2016 Elevator Pitch Competition

Groceries delivered right to your door, a campus bike sharing program and a sustainable steelmaking process. These were just a few of the innovative projects that were pitched at the eighth annual Bob Mark Elevator Pitch Competition, on Thursday. Oct. 6. This event gave 25 aspiring entrepreneurs an opportunity to gain recognition and support for their ambitious ideas.

Emmet Eurich, a second year chemical engineering student and the winner of the competition, plans to use the winnings to develop his Vacuu-Shot archery business. Eurich and his partner Sankalp Benwa are currently creating a working prototype of the bow. “In five years, I see Vacuu- Shot as an established and competitive archery company helping to improve the safety and experience of archers across the United States and hopefully, beyond,” Eurich said.

The audience favorite award went to Parth Bhatt and Dhavan Sharma, who would like to open an Indian restaurant in the Houghton area. They hope that the winnings and recognition that they received at the event will help them find resources and investors for their idea. “If we go on a proper track, and if we find a good investor, in five years Houghton will have an Indian restaurant,” Bhatt said.

The Elevator Pitch Competition is hosted by The Entrepreneurs Club at Tech. The Club’s president, Cedric Kennedy, won the competition last year and said that the competition has improved a lot this year. “I believe it is helping to find the hidden entrepreneurs,” he said. Kennedy elaborated about another exciting opportunity that the Elevator Competition offers. The top ten contestants are being sent to Silicon Valley to visit the corporate headquarters of Facebook, Apple, Google, Tesla, and two companies started by MTU alumni: Handshake and SkyMind. “The trip is about a week long and provides a great experience for students to explore their options after school,” Kennedy explained.

Furthermore, the top three contestants of the competition get resources provided by Smartzone. Kennedy thought that this was one of the most valuable prizes to him. “With the membership agreement with Smartzone, I took a SmartStart class where I learned about business development and how to avoid costly mistakes,” Kennedy said.

For those of you who missed the competition but are still interested in developing your own entrepreneurial ambitions, Kennedy encourages you to join the Entrepreneurs Club. “We have several startups that are currently up and running including Handshake that was founded by ex-member Garrett Lord. He just recently raised $15 million,” he said. Furthermore, the club is hoping to get a startup house that would provide a living quarters for budding entrepreneurs. Kennedy said that it could be a place “where they can bounce ideas off of each other, collaborate and celebrate their successes.”

Parth had some advice for Tech students who are looking to start their own business. “Everyone has their own dreams and capacity. Some limit themselves, some don’t. It’s the choices that you make that define you. If you want to play safe in life, forget it, it’s not your cup of tea. Entrepreneurship or any big venture in life means uncertainty,” Parth said.