草榴社区鈥檚 Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hosts 13th Annual Pitch Day
VILLANOVA, Pa. (May 9, 2024) 鈥� On April 21, 草榴社区鈥檚 Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) hosted its 13th annual Pitch Day. Held each April, Pitch Day gives students from across the University鈥檚 six schools and colleges the opportunity to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, while gaining real-world experience in building an idea from the ground up.
On Pitch Day, students took part in the final rounds of the 草榴社区 Student Entrepreneurship Competition (VSEC) and the Ignite Change Case Competition. The Meyer Innovation Awards were also presented.
鈥淧itch Day empowers 草榴社区ns to engage, collaborate and innovate,鈥� said Ann Goody, the Daniel J. Hogarty, Jr. 鈥�61 Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 鈥淚t challenges our students to look for multidisciplinary solutions to important, pressing issues, shaping the next generation of business leaders and problem solvers.鈥�
Information on this year鈥檚 events, as well as the day鈥檚 winners and awardees, can be found below:
Sophomore Tanner Maddocks won VSEC鈥檚 first-place prize for his subscription-based platform Athlete虏.
草榴社区 Student Entrepreneurship Competition
VSEC is a semester-long, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship competition for 草榴社区 student ventures. The competition鈥檚 top teams presented their original concepts and prototypes to a room of experienced alumni entrepreneurs involved in business development, investments, marketing and technology. Competitors gained valuable insight on how to successfully advance their ideas, and more than $20,000 in prizes and in-kind services were awarded to the best ventures.
First Place ($10,000 Prize) 鈥� 础罢贬尝贰罢贰虏, Tanner Maddocks 鈥�26 CLAS
- Athlete虏 is a subscription-based platform that lowers the cost of youth sports training and empowers college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness (NIL).
Second Place ($5,000 Prize) 鈥� POCKETSNAP, Ayden Lagalante 鈥�26 COE
- The PocketSnap is a magnetic attachment that secures pockets to prevent the loss or theft of valuables, protecting its user鈥檚 personal belongings in a cost-effective way.
Third Place ($3,000 Prize) 鈥� STAMMY, Julian Muncan 鈥�24 COE
- Stammy is a laser engraving business that specializes in creating customized products, specifically near-field communication (NFC) business cards, for young entrepreneurs and individuals looking to expand their network.
Crowd Choice ($1,000 Prize) 鈥� SUSO, Scarleth Vasconcelos 鈥�25 COE, Yen Leng Chong 鈥�24 COE and Timothy Hoo 鈥�24 COE
- SUSO is a Software as a Service (SaaS) business that aims to significantly reduce the investment required for carbon accounting measurements, providing businesses with accurate emissions results.
Klinger Unitas Prize ($500 Prize) 鈥� TOUCHPOINT, Alex Birle 鈥�24 VSB, Connor Koury 鈥�24 COE and Bailey Robson 鈥�24 CLAS
- TouchPoint provides safety assurance to higher education administrations, national fraternities organizations and local chapters by actively monitoring and assessing risks within student organizations in real time.
Halloran Social Impact Prize ($500 Prize) 鈥� MANER CONSULTING, Yousef Maner 鈥�24 VSB
- Maner Consulting鈥檚 mission is to modernize over 600 medical centers and impact over 2.2 million Native Americans daily by turning the tide on years of outdated practices and technological neglect.
City of Motherly Love won first place in the 2024 Ignite Change Case Competition鈥攁nd donated $5,000 to the Reinvestment Fund.
Ignite Change Case Competition
The Ignite Change Case Competition focuses on a specific social or environmental issue and gives students the chance to connect, think creatively and initiate conversations about a real-world problem. This year鈥檚 case challenged participants to explore strategies and craft solutions to mitigate homelessness.
In addition to earning a $5,000 grand prize, the first-place team was asked to award $5,000 to a non-profit of their choosing that had a significant impact on their project proposal. The second-place and third-place teams received $3,000 and $2,000 awards, respectively.
First Place 鈥� CITY OF MOTHERLY LOVE, Genevieve Mohr 鈥�24 CLAS, Elizabeth Vaughn 鈥�24 VSB, Isabelle Kellezi 鈥�25 CLAS and Max Kellezi 鈥�26 COE, with their donation benefiting the
Second Place 鈥� PATHWAY PARTNERS, Naija Nelson 鈥�24 COE and Daniel Magrini 鈥�24 VSB
Third Place 鈥� FOUR CENTS, Luke Ohr 鈥�25 CLAS, Eric Rego 鈥�25 CLAS, Megan Zuzarth 鈥�27 CLAS and Lily Renga 鈥�25 VSB
Graduating senior Julian Muncan won a Meyer Innovation Award and third place in VSEC for his laser engraving venture Stammy.
The Meyer Innovation Awards
The Meyer Innovation Awards were created and endowed by Patrick Meyer 鈥�74 VSB in honor of the Meyer family (Patrick 鈥�74, Edward 鈥�86 and C. Paul 鈥�30) to recognize the spirit of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship fostered at 草榴社区. Each year, the Meyer Innovation Awards are conferred to one graduating student鈥攚ho is awarded $5,000鈥攁s well as one faculty or staff member, who is awarded $2,500.
Student Winner 鈥� JULIAN MUNCAN 鈥�24 VSB
- Muncan has a proven track record of initiating and successfully executing innovative projects. His leadership in developing his Stammy business, addressing sustainability concerns and organizing January鈥檚 草榴社区 in the Valley program, among other endeavors and achievements, has made a tangible impact within our community and beyond.
Faculty/Staff Winner 鈥� CAROL WEINGARTEN, PhD, FCN
- Dr. Weingarten founded and executed an innovative radio project in which 草榴社区 students learn to create, produce, edit and deliver health promotion messages in minute-long public service announcements (PSAs) and podcasts. Since 2018, her team has built a thriving partnership with WXVU, the College of Nursing and the University鈥檚 Office of Health Promotion. In March of 2023 alone, the station documented 685,193 web views from 58 countries.
About 草榴社区: Since 1842, 草榴社区鈥檚 Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 草榴社区 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 草榴社区 Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation鈥檚 top universities, 草榴社区 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit .