Finalists Announced for 2020 Attman Business Pitch Competition; Winners Selected Jan. 19
December 8, 2020
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
PLEASE NOTE: This event has been postponed. Further updates will be provided shortly.
Each year, the Leonard and Phyllis Attman Competitive Business Prize showcases many of The University of Baltimore community's most talented and driven entrepreneurs. And 2020 is no exception: More than three dozen students, including undergraduates and graduates and representing a wide range of academic backgrounds and disciplines, submitted applications for their enterprising ideas.
Last month, a team of preliminary judges, culled from UB and the Baltimore startup ecosystem, narrowed the pool down to seven businesses for the live finale, to be held virtually on Jan. 19 and hosted by UB's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEI).
This year's finalists are:
- Kellie Brown, whose team will be pitching SpreadKarma, an ecosystem for social entrepreneurs and others seeking fundraising education, access to funding and exposure for projects that create a positive impact in underserved communities.
- Robert Myers, representing Switchboard, a new organizational system that revolutionizes and simplifies how pedalboards are built for use by guitar players and other musicians in live and studio settings.
- Nicole Mighty, whose startup Spiked Orchids designs, produces, and sells high-quality, environmentally friendly apparel and home goods by leveraging sustainable manufacturing practices and repurposing second-hand materials.
- Elizabeth Ogun, who created Gibor Writing Service, a social entrepreneurship endeavor providing writing services to students that uses the profits it makes to launch nonprofit initiatives.
- Ruth Robinson, presenting Tutor Your Problem, an online hub that hosts high-quality, gamified, incentivized, and community-engaging mathematics learning resources on social media platforms.
- Christina Themelis, founder of HomeEc, a service to teach people general "home economics" maintenance with access to business experts who provide instructional services and a solid foundation of knowledge to tackle life's most ubiquitous issues.
- Rebecca Thompson, who created All Things Refurbished, a second-hand furniture gallery that specializes in breathing new life into old furniture pieces and provides a space for artisans to market their signature pieces to the public.
On Tuesday, Jan. 19, this dynamic group will present before a live audience and a panel of expert judges to compete for prizes totaling more than $5,000 in seed money and other awards. The competition, sponsored by CEI, will begin at 5:30 p.m. and will be livestreamed on Facebook.
Now in its ninth year, the Attman Competitive Business Prize is designed to provide seed funding for and generate awareness of new and emerging innovative business ventures nurtured by The University of Baltimore community.
Learn more about the Attman Competitive Business Prize.
Learn more about the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.