3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition awards 7 student entrepreneurs with $1,000

            The University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Business Administration Center for Entrepreneurship held its fifth annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition Nov. 21. More than 70 students had the opportunity to showcase their entrepreneurial, communication and presentation skills through a short "quick pitch" proposal to a panel of entrepreneurial experts from Nebraska.

            "3-2-1 Quick Pitch gives students the chance to showcase ideas under real-world conditions. The event is fun, exciting, stressful and incredibly instructional," said Kyle Gibson, research scientist at the Center for Entrepreneurship. "Several former winners have gone on to start successful ventures and we expect nothing less from this year's competitors."

            The competition was divided into three divisions -- Nebraska high schools, and two-year and four-year colleges. Seven $1,000 cash prizes were awarded to the following students:

            High School Level: Avni Srivastav, Lincoln Southeast High School, Lincoln's Entrepreneurship Focus Program. Srivastav pitched AS Henna, a mobile henna temporary tattoo service primarily serving celebrations and special events.

            Two-Year College Level: Kaitlyn Adamson of Sidney, Metro Community College, won for her plan to open Dreams Bakery.

            Four-Year College Level: (all UNL students):

• Amber Burenheide, junior, agribusiness major, Howells, for her plan for ABChickens to produce farm-fresh, natural chicken;
• Thomas Frederick, mechanical engineering doctoral student, Omaha, for his business, Higher-Order Innovation, LLC, which offers a hardware solution to hospitals to track staff's health safety routines, such as hand washing;
• Bryce Hasenauer, senior, management major, Wallace, for his business, Lincoln Lights, a Christmas light installation business;
• David Karp, 2013 business administration graduate, Northridge, Calif., for his business, KoiSoft, which eliminates the need for manual data entry with its software;
• Erin Kinley, junior, horticulture major, Bladen, for her business, Kinley Farms, which would provide wholesale produce to local and regional markets.

            The competition also included People's Choice Awards in which participants voted for their favorite pitches. The People's Choice winners included:

• First Place ($300): Sam Meier, junior, management and marketing major, Hartland, Wis., pitched his idea for TattooMi, a mobile app where people could find their next tattoo utilizing their photos and art from tattoo artists.
• Second Place ($200): Kyle Pierce, senior, management major with a focus in entrepreneurship, Springfield, Ohio, pitched his Landralert device that better manages laundry machines and provides alerts and easier payment options to customers.
• Third Place ($100): Peter Bock, senior, management and marketing major, Omaha, pitched his business idea for the event space, Brickhouse, which would also provide event management services.

            The Center for Entrepreneurship at the UNL College of Business Administration is the hub of entrepreneurship and innovation on campus. The center's mission is to inspire and empower students to become "startup people" in both new and established enterprises. Through innovative and active educational experiences, students work with the center to actively craft their own careers. The center's focus on research assures new knowledge is created and shared to inspire innovation and growth, both personally and professionally.

Writer: Jennifer Snyder