Seven Finalists Announced for UB's 'Rise to the Challenge' Business Pitch Competition
March 14, 2019
Contact: Office of Government and Public Affairs
Phone: 410.837.5739
Judges in the University of Baltimore's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation have selected seven students as finalists for the upcoming "Rise to the Challenge" Pitch Competition. The annual event, now in its seventh year, provides an opportunity for UB undergraduates and graduates, from all schools, to pitch ideas and concepts for new and existing businesses before a live audience of their peers, UB staff and entrepreneurial experts on May 1.
This year, an all-undergraduate student panel will compete, in two separate business categories, for more than $20,000 in seed money and in-kind professional services. Judges representing the local business community will join UB alumni and experts in selecting the winners.
The finalists and their businesses are:
Aspiring Business Ventures:
- Melvin Clark III, expected to graduate in 2020, will be pitching AMJ Fishing Gloves, which allows anglers to manage all tasks (baiting the hook, handling the fish, casting, etc.) without removing their gloves.
- Casey Loeffler, '20, representing Lightning Cycles LLC, a full- and self-serve motorcycle oil-change, maintenance and safety service provider.
- Kevin McHugh, '19, whose startup Bloom Box is the first agricultural subscription box business catering to the needs of urbanites, especially those living in a food desert.
- Nicole Street, '19, whose company, Premium RV Repair and Maintenance, a veteran-owned business, offers mobile, custom repair and maintenance for RV owners.
Existing Business Ventures:
- Kareema McLendon, '20, whose eponymous fashion startup is a wholesale bridal firm focused on designing, manufacturing and selling bridal gowns for women aged 30-55.
- Tracy Shand, '22, founder of Licata Boutique Salon, a mobile beautification service designed for career men and women, stay-at-home moms and dads, teenagers, children, and the elderly.
- Stuart Tweedie, '19, who will be presenting Stoned Audio, a lifestyle brand offering hi-fi wireless earphones online and in select physical locations.
The "Rise to the Challenge" competition, sponsored by UB's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and designed to generate awareness of new and emerging innovative business ventures nurtured by the UB community, is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, beginning at 5:30 p.m. in the M. Scot Kaufman Auditorium in UB's William H. Thumel Sr. Business Center (home of the Merrick School of Business), 11 W. Mt. Royal Ave.
The event is free and open to the public. Register here to attend.
Learn more about the "Rise to the Challenge" Pitch Competition.