Entrepalooza’s Minute-to-Pitch-It Winners Announced
The NC State community came together on Sept. 30, 2021, as over 1,200 students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members celebrated entrepreneurship and innovation at Entrepalooza 2021.
This year marks the 7th anniversary of the big annual celebration hosted by NC State Entrepreneurship. The event took place on Main Campus at Stafford Commons and showcased 24 student and alumni-owned businesses, entrepreneurship programs and campus resources – all of which make up the university’s vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. The event’s name, Entrepalooza, comes from combining the words “Entrepreneurship” and “Palooza,” the latter meaning a big party – and that’s exactly what it feels like with music, balloons, free food, a tie-dyeing station, a cookie truck and dozens of vendors!
This year’s vendors included 321 Coffee, 700 Rivers, Advancement of Women Entrepreneurs, Albright Entrepreneurs Village, Arin’s Good Girl Dog Treats, Arts Entrepreneurship, Current Wellness, The Cookie People, Engineering Career Fair, Engineering Entrepreneurs Program, Global Training Initiative, Hempsmith, Home Office Solutions LLC, Kyrah’s Kustoms, NC State Blue Economy Group, NC State Entrepreneurship, Paradigm Innovation, Phloat, Raleigh Founded, Reborn Clothing Co., Retrieving Hearts, Social Entrepreneurship & Innovation, The Cookie People, Tour Warrenton and Wolfe Cravings.
Minute-to-Pitch-It Winners
A signature part of the event is the Minute-To-Pitch-It competition, where 10 student teams have one minute to pitch an idea to a panel of judges and a live audience for a chance to win a $2,250 Audience Choice Award and a $2,250 Judges’ Choice Award cash.
This year’s finalists included students from Poole College of Management, CALS, College of Engineering, Wilson College of Textiles, CHASS, and College of Design.
Judges’ Choice Winner: Accountabowl
Business Idea: An IOT smart bowl that automatically tracks the weight and calories of food automatically.
Team Members
Matthew Coffey, senior from the College of Engineering
Lydia Gray, senior from the College of Engineering
Megan Lucas, junior from the College of Engineering
Brandon Sluss, senior from the College of Engineering
Benjamin Smith, senior from the College of Engineering
Audience Choice Winner: Team Stoneys
Business Idea: A sensory lounge and entertainment facility that promotes a safe and entertaining environment for marijuana users.
Team Member: Caleb Bone, a freshman in the Poole College of Management
Thank you
NC State Entrepreneurship offers a big thank you to our wonderful judges, Nico Gonzalez, JiNan Glasgow George, Jerry Cuomo and Bill Spruill.
We also offer a special thanks to IBM, Carimus, Eastman, The Variable, and Software Development Europe and The NC State Foundation for helping make Entrepalooza a staple of the Fall Semester.
To learn more about Entrepalooza visit go.ncsu.edu/entrepalooza.
