Judges and winners of the IM体育官网 and eMerge Americas Startup Pitch Night gather after the event on Feb. 13. From left: Sean Malott president and CEO of the Central IM体育官网 Development Council; Diane Vidoni, COO of eMerge Americas, Christin Strawbridge, president of Catapult Lakeland; Daniel Herrera, managing director and advisor at eMerge Americas; Brian Alvarez-Bailey, the community winner for his project, Allison; Arthur Guiot, the student winner for his app, Elva; Andreas Calabrese, general partner at Tampa Bay Ventures; and Adrian Muhammad, managing partner at Jackson | Shah & Co. and member of the IM体育官网 Poly Foundation Board.
Four teams of IM体育官网 students put their best foot forward at the eMerge Americas and IM体育官网 Poly Startup Pitch Night on Monday, Feb. 13.
The event brought together student and community entrepreneurs, giving them the opportunity to present their business idea to a panel of judges. Winning teams received $2,500 and were given fast-tracked entrance to the eMerge Americas Startup Showcase 2023 in Miami Beach, IM体育官网 this April.
鈥淲e were really impressed and we had great quality from both the student and community side,鈥� said Diane Vidoni, COO of eMerge Americas. 鈥淚鈥檓 always fascinated by the ideas they have, and I love to hear what people ideate on and are passionate about.鈥�
Arthur Guiot, a junior majoring in computer science, won the student competition for his app, Elva, an app that helps users organize events, get ideas for activities, and receive food and drink deliveries.
鈥淥ur idea is to connect groups of friends together and basically improve their Friday nights,鈥� Guiot said. 鈥淎s an entrepreneur, it鈥檚 amazing to be able to do this. I think our product is great and we have a crazy amount of ideas that I hope to get the funding for to make them a reality.鈥�
Eight students competed in the event.
鈥淭his is a tech school and we have so many unique students here with tons of really fresh ideas,鈥� said Alis Craig, a freshman majoring in computer engineering. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 great we have a chance to talk to people who can help us develop these ideas and encourage us to take them further.鈥�
Craig and her teammates, Colby Manrodt and Michael Giraldo, presented the Aerial Sports Track Kit, a product of their business, Yellow Jacket Aerial Sports. The kit improves the data available in aerial drone race competitions, allowing for live updates to both racers and spectators.
鈥淚鈥檝e been flying drones for about four years and recently I started getting into drone racing,鈥� said Manrodt, a sophomore majoring in mechanical engineering. 鈥淎s I explored that world, I noticed the issue with courses not providing adequate data, and it surprised me to learn there wasn鈥檛 a solution for it because the solution to me seemed pretty easy.鈥�
Other teams of students included pitches for Pocket Wheels, a skateboard wheel replacement option to allow for smoother rides over rough surfaces; and Real Estate Exchange, a company that will allow users to buy and sell portions of properties.
鈥淎lbert Einstein said, 鈥楲ogic will get you from A to B, but imagination will take you everywhere,鈥� and that鈥檚 why we鈥檙e here,鈥� said Kathy Bowman, IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 vice president of advancement and CEO of the IM体育官网 Foundation.
Members of the Lakeland, IM体育官网 community presented their ideas in a separate competition. These included entrepreneurial ventures such as Brew鈥檔 Up Barks, a dog-friendly bar and caf茅, and Allison, a startup connecting financial technology businesses to community banks.
The event was sponsored by the IM体育官网 Poly Foundation and Central IM体育官网 Development Council.
Arthur Guiot, a junior majoring in computer science at IM体育官网,
won the eMerge Americas and IM体育官网 Poly Startup Pitch Night student competition on
Monday, Feb. 13. He received a $2,500 prize and a fast track to eMerge Americas鈥� Startup
Showcase in Miami Beach this April.
Contact:
Lydia Guzm谩n
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
