Pace Lubin

 

 

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ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS

First Place: AngelEats - Quincy Doccy (Seidenberg), Weichao Hou (Lubin), Avinash Mudduluru (Seidenberg)

Second Place: Sylvian Hyde - Jabari Chambers (Lubin), TJ Hyde

Third Place: iCards - Jen McCall (Seidenberg), John Mulcahy (Seidenberg)

The Fourteenth Annual Pace Pitch Contest

Presented by

The Entrepreneurship Lab

Contest Date: Thursday, April 19th 2018

Time: 5.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.

Venue: Bianco Room, One Pace Plaza,

New York NY 10038

 

 

RSVP for Audience

 

  • 5:30 - 6:00 Registration and Networking
  • 6:00 - 6:15 Welcome
  • 6:15 - 7:15 Finalists make their Pitch
  • 7:15 - 7:30 Break (Judging Panel selects the winning pitches in private)
  • 7:30 - 8:30 Awards Ceremony and Networking
  •  

Danny Potocki, Founder, FINIS Ventures

He is passionate about shaping the next-generation of young entrepreneurs, and has collaborated with STARTUP-NY schools and corporate development partners to build special programs for students and working professionals. Danny runs the Westchester Tech Meetup, and serves as Co-Chair of the Westchester County Association’s Innovation Task Force, seeking to raise a startup fund with regional investors and assisting with the development of a $750MM broadband initiative.

Recognized by Fortune 100 executives, global decision makers, and industry SMEs as an energetic leader who enables clients to achieve higher levels of performance, Danny holds a master’s degree from Harvard University and bachelor’s degree from Iona College. He resides in Eastchester, NY, with his wife and three children, and enjoys snowboarding and half-marathon training on backcountry trails in the Catskills.

 

Christine Roth, Economic Development Advisor

Christine Roth is currently an independent consultant specializing in international development, strategic planning and evaluation. Prior to becoming a consultant, she was the Deputy Executive Secretary of the United Capital Development Fund, an organization that provides support to 47 Least Developed Countries, offering finance models to unlock public and private resources to reduce poverty and support local economic development. She spent over 30 years with the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), holding various managerial positions in strategic planning, finance and program evaluation. Ms. Roth has worked in several settings, including the UN Headquarters in New York, Country Offices in Eastern Europe, Central and South Asia and throughout Africa as well as the UN Peace Keeping Mission in Kosovo. Ms. Roth holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and a Master’s in Development Economics from the University of Dakar, Senegal and an MBA from the Pace Lubin School of Business.

 

 

Jonathan M. Satovsky, Founder & CEO, Satovsky Asset Management, LLC.

Jonathan M. Satovsky is the founder of Satovsky Assets Management, LLC (SAM). Founded in 2007, SAM provides advice on over $1.3 billion in assets and manages more than $400 million. Prior, Jonathan spent more than 13 years at American Express Financial Advisors, joining the Chairman Advisory Council as one of the youngest top 10 advisors at the company. Jonathan recognizes that every client has a unique vision, goals, and preferences for their financial future. He offers a custom-tailored approach, aligning advice and portfolio structure to deliver financial peace of mind. He closely follows industry trends and technology developments, as part of a life-long emphasis on continuing education and professional evolution. Outside of work, Jonathan enjoys life with his wife Stacey and their children Adam, Julia and Aerin.

 

Sandy Wollman, Co-Founder and Managing Director, Westchester Angels

Panelist for the following pitch events and provide honest, effective and colorful feedback to help start-ups improve their pitch so they can "Get to The Next Conversation";

  • Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program
  • Startupalooza Pitch Events
  • The Entrepreneur Forum
  • CorpStarter Star Show by Dragon Gate Investment Partners
  • CVG Investor and Entrepreneur Pitch Event
  • UVANY Hudson Valley Venture Forum
  • Quake Capital Investor Series
  • ACG Deal Tank

Professional experience includes:

Product Development Engineer- 3M Corp. Awarded US Patent #4454183 for hook and loop fastener with superior tensile strength & reduced raw material costs by 30%. Art Fry, inventor of Post-Its worked down the hall!

