On April 2, Biz Pitch was held at the Toaster, the competition was open to all students regardless of college or experience level in entrepreneurship.

The seven finalists selected competed for a grand prize of $2,000 for their new business idea. In addition, categories such as the People’s Choice Award, the Most Innovative and the Biggest Social Impact all received $200.

Morgan Kerfeld, the associate director of the Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, helped explain the purpose of Biz Pitch.

“It was started by the Holmes Center as an opportunity for undergraduate students to gain hands-on experience in presenting their early-stage business ideas,” said Kerfeld. “It’s just 90 seconds to try and get their idea across to a panel of judges and receive feedback.”

Kerfeld also runs the Entrepreneurship in Action class which helps guide students in innovation.

One of the students, Katelyn Bodnar, presented her business idea of Charm, a non-alcoholic beverage that is meant to ease stress for young adults.

Though she was not able to secure a prize, she was excited to present and thrilled that her idea was chosen to be one of the finalists.

“It was a huge learning experience, and I honestly walked away feeling a lot more confident in my public speaking skills,” said Bodnar. “Even though it was nerve-wracking at first, I think any opportunity to speak in front of others is a great way to get better at commanding a room and making your point clearly.”

Biz Pitch is held once a semester and the Holmes Center celebrated 35 competitions of Biz Pitch this year. The Toaster Innovation Hub was founded as a collaboration between the Holmes Center and University Libraries in 2020 and now hosts Biz Pitch every semester.

All of the judges are local entrepreneurs or investors with vast and diverse experience.

David Nguyen, a first-year judge this year, has founded multiple startups and is an experienced inventor with over 40+ patents filed. He currently works in the UMN College of Science and Engineering in the Technological Leadership Institute.

Nguyen said that if he were a student he would love to constantly participate in Biz Pitch competitions and how Biz Pitch can be a great start for students looking to start their career in entrepreneurship.

“I think that’s just a matter of their journey along this path where the more opportunity you get to do these types of things, the better you get at it,” said Nguyen. “It’s a great opportunity to talk to those judges, connect with them, and be a part of their professional network.”

For students looking to refine their ideas who could not participate in Biz Pitch, Nguyen is free every Friday to discuss all things innovation and loves to help and guide students.

The winner of the grand prize was Simeon Shaffar, with his app Xygos. The app is an interactive learning tool with real-time equation solving for students who feel bogged down by typical textbook learning.

The app is currently available on various platforms. Shaffar is working on continuing to expand the capabilities of it with the prize money.

Shaffar went home with $2,200. Xygos also won the People’s Choice Award, which is decided with an audience vote.

The Most Innovative prize went to EchoLearn, an app to aid with student learning. Gurasis Singh, a Carlson student, pioneered the app that aims to help students learn with a variety of teaching methods.

The Biggest Social Impact award went to EchoSocial, created by Science & Engineering student, Krishna Ravat. The app was created to help nervous neurodivergent teens and children with social interaction.

Morgan Kerfeld said a new trend in Biz Pitch is more students wanting to create social change with their pitches.

“I’ve noticed that a lot of the businesses have become increasingly more socially minded,” said Kerfeld. “How can we develop businesses that, yes, make money, but more importantly, are solving a grand challenge in the world and having some sort of social impact on society.”

Another judge, Ernest Grumbles, has been a part of the event for over eight years. He also works as a judge for MN Cup, another competition to help support student entrepreneurs, but said he enjoyed the environment that Biz Pitch creates.

“I like the informality of it,” Grumbles said. “I’ve been impressed by a lot, some of the things that I’ve judged have become clients.”

When students were asked about participating again, they said that they would totally do it again.

Leyman Bosat, a liberal arts student, presented UniCrowd, which aimed to collect and predict occupancy data in real-time for universities.

“If I do it again, I’ll make sure to be well-rested, energized, and ready to give it my all,” Bosat said. “Now that I know what to expect, I’d love to refine my approach and continue growing from the experience.”

Other finalists included Samuel Fisher and Robert DeGonda. Fisher presented a tool for celestial identification, Starfinder. DeGonda showcased NutriLens, which aimed to connect local farms to consumers.

Many of the finalists were at different stages of development with their business, but Biz Pitch is about creating a welcome space for all who have innovative ideas that they are ready to share.