According to some of the University of Delaware’s most entrepreneurial new students, the next big products on the market could be a stylish hat that helps soothe the pain of facial surgery, a bowl that gets rid of the dreaded cold spot in the middle of microwaved food and a game designed for fans in the stands of sporting events.

These were the three winning ideas from groups of freshmen competing in Wednesday’s 3-Minute Pitch Presentation Competition, for which 600 freshmen from the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics packed into Clayton Hall in their best business casual dress.

Earlier this semester, all students in the First Year Experience course in UD’s business administration department pitched their original ideas for products and services.

The top nine teams then moved on to the 3-Minute Pitch Competition, where they shared their business ideas with a panel of prestigious judges.

“This is the sort of learning activity that we feel sets Lerner apart from other schools,” said Rick Andrews, professor of marketing and director of the Lerner College International Programs, at the event’s introduction.

During the competition, each group discussed why their product was necessary, what products, if any, are existing competitors, how much their product would cost and their break-even analysis for the product’s production. Each presentation included detailed cost analyses, depending on the materials and labor needed to produce the product.

The first winning group pitched a product called “MicrowavaBowl” a doughnut-shaped bowl to use for reheating food in a microwave. The bowl is designed to avoid the cold spot in the middle of microwaved food, saving time and money by minimizing food-reheating time.

The second winning group pitched “Hit Or Miss,” a baseball-themed game designed for fans at live sporting events. As the game progresses, players predict which events will come next. The group calls their product: “The game for the fans in the stands.”

The third winning group pitched “Wisdom Cap,” an adjustable pouch with alternating ice and heat packs as well as vibrating capabilities, designed to help people recovering from removal of wisdom teeth. The product would be the only one on the market, and would include a hat as well as cheek pieces.

Other groups pitched the following innovations:

• “Pocket Pal,” an adhesive wallet and key holder that sticks to the back of smartphones to hold a key, IDs, credit/debit cards and business cards.

• “Campus Walk,” a GPS navigational app that not only takes the user to specific buildings on campus, but also gives them routes to specific classrooms.

• “Floor-Essence,” an product that tells a user what lights are on in their home and gives them the option to turn off or dim the lights from a panel on their front door.

• “SpaceLift,” a company that connects artists with towns that need “facelifts” in the form of murals, as well as local businesses to help fund these projects.

• “PoLight Pillow,” a pillow that wakes up students silently with lights and vibration to keep students from disturbing their roommates with early alarms or frequently pressing “snooze.”

• “Dorm Exchange,” a campus-based online marketplace for students to sell or trade popular college dorm or apartment goods, like fans and mini-fridges.

After the pitches, Vincent DiFelice of UD’s Horn Program in Entrepreneurship reminded students to submit their ideas to Hen Hatch 2017, UD’s premiere startup funding competition. As part of Hen Hatch, students, alumni, faculty and staff have the opportunity to win cash prizes in support of their entrepreneurial ideas.