Small Business Owner- Partner, Carna Mills, a large textile converting company located in NYC's Garment Center. Clients included Ralph Lauren, Guess, Capital Mercury Shirt Company as well as some of the most difficult and unscrupulous business owners one can imagine! Traveled to India extensively over 25 years to source Indian Madras Fabrics.

Private Investor- Publically and privately owned companies. Experienced at interpreting candlestick charts.

Financial Planner- Active member of the Financial Planning Association, Co-Chair of large Financial Education Events at Westchester Community College.>

Founder of a non-profit organization- Self-funded The Small Business Advisory Alliance, a 501(C)3 organization. Assembled fifteen volunteers to provide free, no strings attached, mentorship for small business owners in our community.

AngelEats

Executive Summary

New York City is famous for its food scene – there are more than 24,000 restaurants and every imaginable cuisine to enjoy. However, each day more than 20,000 tons of waste are discarded in New York City, 33% of which is food, and 70% of commercial food waste comes from our restaurants. To combat food waste, and to share the food to the nonprofit organization, our team developed “AngelEat”, building a bridge between restaurants and nonprofit organization and giving the food to the people in need. That is to say, our target audience are restaurants, with raw or cooked food available on top of orders, and nonprofit organizations who need to bring the food to the Orphanages and Homeless Shelters. Generally, restaurants will post their Extra food available to donate, on our app with attributes like Amount of food, Type of food and Schedule to Pick up. Then nonprofit organizations like Orphanages and Homeless Shelters will register their spot, to pick up the food themselves from the restaurants. This can establish a connection between these two mediums to interact and have a chance to feed hundreds of starving people.

Example: Take Chipotle as an example, Kristap Porzingis orders 8 packs of Nuggets and 6 Crispy Chicken Burgers by Ubereats. Unfortunately, he cancelled the transaction and paid a penalty fee. Alex, manager of Burger King at Time Square chain, posted the amount and type of the cancelled order at AngelEat. Couple of minutes later, Bruce, Director of Orphan organizations, look at our app and register the spot Alex posted and pick up the food by volunteers. In the end, Chipotle deals with the cancelled food decently, and Organizations shift the food to the recipients in need.

Biographies

Mr. Quincy Doccy is a junior Seidenberg student at Pace studying Computer Information Systems. From his freshman year, he has been involved and have participated in campus club activities, student government and volunteering with NYC Organizations. Quincy is very passionate about technology and is interested in web application development. With his strong connections in and outside the classroom, Quincy is committed to using his technological skills and background to solve real world problems.

 

 

 

Weichao Hou, currently a student in MS. Finance at Lubin School of Business. Completed his undergraduate at Yangtze Normal University, Chongqing River Town. He joined the Lubin Analytics Boot Camp and achieved a certificate. At the Pace Mobile App Design competition, his team won the Third Prize.

 

 

 

 

Mr. Avinash Mudduluru, M.S. in Computer Science at Seidenberg School of CSIS, Passionate in computer science, soon after finishing undergraduate studies in India he decided to pursue master’s degree in the same field. He won the third prize with his team mates in App Hackathon Organized by Entrepreneurship Lab. Besides studies, He is a Film and Music Enthusiast.

 

 

 


Arogyaa

Executive Summary

According to CNN, in the United States, around 251,454 people die due to lack of information about background history and wrong treatment annually. To solve this issue, we propose an idea, Arogyaa (Sanskrit origin meaning – Overall well-being, the health of mind, body, and spirit) an application that maintains the patients' medical history, and which coordinates with different doctors and helps them to collaborate to cure patients. It also alerts the family doctor in case of cardio emergencies. In rural areas and underdeveloped nations, where health care is a scarcity, this application will prove to be beneficial in eradicating diseases. This application also provides epidemic predictions and also ‘most medicines prescribed by doctors’ to cure various diseases based on the historical data collected from doctors and patients. We have included privacy policies to protect the confidential data.

