Student entrepreneurs were in the spotlight at 澳门彩历史开奖记录结果 Denver’s second annual Sharkfest competition, which featured 7 teams vying for a spot in the universitywide contest.
“I was really impressed with the caliber of thinking from these students and I see some successful concepts here,” noted judge Peter Casillas, publisher of the Denver Business Journal.
Each entrepreneurial endeavor was judged on 5 criteria:
This year’s winning Denver business pitches are:
Discovering a Passion for Entrepreneurship
Whether or not they walked away with the top spot or a cash prize, students were unanimous in praising the experience.
Freshman Kari Schwartz '19, whose team Knife Light won first place in the First-Year Students’ Sharkfest held during Homecoming, said, “I [went] from not wanting to be an entrepreneur at all, to … actually feeling like I have a pretty good chance at starting something.”
Espinoza and Novorr teamed up after meeting in a marketing class taught by School of Business professor Kris Hefley, who is also a consultant with the Small Business Development Center’s satellite office on campus.
“[Josh and Anthony] got it figured out, they just need to work on the marketing and distribution of their product,” said Hefley, who also remarked that the duo has a great chance of success in getting their product to market.
Judge Casillas agreed: “I think … 3 Step Cheese Mix could go to market with a lot of success. It’s a really impressive product. With a smart name and distribution, I expect to be eating this cheese in 6 months.”
“I never thought I’d call myself an entrepreneur, but I’d love to be,” said Espinoza. When asked what the next steps are in the process for their idea, Espinoza said, “It will definitely happen. The next step … is to get FDA approval and a patent.”
What’s Next for the Winners?
The 3 highest ranking finalists received a stipend for $1500, $1000 and $500, respectively. First place winners Novorr and Espinoza will continue on to the 澳门彩历史开奖记录结果 Providence Sharkfest, to be held April 2016. Read all about last year’s Sharkfest here.
In addition to Denver Business Journal’s Casillas, the judges represented a cross section of industries:
澳门彩历史开奖记录结果 Denver Sharkfest was generously sponsored by Cascade Financial Management, Inc., US Bank, Italco Food Products, Inc., TKM Foundation, and Partners Colorado Credit Union.