Aspiring entrepreneurs seized the opportunity to earn $5,000 in start-up funding at the April 28 West Valley College Business Pitch Competition held in the WVC Entrepreneurship Center. Thirteen teams, each composed of one to four West Valley students, received five minutes to make their pitch, followed by a two-minute question-and-answer session with a five-judge panel. The judges were so impressed by competitors’ proposals, they bumped up the prize-winning teams from one to three, with each receiving $5,000. Pending follow-up information requests to two additional teams, the total number of grants is expected to expand to five, said Entrepreneurship Center Director Teresa Thompson. Judges evaluated teams’ pitches based on criteria including clearly and persuasively identifying a problem, deeply understanding their customers, and proposing a unique, feasible solution.
Generously funded through a $50,000 gift from entrepreneurs and philanthropists Howard and Kimberly Gore, the event represented a return of the WVC Business Pitch Competition after an approximate 10-year hiatus. The Gores, along with Derek Cheng of Wildcard CMO, WVC alum Andrew Davidge of Vintage Electric, and President Jennifer Taylor-Mendoza, served as judges. Professional business mentors led participants through eight pre-event sessions to prepare and polish their pitches.
Congratulations go to winning teams: Backfield.ai (Kevin Ubilla), an application helping football players track their data and progress; ReMatch (Kaitlyn Nguyen, Nick Saban, Jake Cannon, and Etta Chase) a mobile app that pairs college students seeking research opportunities with relevant faculty; and Chomp (Sophia Cuevas and Rojel Acot), a dog food treat that swaps filler products for black soldier flies, a healthier, eco-friendly protein source.
