Five student teams advance to Business Pitch Competition finals Nov. 18; winner to receive $3,500

November 14, 2013

Five student teams will test their entrepreneurial skills Nov. 18, in the final round of the University of Richmond’s Business Pitch Competition. The Entrepreneurship Club, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and the Richmond Association for Corporate Growth sponsor the event.

The competition will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Robins School of Business, Ukrop Auditorium. It is free and open to the public.

The five finalists were chosen in an earlier round from 24 teams. They are:

  • Brett Csorba, whose company PageChat offers a free Chrome extension that enables users to click, chat and connect to any PageChat user viewing the same web page on an easy to use drop down chat window. 
  • Fatima AlBassam and Manuel Paredes who are implementing a web-based solution in Saudi Arabia to match volunteers with organizations that need volunteers through their company, Feena Khair. 
  • Liuqi Wang, Natasha Gupta and April Israel will provide fresh juice with tapioca bubbles––bubble juice––through their company, Generation O. Their product is targeted toward people who care about healthy eating but who have limited access to fresh juice.
  • Lauren Grainger’s company LineGuard is offering a product designed to protect anglers from snagging their feet rather than fish. The Line Guard is a dynamic line maintenance accessory that collects excess stripping line and prevents tangling. This product reduces distractions and allows anglers to focus on the true art that is fly fishing.
  • Pamir Niaz and Christopher Bahlo have developed SweatTee, an undergarment designed for individuals who want to avoid the dreaded moisture and odor of sweat while in a business professional environment.

Experts and professionals from outside the university will judge the finals on concept, clarity, comprehensiveness, realistic implementation and potential value. They are: Pat Galleher of Boxwood Partners; Amyli McDaniel of Venture Wise; Chris Moore of Direct Mail Solutions; Mike McGinley of New Dominion Angels; Richard Harrison of Code Hero; Karen Booth Adams of Hot Technology Holdings; Dan Henderson of CIT GAP Funds; Scott Warren of Warren and Whitney; and Charles Polk III of Jones Lang LaSalle Americas, Inc.

The first place team will receive a $3,500 cash prize and the opportunity to pitch its business to a group of local angel investors. The second place team will receive $1,000, while the third place team takes home $500.

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