UAB students showcase their entrepreneurial spirit at the third annual ‘Pitch Your Passion’ Halloween competition

Reynaldo Moorer, Joshua Jackson and Pedro Hernandez with Patrick Murphy, Ph.D.The J. Frank Barefield, Jr. Program The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Entrepreneurship Program held its annual “Pitch Your Passion” competition Oct. 31. Students from schools and departments presented their new business ideas and competed for $7,000 in cash.

The event, which was aimed at honing the students’ pitching skills, transformed the Collat ​​School of Business Medical Properties Trust Commons with elaborate Halloween decorations and business dynamism. A total of 38 undergraduate and graduate students from schools across UAB presented their ideas at the poster session, five finalists presented projects for the judges,’ and hundreds of attendees showed support.

“This program is designed for students to develop new business ideas in a low-pressure environment,” said Patrick J. Murphy, Goodrich Endowed Chair for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Giving them valuable practice. The range and variety of the students’ ideas was amazing and showed many business opportunities. Everyone left with new connections and experience to discuss their business ideas. ”

Sree Nataraj and Murphy“The Best Coffee You Can Buy,” presented by business students Reynaldo Moorer, Joshua Jackson and Pedro Hernandez, won first prize and $3,000. Their project addresses the lack of high-quality, affordable coffee in Birmingham with one shop, education about specialty coffee and hands-on coffee training.

“The Pitch Your Passion competition provided a wonderful platform for me and other UAB students to meet and support each other as we pitch our business ideas,” Jackson said. “This was a great opportunity, especially for those who may not feel comfortable with public speaking as it is a platform to step out of your comfort zone and gain valuable information.”

Sree Nataraj, a biomedical engineering specialist, won second place and $2,000 for his idea “Phonoma,” a speech device for people who have speech problems due to problems related to epilepsy. The device alleviates speech problems with a neck strap and sensors that detect tongue movements to produce speech sounds.

Hannah Reister and Makiah Forge“Tailor Ed,” a college experience development tool by Makiah Forge, finance major, and Hannah Reister, industrial distribution major, won third place and $1,000. The student-centered tool prevents wasting time and money on unnecessary courses by evaluating personality and options to advise students on the best courses and programs for them.

Pitch Your Passion presented the Best Costume and Jack-o’-Lantern contests. JC Sivley, an entrepreneur, won $500 for his Batman costume. Princess Nevils, business major, and Hannah Wilson, finance major, won $500 for their “Menacing Unicorn Cat” jack-o’-lantern.

Murphy credits her program assistants, Mary Lynn Bailey and Nicholas Gregory, for organizing the event and business judges Keyani S. Washington, Jègil Dugger, Barry Hodge and Mack Cornwell for sharing their knowledge with the UAB business community.

JC Sivley as Batman“We were able to start a very successful business program at UAB because of the vibrant community in Birmingham,” Murphy said. “Today was a small glimpse into the entrepreneurial potential of our students and our environment. We love collaborating with partners across UAB and Birmingham.”