The 707 Hub and Brady Corporation will host the Brewed Ideas Challenge, a Shark Tank-style pitch competition highlighting student-founded startups, on Friday, April 24, from 1 to 5 p.m. in the 707 Hub. The event culminates a series of bootcamp workshops where student founders, mentored by leaders from Brady Corporation, develop their ideas into pitch-ready business proposals.
This year, 10 finalists will compete across two tracks — mission-driven ventures and traditional businesses — for a share of $27,000 in seed funding. Faculty, staff, students and community members are invited to attend; food will be provided. Register online.
Mission-driven finalists
- Kiera Moran, P3 Energy — Compact, modular micro anaerobic digester systems for small and medium-sized farms (Mentor: Alan Suva)
- Matthew Guerrero, Focus Arena — A gamified app promoting accountability in study habits (Mentor: Samson Williams)
- Lily Kuypers, Budget Buddy — A financial wellness and support app for students (Mentor: Tim Migacz)
- Sydney Gang, Skip the Warm-Up — Heated knee sleeves designed to support health and wellness (Mentor: Julie Molsky)
- Cuinn O’Keefe, BLS Bars — A lifestyle brand connecting simple nutrition, discipline and faith (Mentor: Ryan Calverley)
Traditional business finalists
- Michael Bergmann, Vensora — Modernized gauges for a range of applications (Mentor: Gregg Haensgen)
- Sean Forrest, Berley’s Boats and Pier Service — A boat detailing business based in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin (Mentor: Matt Goode)
- Graham Jaeger, HomeLabz — A customizable, portable, doorframe-mounted punching pad (Mentor: Jon Mantes)
- Ian Ortega and Nabil Othman, Kynetics — Rehabilitation technologies designed to shorten recovery time and enhance patient satisfaction (Mentor: Amanda Beekman)
- Mosa Abduljalil and Joseph Schlise, MarqFit — A fitness companion app tailored to the wellness needs of Marquette students (Mentor: Scott Gehring)
