so they can be successful in school. He shared his own personal experience with a classic delivery one might see while watching late-night infomercials.
“I help ordinary people achieve an extraordinary lifestyle using my app,” he said “Four years ago, I was a freshman in high school with 54 missing assignments, a 1.3 GPA and five failing grades.”
But by following three simple steps — reminders to stick with a routine, calorie and macronutrient trackers, and sleep quality measurement — he graduated with a 4.0.
“I failed so you don’t have to,” he said.
The award for “Best Idea” went to Juana Rojas from Barcelona, Spain, who also turned her personal experience into a desire to help others. Her idea is to create USB Scholarships, a college advising service to help female basketball players achieve their dream of playing at a college in the U.S.
The award for “Best Pitch” went to Rebekah Coltrane of LaHarpe. She outlined an event planning service, “Premier Planning.”
Other pitches included:
• Erich Woodruff proposed “Second Chance Foods,” a business that would reduce food waste and help feed the hungry. He told a story about discovering his best friend grew up food insecure, something Woodruff found shocking when he worked in fast food and saw how much food was thrown away.
• Bethany Gould proposed Nourish and Thrive, a mobile food truck to provide nutritious meals to those who are unsheltered in Topeka. Some of the profits would go to a homeless shelter.
• Nicolas Couto offered a sports photography service.
