Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge awards $10,000 to student entrepreneurs
Friday, May 8, 2015
MANHATTAN — A statewide student entrepreneurship competition organized by the Kansas State University Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship has awarded three high school and three college students with $10,000 in prize money for their business ideas.
The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge gives high school and college students from around the state experience in the process of making a business proposal. To compete, students delivered a 90-second "quick pitch" of their business to a panel of judges that consisted of local entrepreneurs, bankers and investment experts. The competitors then each had 12 minutes to do a more in-depth pitch, followed by a Q&A session with the judges.
"The Kansas Entrepreneurship Challenge is an opportunity to showcase the tremendous entrepreneurial talent we have in the state of Kansas," said Chad Jackson, director of the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. "The real-world experience of pitching a business in front of the type of business experts we have on our panel is invaluable to these students, and provides real-world feedback and support to launch companies within our state."
Representing Kansas State University in the collegiate division was Jordan DeLoach, junior in computer science, Manhattan, who won $3,000 and first place for his pitch for Twitistics, a social media background check company. He also won $500 as the best quick pitch competitor in his division.
Serhiy Zhykin, Fort Hays State University, Hays, took second place and $2,000, while Casey Cagle, Emporia State University, Emporia, rounded out the collegiate division with third place and $1,000.
Abhay Gohel, a student in the Blue Valley CAPS program, Overland Park, took first place and $1,500 in the high school division for his pitch for a hockey glove cleaning and sanitizing product called Goaltender.
Daniel Serres, Van Horn High School, Independence, Missouri, won second place and $1,000, as well as $500 for best high school quick pitch. Zach Vega, Wichita East High School, wrapped up the high school division, taking third place and a $500 prize.