Biographies

With a Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.) focused in Computer Engineering from Ramrao Adik Institute of Technology, I am pursuing Master's in Computer Science at Pace University to expand my knowledge. I am an Experienced Software Engineer with a demonstrated history of working at Capgemini Technology Services. Focused on full stack development.

 

 

 

Currently pursuing Masters of Science, Computer Science from Pace University, NY. With an experience in full stack development for two years at Cosmos e-Solutions Service Pvt Ltd under BFSI Domain and building software that helps the community in a better way have always been my interest.

 

 

 

Currently pursuing Master of Science in Computer Science from Pace University. Previously worked at iNautix Technologies, a BNY Mellon company as an Application Developer for 2.8 years in enterprise application development of Java, J2EE technologies, Volante, Spring, RESTFUL Web Services, IBM WebSphere and AngularJS. Experienced in product development and working in agile environment.

 

 


Cuddlefish

Executive Summary

Cuddlefish is a blockchain based platform which aims to promote financial inclusion for all through microfinance funded by retail investors in developed countries. Individuals in underdeveloped regions of the world with no access to banking facilities find it difficult to borrow money to buy seeds for crops, tractors and farming equipments, home appliances such as fridge, washing machine. As these people have no collateral and no credit history, the only option they have is to save the amount required to buy the product. Small businesses such as flour mills, community farms, garage which can employ people in neighborhood are constrained as they don’t have easy access to small loans. They will be able to borrow amounts of 50 to 500 dollars for a period of 6 months to 2 years through our company. These loans can be funded buy retail investors in developed market where savings interest rates are very low. The investors can invest small amounts of multiples of $50 which would get them the interest from loans. Microfinance loans have double digit interest rates as there is no collateral.

The Global average for interest rates in microfinance loans is 35% with Sri Lanka having the lowest at 17% and Uzbekistan having the highest average at 80%. (Refer 1) Microfinance has been there for a long time but operations have been limited to regional financing activities. Cuddlefish will build credit profiles of borrowers on its platform. Our goal is to help our borrowers build a credit profile on our platform which would be reliable and trusted by traditional banks to provide them financial services. The interest rates will be in the range of 10% to 30% depending on credit profile and payback period. The credit profile of a borrower will be built as they borrow and payback loans thus reducing their rates. Also, there will be a cap of 30% no matter the profile. So a person borrowing $100 will not pay more $130. As per microfinance startups in Sri Lanka, the statistics has been that 95% of the loans have been paid back within 15 months and the startups were in profit by 2nd year. (Refer 2). The identity verification and credit profile will be managed through our blockchain based platform. We will provide access to our blockchain database to banks. The borrowers with good credit history on our platform can move towards traditional banking services. Blockchain database is immutable which provides the trust factor for the banks to use our platform. Our revenue model is based on interest income. The retail investors will be using a mobile app where they invest multiples of $50 based on the portfolio riskiness preference. We will have a fee of 5% of loan amount. We aim to utilize the data created to understand retail investor and borrower behavior. This will help develop future financial products such as microinsurance.

Biographies

Sumeet is a dual major MBA candidate at Lubin School of Business. He has a background in product management and business strategy. Understanding the pulse of the customer is an essential quality for building any new product, and that’s where Sumeet’s strength lies. He loves to read, run and ruminate about innovative blockchain and machine learning use cases.

 

 

 

Jethro is a BBA candidate at the Lubin School of Business. He has a background in Financial Research and Capital Allocation with almost 2 years of experience in investing. Jethro is trained as a bottom-up fundamental value investor thus his strength lies in research and analysis of businesses and markets. He spends his time exploring the city’s restaurant scene, going to investment conferences, and playing piano.

 

 


iCards

Executive Summary

The ability to capture and keep tangible mementos of your favorite interests has been around for years; from sports cards to niche entertainment references, trading cards have been collected and enjoyed by young and old individuals for years. Transitioning into the digital age, this medium of passion has been on the decline for years because of its traditionally physical nature. Our new app, iCards, seeks to revolutionize the game, fully integrating the best parts of the industry into a comprehensive, universal platform to trade, play, and collect cards. Drawing parallels to industries who have seen a revival in recent years, we can see that there are certain things iCards could do that would make our success plausible. For example, vinyl records used to dominate their industry but as other technologies came out, their market share decreased drastically. Recently, the resurgence of vinyl has been occurring all throughout the world. Things like limited releases, reissues, and nostalgia factor of the medium have made vinyl comeback in collectible and hobbyist form. Using these same methods in a digital, universal platform, iCards can expect to bring back a lot of the lost audience of the trading card industry.

