A record 113 students from eight colleges at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln demonstrated their entrepreneurial, communication and presentation skills at the 16th annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition on Nov. 7. Hosted by the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, the event offers students a platform to present a three-minute business idea to judges for a chance to win part of $12,000 in cash prizes.

Twenty-four students won $500 each by earning one of two top spots in each of 12 competition groups. Winners also received guaranteed entry into the center’s New Venture Competition, where they’ll compete for a $15,000 grand prize in April and may attract investment from the student-led Husker Venture Fund.

“After doing this for more than 15 years, I’ve seen incredible things past competitors are now accomplishing,” said Samuel Nelson, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management. “Many would say they got their start here — sharing their ideas with successful businesspeople. It’s a big step, especially for students used to presenting only in a classroom, and they gain a lot from the experience.”

Nelson and his team challenged students by hosting the event’s 12 competition "rooms" in the hallways of Howard L. Hawks Hall, the home of the College of Business. First-year business administration major Andreas Katsaounis, who has talked about his business on podcasts and YouTube, refined his message for the three-minute format, focusing on the problem he is solving with his pickleball paddle business, Alpha Omega, rather than the technical details.

“I usually get into the engineering of my paddles, but I had to focus on the core message,” said Katsaounis, who is from Waterloo, Nebraska, and a member of the Center for Entrepreneurship Catalysts first-year scholarship program. "I had to block out everything going on around me to focus on my pitch and the judges. I made sure I shared all I needed to within the three minutes, but I also learned from other competitors some tips to take into the future."

Like all of the center’s programming, the competition meets students where they are in their entrepreneurial journey. For junior textiles, merchandising and fashion design major and Husker softball player Kylee Magee, from Anaheim, California, this was her first entrepreneurship event. Working with Nelson, she spent weeks preparing to pitch her athletic apparel brand, After Show, which recently launched its first collection.

“Dr. Nelson challenged me to think about all the questions the judges may ask,” Magee said. “Launching my first collection last week was the hard part, and tonight was about gaining valuable feedback.”

Thirty-eight Husker alumni and friends served as judges, including Bob Frady, co-founder and CEO of PropertyLens, who traveled from Minneapolis to support the event.

“One of people's biggest fears is public speaking, and this event made some shake with nerves,” Frady said. “But in a supportive environment like this, it’s a huge help for their careers, even if they don’t continue with their business idea.”

Receiving the judges' feedback presents a win-win for all competitors. Christie Stukenholtz, '08, co-founder and CEO of Senior Care Finder, said she heard pitches about fully operational businesses to early-stage ideas and saw the potential for future success among participants.

“The students’ poise, clarity and storytelling ability were impressive. They were vulnerable in sharing their personal story to paint the picture of the problem they are trying to solve,” she said. “We shared how proud of them we were and encouraged them to share how well they did with their families. Putting yourself out there is no small feat, and they’ll be better for it.”

Quick Pitch winners are listed below by hometown, with their current class standing and academic major(s).

NEBRASKA

Elkhorn: Nathan Ray, junior supply chain management (Raikes School)

Genoa: Samantha Weeder, senior agribusiness

Grand Island: Kenny Morales, sophomore software engineering (Raikes School)

Hershey: Brandy Bode, sophomore computer science, economics and finance

Lincoln: Lena Lankas, junior business administration and computer science (Raikes School); Johnny Liesveld, sophomore marketing; Taylor Streich, sophomore Clifton Builders management

Omaha: Jacob Hyder, sophomore management and marketing

Papillion: Analise Erlbacher, freshman computer science (Raikes School)

Platte Center: Noah Koch, junior accounting and finance

Rising City: Alexa Carter, sophomore agricultural communication

Syracuse: Madison Kreifels, senior agricultural and environmental sciences communication

Waterloo: Andreas Katsaounis, freshman business administration

Unadilla: Sydney Wellsandt, senior animal science

ELSEWHERE

Murrieta, California: Landen Fogle, junior computer science and finance (Raikes School)

Santa Barbara, California: Leah Castillo, sophomore accounting

Erie, Colorado: Emily Frech, sophomore Clifton Builders management and marketing

Bull Valley, Illinois: Joseph Weinberger, sophomore Clifton Builders management

Elmwood, Illinois: Brooke Parrish, Ph.D. student in animal science

Wheaton, Illinois: Clara Delzell, sophomore computer science (Raikes School)

Brighton, Massachusetts: Zakaria Rab, sophomore computer science (Raikes School)

Bloomington, Minnesota: Jackson Donley, sophomore management

Nashotah, Wisconsin: Charlie Kubik, sophomore accounting

Belo Horizonte, Brazil: Bernardo Lopes, freshman economics

To learn more about the next Center for Entrepreneurship event – 48-Hour Challenge, Feb. 20-22 – or other upcoming competitions, stop by HLH 315 or visit: https://entrepreneurship.unl.edu.