Aspiring entrepreneurs gathered inside O’Brien Hall on Thursday, Nov. 13, to participate in the second annual Marquette Invitational startup pitch competition. Ten teams from five universities presented original business concepts to a panel of subject matter experts, with over $20,000 in seed money available for the winners.
“This event provides an outstanding opportunity for student founders to solve unique problems and test their business model concepts with leaders of the area start-up community,” said John Wright, Coleman Chair and assistant professor of practice in entrepreneurship. “Experiential learning opportunities such as this prepare students of today to become high-growth founders and business leaders of tomorrow.”
Nabil Othman and Ian Ortega from Marquette University took first place and earned $10,000. Their company, Kynetics, creates affordable rehabilitation technologies to enhance recovery and human performance.
The second-place team of Joel Roberts and Colin Hughes, representing UW-Milwaukee, earned $7,500 to support their business, Shepherd Traffic, which automates traffic data intelligence and provides solutions to traffic planners. Sydney Gang of Marquette University took third place, receiving $2,500. Her business, Skip The Warmup LLC, helps people move freely with the first washable, continuous-use heated knee sleeve.
Teams were judged on criteria including concept strength, market need, value proposition, feasibility, sustainability, and presentation skills.
“The Marquette Invitational was a unique experience for me as an aspiring entrepreneur,” said Ian Ortega, co-founder of Kynetics. “Getting the exposure to the innovative start-up environment is critical in the early stages of someone’s business.”
The Marquette Invitational brings together students representing Marquette University, Milwaukee School of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Lawrence University and Lakeland University. The event is supported by the Coleman Foundation, the Kohler Center for Entrepreneurship and the Marquette Business entrepreneurship program.