While it is true that other companies have tried to digitize their product in the past, none of those applications offer an immersive, integrated platform like ours and their apps usually focus on one particular type of trading card. This type of platform would appeal to a hardcore collector of a certain type, but it neglects everyone but that user. iCards is designed to be a universal platform for card trading and collecting, bridging the gap between different users with varying interests. Our design offers various different uses of our app, including a profile where users can see their collection, stats, and groups as well as change settings. We will have a social feed so users can see what cards are trending, what packs their friends have opened, and other user-tailored information. We will also have a store to buy packs in addition to a user-run marketplace where people can sell and trade cards to complete their collection. A gaming section is also in planning and will use a Unity API to make users able to play basic games with certain cards in their collection. Using these distinct features to connect users, iCards will innovate and revive the cherished childhood industry of trading cards.

Biographies

Currently a Junior expecting graduation in May of 2019 at Pace university, Jen McCall is a Computer Science student with film and information technology minors. While at Pace, she has worked on innovate projects such as “Staycation”, a virtual reality application designed to target the geriatric community’s levels of depression in nursing homes. Last summer, she was given the amazing opportunity to work with Scholastic as an international product development intern. There, Jen worked with a small group on global technologies blending passion and profession to reach a large, diverse audience. Most recently, she worked collaboratively as a Google Guide as a part of Google’s innovative 2017 pop-up location following the launch of the Pixel 2. The projects she seeks to work on are state of the art and captivating, aiming to pull an emotional response from the user. Using technology, Jen strives to share passions and create experiences that will stick to the user, making them ponder on what they have just experienced. In her spare time you can find her taking photos whilst exploring all the city has to offer.

 

John Mulcahy is a Junior at Pace, studying Computer Science with a minor in digital design, with plans to graduate in May of 2019. With a focus on mobile application and game development at the Seidenberg School of CSIS, he creates state of the art, innovative experiences to be enjoyed by people from a wide range of backgrounds and ages. Some of his work at Pace includes "Staycation", a mobile VR application targeting the geriatric community living in nursing homes in hopes to lower their depression levels, and "Active Study", a mobile VR application targeting children with autism in hopes to assist in their learning goals within the classroom. In his time at Pace, he has also gotten involved in tutoring and working with children with autism in the NYC area, assisting in workshops targeting these young minds as well as privately tutoring them in tech topics such as game development. As part of the NYC Design Factory he has also worked with an international team to develop a beer home brewing IoT device in partnership with the telecommunications company Ericcson. He continues to seek out unique and innovative opportunities that challenge his skills and forces innovative thinking continuously.


Redact

Executive Summary

Redact is a legal organization that works with individuals who have been convicted of a crime to have their criminal records sealed. In October 2017, New York State passed Criminal Procedure Law § 160.59, which allows for the sealing of certain misdemeanor and felony convictions after the passage of ten years. Based on 2012 statistics from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services, upwards of 100,000 criminal dispositions that would be eligible for sealing were handed down during that calendar year. Even after an individual pays their debt to society, a criminal conviction can cause collateral consequences. Two of the most common disabilities incurred by these individuals relate to employment and immigration. Considering the high expense of legal representation and the lack of knowledge regarding the ever changing criminal laws in the State of New York, many individuals believe they have no choice but to carry a criminal record for the rest of their lives. Redact is the answer to criminal convictions. Redact will have primarily a web-based presence in which individuals can provide information to determine whether or not they are eligible to have their record sealed in New York. After that determination is made the person will have the opportunity to apply for the sealing to be done for free, as long as their gross income in less than $70,000 a year. To mitigate the costs for providing this service, Redact will use web-based macros, along with inputs by the individual to create most of the documentation needed by the courts to begin the sealing process.

