Innovative Eagles Participate in Pitch Competition

On December 2, more than 75 students from entrepreneurship and management information systems classes participated in a pitch competition where they presented their innovative business ideas to judges from the Spokane business community. Judges listened to the business ideas and provided developmental feedback to the students, many of whom will continue to develop their ideas in preparation for participation in regional pitch competitions. The competition was organized by Management Information Systems Professor Atsushi Inoue and Assistant Professor of Management Yanxin “Fred” Liu.

The top three teams received a share of $1,000 prize money, with the first-place team winning $500, the second-place team winning $300 and the third-place team winning $200. College of Business Associate Dean, Shuming “Sherry” Bai presented the winning teams with their awards.

First Place

Mr. Fix-it

Brittney Smith: “My product is designed to send engine codes through an application directly to an independent automotive repair shop in real-time. My product will provide a managerial tool which can help aid in the decision-making process, save valuable time of management, provide an on-demand monitoring system to their customers, and assist them in educating their customers.”

Second Place

Kitchenware Assistant Drawer

Leya Depriest, Eric Eide, Nathan Clark: “The Assistant will help with full utilization of the drawer and its contents. The drawer will be a drop-in unit with no install required. The target market will be anyone with a drawer that needs help accessing it or want a cool upgrade to their kitchen.”

Third Place

The Boozy Bee

Brenna Bayless, Taylor Scott, Mariah Stearns: “The Boozy Bee is a sit-down bar and bakery that is guaranteed to satisfy your sweet tooth, help you unwind from your day, or kick off your night out. We are an innovative bakery that will bring some sugar and spice to the Pacific Northwest, through an array of cupcake and alcoholic drink combinations. Our cupcakes are uniquely designed with creative flavors that taste great for any occasion.”

External Judges

Local business professionals and EWU faculty and staff volunteered as judges for the event:

• Ryan Arnold, Director of Regional Entrepreneurship Strategy at North Idaho College
• Jimmy Wade, Venture Center Program Coordinator, North Idaho College
• Joel Nania, Manager, Spokane Office U.S. Small Business Administration
• Sam Breeze, Partner and Patent Attorney, Lee & Hayes
• Mark Pond, Spokane Public Library
• Chris Wood, Ten X Ventures
• Megan Hulsey, Business Lender, Craft3
• Daniel Clark, Business Expansion Consultancy Partners S.C.
• Michael Ebinger, PhD, Director, WSU Center for Innovation
• Tanner Chaffin, Owner, Purfect Logos, LLC
• Cory Santiago, Founder and Inventor, Bear Minimum
• Charlie Wolff, Business Development Manager, City of Spokane
• Michele Stocking, Assistant Vice President, Washington Trust Bank
• John Dunlop, Whitworth University
• Brian Paul Caffrey, Heartstrings The Phone App, LLC
• Allison Glasunow, PhD, Associate Attorney at Perkins Coie LLP
• Renee LaRocca, Managing Partner Foresight Product Management LLC
• George Tanner, Idaho Entrepreneurship Director and Senior Instructor University of Idaho
• Heidi Medford, PhD, Innovation Advancement and Partnerships Washington State University
• Timothy Ledford, Founder and CEO Safeguard Equipment

EWU Faculty & Staff

• Shuming Bai, PhD, Associate Dean and Professor of Finance
• Taylor Kensel, MFA, Interim Assistant Director for Student Research & Community Engagement
• Patricia Nemetz-Mills, PhD, Professor of Strategic and Operation Management
• Eldonna Shaw-Davis, Management Faculty
• Ken Tucker, Director of Philanthropy
• Duanning Zhou, PhD, Professor of MIS, Chair of Information System and Business Analytics Department