The University of Delaware’s Horn Program in Entrepreneurship helped students to pitch without making their “Tell-Tale Hearts beat too fast” at last week’s Poe’s Pitch Party. The pitch party, which was Edgar Allan Poe-themed, promised a night filled with unique and impressive pitches.

This spooky edition of the Horn Program’s annual fall pitch competition put the fun into startup pitching, with 19 teams of UD students pitching their business ideas to a live audience and panel of accomplished judges in a fun, relaxed and welcoming environment.

 “It was such a great experience to learn how to present in such a supportive environment,” said Meredith Ackerson, one of the night’s presenters. “The Venture Development Center has a naturally welcoming environment, so it was great to see people and meet others who I previously didn't know who have similar entrepreneurial mindsets.”

The Pitch Party had hors d’oeuvres, a hot chocolate bar, and trick-or-treating for all of the guests to enjoy.

Winner Jordan Gonzalez was awarded $700 in Venture Development Center (VDC) cash to be used toward the development of his company, Geoswap. Geoswap is a mobile application that allows for “events, deals and information all at your fingertips everywhere you go”.

“The pitch parties that happen every semester at the VDC are always great opportunities to meet students who are working on interesting and innovative ideas,” Gonzalez said. “It's great to be recognized for the hard work that we all put in when working on our businesses, and getting some money that helps further these ideas helps even more.”

Before the final round of deliberation, the judges heard from the top five presenters, along with an audience choice winner picked by the crowd. The top six teams had to answer predetermined questions that were designed to showcase the pitchers’ personalities.

Ultimately, second and third place went to Garry Johnson with Creative Minds and Jim Jannuzzio with BookBandit, respectively.

Originally second and third place were awarded $200 and $100, but the Horn Program was so impressed by these pitches that they decided to raise Johnson’s winnings to $700 and Jannuzzio’s winnings to $200.

Creative Minds aims to provide Wilmington’s inner-city youth with the resources and connections needed to pursue their creative and innovative ideas, while also positively impacting their communities.

BookBandit is a one-stop shop mobile platform for finding any textbook on the market at the cheapest possible price.

When speaking about the diversity of students and judges that participated in the pitch party, Jannuzzio said, “We all have one thing in common – we share the same passion for our venture. That right there has value in itself, surrounding yourself with people who are as determined as you.”

Johnson of Creative Minds was thankful for being able to participate in such an event. “It's always great to see the innovative ideas that students are working on, and I'm glad that our university provides various platforms for us to share our work with the UD community,” he said.

“Pitching can be stressful, but we all learn from each other and grow after each competition,” Johnson continued. “Even if you don't win, you gain a lot of great insight into how to fine-tune your pitch for the next competition.”

“I was thrilled after my pitch because other students came up to me and asked how they can help or if they can volunteer, and I'm always open to collaboration because that's what entrepreneurship is all about.”

Daphne Vantine, one of the hosts of the night’s event and special program assistant for the Horn Program, called the event a success.

“We were so impressed with the professionalism and creativity exhibited by all of the teams,” Vantine said. “Seeing how much preparation and passion went into each presentation inspires us to continue hosting events like these.”

“I can’t wait to see what incredible ideas come to light at next semester’s pitch party.”

The pitches were evaluated by a panel of accomplished judges:

• Rory Laitila, founder and CEO of Raaka Ventures LLC, director of services, product owner and software developer of Iter8group;

• Jennifer Kmiec, associate director of the Committee of 100, founder of Inspiring Women in STEM, chair for Million Women Mentors; and

• Markevis Gideon, UD alumnus, creator of Nerdit NOW, Hen Hatch 2016 Alumni track winner.

Katelyn Murray, another of the night’s presenters said, “Participating in Poe's Pitch Party allowed me to work on my presentation skills, while gaining valuable advice on how to move forward with my business idea. I am very pleased that I had the opportunity to participate in such a successful event.”

About the Horn Program in Entrepreneurship

The Horn Program ignites imaginations and empowers world changers through entrepreneurial education.

The program’s offerings emphasize experiential learning, evidence-based entrepreneurship and active engagement with entrepreneurs, business leaders and members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Participation in Horn Program courses and co-curricular activities empowers students by providing them with the knowledge, skills, connections and access to resources needed to successfully manifest innovation and thrive in a rapidly changing world.