Finally, all documents created through the Redact website will be reviewed by an admitted attorney before being submitted. This mix of technology to handle a high volume of cases in a timely manner, along with the expertise of actual attorneys reviewing the documents is what makes Redact unique. Redact will use a combination of attorney’s providing their services pro bono, as well as a small staff of paralegals. The overhead costs of running this organization will be paid through the fees charged to those individuals not meeting the financial requirements for Redact’s free service. Those who do not meet these requirements will pay a modest fee of $199 to $699.[1] Any additional income will be used for Redact’s “education” budget. Through relevant content driven SEO, as well as retargeting and more traditional PPC, Redact hopes to keep all those in New York State informed about its services. With thousands of individuals convicted of crimes every year in the State of New York, the services Redact provides will be needed in perpetuity. Supporting Redact’s mission to unshackle those New Yorkers from the stigma and disabilities that come after a criminal conviction will give a segment of society the chance to get back on their feet.

Biographies

 

Christopher Matcovich is currently a full-time 3L at Pace Law School. At Pace, Chris focuses his studies on criminal law and expects to graduate in May 2018. Born and raised in Suffern, NY, he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in social science from St. Thomas Aquinas College and received his Masters in Public Administration from Pace University. After spending several years helping to build an e-commerce start-up company in New York City, Chris decided to go to law school with the goal of being a zealous advocate for all. As a law student, he serves on the schools advocacy board, competes in moot court and mock trial competitions, and is a member of the Pace International Law Review. Besides working as a law clerk for the criminal defense firm of Portale Randazzo LLP, Chris volunteers his spare time teaching principals of law to middle school students at a Bronx Charter School.

 


RockBox

Executive Summary

Imagine coming home from a long day of work to find a box with all the ingredients needed to build a crafted cocktail! RockBox delivers handmade cocktails from all over the world to the customers’ doorstep. With monthly subscriptions, customers will be provided with the alcohol, bitters, mixers and fresh produce needed to create their own boozy beverage. RockBox provides monthly subscriptions of everything that is needed to create a hand-crafted cocktail for 2. RockBox will include alcohol, bitters, mixers, and garnishes. The box will also come with ingredients, a hand-written thank you note, and a card detailing the origin of the cocktail.RockBox plans to target professional millennials who enjoy drinking alcohol and take pride in crafting their own cocktails from the comfort of their home.

Key competition are companies such as SaloonBox, Shaker and Spoon, and Crafted Taste. SaloonBox is a subscription box that includes spirits, ingredients, and cards that have information on the mixologist that crafted the drink. Customers can receive this box for $37.50 a month. On the other hand, Shaker and Spoon doesn’t include liquor. This box, which has mixers, bitters, and garnishes, is valued at $50 a month. Other boxes customers may consider are wine and beer subscription boxes such as Winc and Craft Beer Club that offer monthly selections.

RockBox is a small team of creators and engineers. As a Software Engineer, Zakiya has experience developing and deploying products. With her experience, she will ensure that the product is seamlessly developed and delivered to the customers. Nathan, currently a designer, has knowledge of drafting and executing ideas. He will ensure that the product is designed cleanly and efficiently.

Current competition ranges from $37.50 to $50 a month. The aim is to sell each RockBox for as low as $40 a month. In the next year, the goal is to obtain to at least 1,000 subscriptions and sell at least 12,000 boxes. Revenue for the first year is projected to be $480,000 while expenses and costs are projected to be $150,000.RockBox is looking to initially raise $75,000 to cover the all production cost for at least 6 months. Production cost includes packaging, boxing, shipping, liquor licensing, wholesale liquor, mixers, bitters, and produce, the design of marketing tools.

