Nearly 70 students had the opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial, communication and presentation skills through a short “quick pitch” proposal to a panel of entrepreneurial experts at the College of Business Administration’s sixth annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition Nov. 6.
“The quick pitch competition was a great event,” said Sam Nelson, associate director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, which coordinates the competition. “We had more contestants from more diverse backgrounds than ever before in each division. There were some incredible ideas pitched this year.”
The competition was conducted in two divisions — collegiate and Nebraska high schools — with seven competition rooms. Each room had one $1,000 cash prize winner. Following is a list of the award winners and their entrepreneurial pitches:
High School Level: Trevor Jensen, a junior at Lincoln North Star High School in the Entrepreneurship Focus Program, Jensen Brothers’ Bees.
Collegiate Level (all are UNL students unless noted): Asa Bryant, a senior advertising and public relations major from Panama, Wax Investments; Thomas Frederick, mechanical engineering doctoral student from Omaha, Bluetooth Equipment Tracking; Matthew Jones, business major at Southeast Community College from Lincoln, JayHop Helicopters; Conner Koerperich, junior agribusiness major from Lincoln, Forage Products; Rachel Stevens, senior agronomy major from Falls City, Heartland Ag Consulting; Kelly Sturek, senior business administration major from Las Vegas, Cricket Protein.
Courtney Sloan, a senior business administration major from Lincoln, was named the People’s Choice Award winner for her business, Jack Trips. She was selected based on the vote of those in attendance for their favorite presentation.
The Center for Entrepreneurship at the UNL College of Business Administration is the hub of entrepreneurship and innovation on campus. The center’s mission is to inspire and empower students to become “startup people” in both new and established enterprises. Through innovative and active educational experiences, students work with the center to actively craft their career paths. The center’s focus on research assures new knowledge is created and shared to inspire innovation and growth, both personally and professionally.
