Elevator Pitch Competition
This week, semi-finalists of the SMU Business Accelerator Program will deliver 90-second elevator pitches to compete for up to $12,000 in cash and in-kind donations.
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Winners of the Elevator Pitch Competition will be placed into two tiers:
Tier 1
Tier 1 winners will be qualified to advance to the finalist round of the SMU Startup Launch Competition. Winners will also receive:
- Non-Dilutive Pre-Seed cash prize
Startup Venture Innovation Strategy and Investment Consulting Session with orrick
- Dedicated Desk At Hexa Co-Working Shared Space
- Exclusive Invitation to Pitch at Hexa Ventures *
- Energy Recharge Gift From Cox Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurs *
- Invitation to BAP-Sponsored Events
- Invitation to Community Partner Networking Events
- One-on-One Mentoring
- Business Plan and Final Presentation Feedback
- Advances to the Finalist Round to Compete in the SMU Startup Launch Competition and the opportunity to win over $50,000 in cash prizes and in-kind donations ( *must remain eligible in the program)
* First Place Winners
Tier 2
Tier 2 will continue to participate as a Semi-Finalists in the Business Accelerator Program
- Access to Co-Working Shared Space
- Invitation to BAP-Sponsored Events
- Invitation to Community Partner Networking Events
- One-on-One Mentoring
- Business Plan and Final Presentation Feedback
- Opportunity to Qualify for the Finalist Round to Compete in the SMU Startup Launch Competition and the opportunity to win over $50,000 in cash prizes and in-kind donations ( *must remain eligible in the program)
Moderator
Dr. Simon Mak, PHD
Executive Director, SMU Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship
Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship
Meet the judges:
Lauren Davis
Founder & Chief Culture Officer of The Gents Place
Raymond Jones
Founder of RedTeam Networks and Co- Founder of Resolute Future
Lea A. Ellermeier
President of Sheep Medical, USA
Kirk Otis
Managing Director at HawkEye Capital Partners and President of the North Texas Kereitsu Forum
Contessa “Tessa” Hoskin
Vice President at WEX SMU Board of Directors for Alumni and Associate Board
Meet the semi-finalists:
Andrew Traeger ’22 |Olio | SMU Cox Alumni - PMBA
Olio is an employment-oriented networking platform focusing on video content creation that allows individuals and businesses to connect, collaborate, engage, organize their portfolio, and post and apply for economic opportunities.
Brent Schlagel | Click | SMU Cox Graduate Student - FTMBA
Click is an all-in-one social planning platform including event discovery, group coordinating and media albums. Machine learning is used to suggest the most appropriate recommendations to add to your to-do list with direct relations to your friends’ suggestions.
Chad Susman | Flare | SMU Cox Graduate Student - PMBA
Flare the AIRBNB of limited-release sneakers. It is a B2B retail tech company that creates accessibility to limited release sneakers through a consumer-to-consumer platform.
Chris Reese ’22 | High Impact Technologies (Sports) | SMU Alumni - MS Engineering and Entrepreneurship
We are a Sports IoT technology solution that provides seamless collection of wholistic and in-depth team performance data to empower coaches and improve team outcomes. We aim to integrate our technology into the most important area of an athletes performance training, the weight room.
Elias Ellefsen ’22 | Bandidos Hard Cactus Water | SMU Alumni - PMBA
We provide a better for you alcoholic beverage to help our customers balance living an active lifestyle and having a healthy social life.
Jena Rangnow |BlankEmit |SMU Graduate Student - PMBA
BlankEmit is a plush Red-Light Therapy (RLT) blanket that supercharges the body’s healing mechanisms at a site-specific cellular level from the comfort of your home and routine.
Juan Trevino and Alejandro Ortiz | OT Storage |SMU Cox Graduate Student - PMBA
Simple, scalable, and optimized storage solution for individuals and businesses through a technologically driven process and pricing model. Customers will be able to get instant quotes on storing their items, schedule a pickup, and subscribe/pay through our app.
Jude Lugo and Michael Castle |Commerce Navigator | SMU Undergraduate Students
Commerce Navigator is an accounting software dedicated to bookkeeping made easy for the online seller.
Justeen Hannah ’22 and Satish Bomma |Green Earth Technology Solutions (GET) | SMU Cox Alumni and Graduate - OMBA
Data gathering service to Provide key insights to EV owners, Government (Infrastructure planning) departments, EV manufacturers, and suppliers on trends related to EV adoption, EV charging demand, EV usage/efficiency (Mileage/charge), and charging station availability cost and service type by (geolocation). We will achieve this by using data analytics that collects and analyzes data related to the use of electric vehicles, such as changing times, mileage per charge, and geo locations of charging stations.
Morganne Stewart | Helixx Medical |HealthTech| SMU Graduate Student - PMBA
Helixx’s vision is to evolve how the medical world helps people. Helixx is a technological solution that would provide secure, immediate, and long-term information flow between patients and healthcare providers. Through the use of a medical alert identification device (MAID), user-friendly software connected to an individual’s electronic medical records, and loyal concierge service to help navigate the medical world.
Pamela Nunez ’22, Shaheen Manohar ’22, and Jenny Mueninghoff ’22 | Rootz | SMU Cox Alumni - EMBA
Rootz is a hemp-based insulation company with a locally sourced, sustainable and well-building qualifiedproduct, Greenspace™. Rootz will purchase industrial hemp grown by farmers and related biomass inTexas via local processers to produce blown-in insulation that will compete with both traditional, volatileorganic compound (VOC) insulation and more eco-friendly options currently on the market.
Raleigh Dewan and Mason Morland |SteadiSpoon | SMU Undergraduate Students
The SteadiSpoon™ is a self-stabilizing eating utensil that enables Parkinson’s patients to regain agency, autonomy, and dignity in their lives by empowering them to feed themselves despite their debilitating hand tremors.
Samar Rawas ’22| Right Pear| Undergraduate Alumni
The “Right Pear” team blends retail, technology and data expertise to organize and structure solutions that put retailers and their shoppers at the heart of what their Right Pear of Clothing is.
Tanner LaRocque |Gritty |SMU Cox Graduate Student - PMBA
Gritty is a body care brand for active men. Formulated for men who work hard and need their skincare products to work even harder.
Manuel Veyna, Charles Flores, and Cesar Sanchez |ACCOMODATED | SMU Cox Graduate Student – PMBA
Accommodated is a web hosted platform that decreases the amount of time teachers/SPED interventionalists dedicate to completing IEP student accommodations.