Biographies

Technology wasn't always an option for Zakiya Sims. Zakiya began to take an interest in Computer Science her junior year of high school. Multiple online platforms including MySpace inspired her to create websites and sparked her interest in software engineering. As a senior she decided to major in Computer Science at the Seidenberg School at Pace University to promote her interest in technology. At Pace University, Zakiya engaged in multiple community programs and organizations such as Black Girls Code, Tech Kids Unlimited, and New York Academy of Science, where she taught children how to code. By Sophomore year, Zakiya went on to become Vice-President of Pace Computing Society. As Vice-President she assisted in leading coding workshops and hosting speakers from companies such as IBM, WeWork, Buzzfeed. Furthermore, as a student Zakiya garnered industry experience as a Software Engineering intern at Bank of America and Harris Corporation. Currently, Zakiya Sims is a part-time senior at Pace University expecting to graduate in May, 2018. In addition, she is currently a Software Engineer at the Walt Disney Company. In the future Zakiya aspires to further her experience in Software and Web development and own her own technology company.

 

After graduating high school in Guanajuato Mexico Nathan Robinson pursued his career in mechanical engineering earning degree in Mechanical Engineering, B.S from New Jersey Institute of Technology. As a student, Nathan participated in the AFROTC program and went on to obtaining a Mechanical Engineering in Training License from the New York State Department of Education after graduating from NJIT. Currently, Nathan works fulltime as an AutoCAD designer for Momentum Solar and plans in obtaining a Professional Engineering license after obtaining some years of experience in the engineering field. He has a strong interest in product management and optimization of existing products as well as creating innovative solutions to automate processes.

 


Sylvian Hyde

Executive Summary

Sylvian Hyde is an emerging luxury menswear brand founded and based in New York City. The company currently offers ready-to-wear men's apparel as well as custom and bespoke design services. In the future, the brand plans to gradually expand the product offering to menswear accessories such as belts, bags, shoes, and later a women's line. The Sylvian Hyde® brand aims to provide men with more options with modern, sophisticated aesthetics and functionality. Our customer attends prestigious events many of which will include red carpet walks and arriving in the same outfit as another guest regardless of the designer label is a fashion dread. Our line is limited and exclusive, a luxury worth paying for to preserve one's individuality. Menswear almost feels like a sideshow in the fashion industry when compared to vast varieties in womenswear. The modern man is now increasingly demanding for options in styling and aesthetics. The managers and founders of Sylvian Hyde are Sylvian (Tj) Hyde, Creative Director, and Jabari Chambers, Marketing Director. Tj Hyde is a freelance graphic designer who produces content for clients such as Nestle and Extrovertic. Tj overseas the creative functions of the firm such as designs, photography, and visual content. Jabari Chambers is responsible for business development and strategy and marketing.

Sylvian Hyde is a niche brand. Most of its menswear competitors focus on minimalist designs, while Sylvian Hyde concentrates heavily on details. The brand’s aesthetics stands apart from other menswear clothing companies because our designs incorporate textiles that are not traditionally made for men’s apparel.Sylvian Hyde business model is B2B and B2C. The brand sells directly to the customer through its website www.sylvianhyde.com. The firm operates internationally, and domestically. In 2016, affluent American consumers spent $14.8 billion on adult apparel and $5.5 billion on men 16 and over apparel, totaling $20.3 billion.

Biographies

Jabari Chambers ‘18, from Wilmington, Delaware graduated from Goldey-Beacom College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. After that, Jabari focused on working at non-for-profit, called Delaware Community Reinvestment Action Council, while figuring out what he wanted to do. Jabari decided to go to graduate school in New York City at Pace University to obtain a dual MBA in Human Resources and Financial Management and work on getting a career in the fashion industry. When he moved to New York City within the first two weeks, he was interning for PR Vein, a Public Relations Agency, to be a production assistant in New York Fashion Week. After that, he assisted on photo shoots that were published Elle Magazine Indonesia. Jabari partnered with his friend, Tj Hyde, to form a menswear clothing company called Sylvian Hyde that offered male consumers more options with aesthetic and functionality in mind. On February 8th, 2018 they launched their tran-seasonal collection at New York Fashion Week. Outside of fashion, he has had internships at Uncharted Power, a start-up tech firm, as a Human Resources Associated and Battery Park City Authority as a Human Resources Intern. Currently, he works at Battery Park City Authority part-time as a Human Resources Assistant.

