Fueling the Future of Student Entrepreneurship

Meeting the needs of financially vulnerable college students, improving consumer experience through innovative technology, and offering a more sustainable route for the production of biodiesel. These lofty aims are what the three finalists in the 2022 Queens Annual Pitch Competition set out to achieve through their five-minute presentations and business proposals. Although the finalists were vying for their share of $5,000 in total prize money, the competitors seemed to be just as motivated by the mentorship and comradery of the process. Juniors Kyle McGuff ’23 and Christian Ramos ’23 won first place for their proposed product; Alkalyst, a novel alkaline catalyst solution to encourage more sustainability in the production of biodiesel.

Pitching a product to a panel of esteemed, Charlotte-based entrepreneurs is not your average Wednesday evening activity. For Biochemistry majors Christian Ramos and Kyle McGuff, the pitch was the culmination of months of experimentation, research, and development. After being selected as one of the three finalists from the initial pool of 28 teams, Ramos and McGuff were paired up with a mentor from the community to help them refine their presentation.

“As non-business majors, we felt we were at a little bit of a disadvantage entering a business competition,” said Ramos. “That being said, we are analytical thinkers and knew that if we could explain the science of our product to the judges and show some numbers to break down the proposal, then that would help us succeed. Our mentor helped us flesh out our ideas and motivated us as we navigated the process.”

Outside of the monetary prize, Ramos and McGuff won a seat at Tabris, a Charlotte co-working space and innovation center where they will have the opportunity to work alongside and network with local entrepreneurs and business owners.

Business Administration major, Jack O’Grady ’22 won the second-place prize of $1,500 and was named winner of the audience choice award earning an additional $500, for his pitch of Mountain View; a technology utilizing artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality to help consumers troubleshoot and resolve their customer service needs. Mickey Evans ’22 took home the third place $500 prize for her pitch of Campus Shares; a non-profit that offers free, second-hand college dorm essentials to students in need.

“I think all students should think about engaging in next year’s competition. My advice is to know the markets and know your place in the market,” McGuff said. “The judges really care about how you are going to build relationships to get your product out there and generate revenue.”

Learn more about Queens Pitch Competition.