On April 10th, Horn Entrepreneurship and the E-Club hosted the fan favorite 2024 Spring Pitch party at the Venture Development Center, which was transformed into a charming tropical getaway for the night. During this school year, once again driven and zealous entrepreneurial talents were brought together ready to pitch their ideas against each other, whether it's for some pitching practice or the cash prize. The night consisted of 15 90 second pitches from students of varying majors and experience levels, each with their own unique startup ideas to share with the eager audience.
Horn’s Pitch Parties are here to give students a chance to try their hand at pitching and get live feedback and exposure with the chance of ranking in the top 3 for a cash prize, but all participants were guaranteed a $20 gift card for their efforts. It didn't matter if they had an extensive business model with a prototype in hand or simply just a golden idea, all were welcomed to present for the judges and audience. This event served as ground for students to get more acquainted with the Horn community and what they can gain from it.
“I honestly had no idea about something like this but I'm so glad I found out about it. I always had ideas like these but didn't know what to do with or where to take them so it’s good I was able to participate here.” Killian McCrea, a 2024 Pitch Party participant and senior Computer & Information Sciences studentFollowing a brief introduction and rule rundown from E-Club coordinator Olivia Jin, our judges were introduced. We welcomed Devon Jones, a 2023 ENTR grad and associate at Ardent, and also Amanda Zicherman, another 2023 ENTR grad and analyst at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. After proper introductions and setting the premise it was time to get into the main event.
2024 Spring Pitch Party Teams
- Beat Talks by Jaken Zaidman and Anirudh Changkakoti - An AI powered platform that seamlessly transforms your voice into any kind of instrument, catering the needs of both musicians and aspiring musicians.
- Outdoors Club App by Ava Rouse - This app would allow users to plan trips, divide up fees, and even find like-minded adventurers to go
- Reimagining VR- Orangeᵀᴹ Goggles by Anna Callaghan and Jolin Jiang - With our Orangeᵀᴹ goggles, you'll have constant reminders in your field of vision for any reminders you might wants you give yourself.
- More Human by Kilian McCrea - A super app to rival Facebook/X/Wechat
- Dough To Go by Andrew Kosiewicz - A business that makes edible cookie dough and wraps servings in aluminum foil, then sells it to drunk college students at parties. Comedic but real business idea, expands on untapped market.
- Dropinnsea by Norman Mthethwa - Boschfontein (pop. 7,811) lacks clean water. Droughts & rain scarcity leave them with unreliable wells & stagnant ponds. Dropinsea, partners with the community to fix boreholes.
- Skatelock by Yannick Nguekam - A locker for skateboards; a secure skaterack.
- Chew Energy by Joshua Gabrysz - A chewable pre-workout gum.
- Arplans by Joshua Artis and Hanna Armstrong - A platform that provides a holistic approach to supporting all partners of an event: event hosts/ service providers/ and event attendees. 'ArPlans' will be the one-stop-shop for all things events.
- SodaSwap by Tito Olubakinde - A transformative bottle cap that turns plain water into the indulgent taste of your favorite soda, without any of the health drawbacks. Say goodbye to soda guilt and hello to hydration.
- Green House by Ava Barkow - A google chrome extension that filters through housing websites, like Zillow, for eco-friendly features in houses like solar panels in order to promote sustainable housing.
- AutoPup by Thomas Cardenas - To simplify the lives of dog owners who live in apartments and homes that lack backyards. It's an automated dog potty area which comes with scented pads and other features.
- Kitch Co. by Evyn Appel and Tommy Kramer - An app that helps consumers reduce food waste and save money every month! Track what you buy, get help with recipe ideas, and make adjustments to your buying habits to save your wallet and the world.
- Chillpill-o by Javier Cruz Mendoza - A newly designed airplane pillow
- Safe Frame by Shokhin Sharipov - First backlit wooden poster frame that is light enough to be mounted with no screws (dorm-friendly)
Awards
After the 15 outstanding pitches, it took tireless deliberation from the judges to place our winners. The winners were:
1st Place - $300 - Dropinnsea by Norman Mthethwa2nd Place - $200 - Safe Frame by Shokhin Sharipov3rd Place - $100 -Beat Talks by Jaken Zaidman and Anirudh Changkakoti Along with the standard top 3 ranking, other teams had a chance to shine through the audience choice superlatives. The audience choice superlative results were:
Most Motivated - Kitch Co. by Evyn Appel and Tommy KramerMost Interesting - Beat Talks by Jaken Zaidman and Anirudh Changkakoti Most Promising - Green House by Ava BarkowMost Creative– Dough To Go by Andrew KosiewiczAbout Horn Entrepreneurship
Horn Entrepreneurship serves as the creative engine for entrepreneurship education and advancement at the University of Delaware. Currently ranked among the best entrepreneurship programs in the US, Horn Entrepreneurship was built and is actively supported by successful entrepreneurs, empowering aspiring innovators as they pursue new ideas for a better world.