 

 

Sylvian Hyde affectionately known as TJ is an Asylee from Belize who came to the United States to rebuild his life. Before living in the United States, TJ ran a successful tourism company called The Tourist Belize. From childhood, he has had an interest in designing (architecture, automotive, fashion and graphic design). For many years TJ sketched his designs as a hobby and aspired to launch his fashion line one day. Forced to leave his country, for his safety, TJ decided to come to the United States and settled in New York. Suffering and struggling to traverse the U.S. Immigration system and later finding work, TJ used his self-thought design skills to become a freelance graphic designer for Extrovertic a New York-based healthcare marketing company. As destiny willed it, TJ and Jabari Chambers meet, both having interest in fashion decided to co-found TJ’s eponymous menswear clothing line called Sylvian Hyde. On February 8th, 2018 they launched their first collection during New York Fashion Week.

 

 


WOTOPA

Executive Summary

A platform where campus students can buy, sell, donate, offer services and can build inter university network by exchanging ideas and collaborating via forums. Ever wondered having an online space for students that is neither as formal as LinkedIn nor as casual as Facebook. A space where ideas flow and businesses grow. A space which lets you look at things creatively- be it selling that greeting card you made or donating the book that changed your life. Wotopa brings everything under one roof for you. A seamless “Marketplace & Social Media” website that helps buy and sell products and services between students and lets you network not only with your fellow university mates but also other university students. You can now exchange information, ideas and who knows create the next big startup through meeting like minded people.

There are around 3000 Universities in the US alone. Access to this remains with university students be it a diploma, degree etc. The market for such interaction is scattered. There are few groups on Facebook, university-level networking, small e-commerce websites etc. This space does not have that one competition who falls under the umbrella of services similar to the ones provided by us. Several apps infiltrate everyone's phones today but there are select few that add the most value and are used the most. This app is designed in order to address several areas that students can be united under. This will be a go-to a place and a one-stop solution to connect. The economic model will be developed step by step. Major revenue stream will be the third party vendors listing their products, selling local concert tickets and sports tickets or services on the portal. On these listing, there will be commission cuts. Wotopa will be the one stop solution for buying, selling, promoting and collaborating under one roof with safe, secure and easy to use environment for Students.

Biographies

Dipika is a Masters student in Tourism Management from NYU and her interests include revenue management, consulting and teaching. Prior to joining NYU, she completed her Chartered Accountancy and worked at Ernst & Young. Following this, she decided to change her career path from auditing and discovered her interest in tourism development. In her free time, she enjoys doing henna and intricate artwork.

 

 

 

 

 

Haseeb is a Pace University Graduate Computer Science student. He has over 2 years of work experience in Full Stack development. Very recently, he worked as a Software Developer Intern for a Blockchain Fintech startup aiming to reduce crossborder remittances fees leveraging the Blockchain technology.

 

 

 

 

Suman is a computer science graduate student specializing in mobile computing. Besides this, he has worked as a software engineer intern at "nesterly" where he built a digital marketplace that helps older homeowners rent their spare rooms to young people at affordable rates in exchange for help around the house. He also worked as a graduate teaching assistant at Pace University. Before enrolling in his master's program, he worked as a Senior Software Engineer at Tata Elxsi, India. He has sound knowledge of software development process and software development test cycle.

 

 

 

Varad is a Computer Science Masters student from Pace University having 3 years of work experience in Software Development. He has designed and developed live data streaming web application, analytical applications, and mobile applications and is passionate about UI/UX, developing websites, Apps. He is also a weekend Trekker and motorcycle enthusiast.

 

 


@Pace (Augmented Tour of Pace University)

Executive Summary

@Pace (Augmented Tour of Pace University) is a Business-to-Customer(B2C) software startup focusing on augmented reality (AR). The software program allows users to explore Pace University via mobile application, without having to attend a scheduled tour. Before attending Pace University, founders Kenneth and Stephanie Okereke found that attending a Pace University tour conflicted with their schedules. Moreover, upon attending the school both founders were unfamiliar with the layout of the campus. Ultimately, Kenneth and Stephanie Okereke decided to create @Pace to help students (i.e. incoming freshman, transfer students, international students, and current students) navigate their way throughout the campus. In a city where the word “campus” means a few scattered buildings, getting around for new students can prove to be a maze with unfamiliar streets that lead to unfamiliar hallways. This environment makes it easy for someone to become overwhelmed by the geography of a new location. The same can be said for Pace University, where its campus spills into New York. @Pace aims to make it easier for incoming students or potential students to become confident with their surroundings.

@Pace is an augmented reality application that allows for the user to interact and explore the facilities of Pace University, without having to be physically present. The application will be temporarily available on IOS mobile devices. Technologies/Special Know-how: We make use of machine learning, artificial intelligence (AI), and augmented reality. In addition, we use Python for AI, an ARKit external library from IOS for augmented reality, image recognition with machine learning (ML) by collecting images of different places of Pace University (specifically Seidenberg School of CSIS) and train the AI to recognize the specific areas when the application runs. AR is expected to reach USD 79.77 billion by 2022. (Source: Research and Markets). The total market of VR/AR in 2016 resulted in $3.9 billion revenue; AR had $1.2 billion revenue (Source: TechCrunch). The global tourism industry made an estimated 7.6 trillion U.S. dollars in 2016 (Source: Statista). The International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that AI and ML will grow from $12B in 2017 to $57.6B by 2021 (Source: Forbes). Self-Guide mobile campus tours such as Guidebook or OnCell, which has customers pay them to create an application detailing their location. There also exist Stanford University’s Virtual Reality tour. Universities and or companies who want to use the service, or @University/@Company, have the liberty to choose from three service packages. The Individual Package only includes 15 AR tour events for the year; AR tours are updated for a price. The Standard Package includes the AR tour of the university or facility (interior and exterior) including 100 AR tour events for the year; AR tours are updated for a price. The Plus Package includes the AR tour of the university or facility (interior and exterior) plus unlimited AR tour events along with free unlimited updates. Individual Package is a one-time payment but the Standard and Plus packages are yearly installments. Users can use the application for free.

Biographies

Kenneth Okereke is a full-time first-year graduate student in Seidenberg School of Computer Science at Pace University. Before graduate school, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree at Wagner College in Computer Science. Kenneth has interned at Wrevel Inc as a backend developer, worked as a web developer at Wagner College, and studied abroad in Senegal to conduct research and user sessions with Dr. Christelle Scharff, Ava Posner, Pratik Rijhwani, and Rohana Sosa. Kenneth is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Club at Pace University. His expected year of graduation is the year 2020.

 

 

Stephanie Okereke is a full-time second-year transfer undergraduate student in Seidenberg School of Computer Science at Pace University. Her expected year of graduation is the year 2020. Stephanie interned for the Summer Research Program at Monmouth University 2017 where she worked under the supervision of Dr. William Tepfenhart. During that period, Stephanie learned PHP and used Java to web scrape data from a website for an application. Also, Stephanie worked for Student Technology Assistant Program where she assisted students and faculty of Monmouth University with technological needs. Moreover, Stephanie is a member of the Artificial Intelligence Club at Pace University. Also, Stephanie has experience Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and project management. For the 14th Annual Pace Pitch Contest, Stephanie Okereke is working on a project called PaceVT an augmented reality tour of Pace University (but now the name of the project is changed to ATPace or Augmented Tour of Pace University) as the project manager with Kenneth Okereke as the full stack developer.


EMCEE

Bruce Bachenheimer, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Lab

Bruce Bachenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Management and Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Lab at Pace University. He is an Emeritus Board Member and past Chair of the New York City Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum and served on the organization’s Global Board. He has been widely quoted in a variety of domestic and international publications, interviewed on radio and television and has spoken on entrepreneurship at numerous organizations, including the Youth Assembly at the United Nations and the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program.

Mr. Bachenheimer began his career in investment banking and has worked for global corporations and new ventures. He has conducted business in over two dozen countries and was the founder of Annapolis Maritime Corp. and the Co-Founder of StockCentral Australia. He holds a BBA, Summa Cum Laude, from Pace University and received the McKinsey & Company Leadership Scholarship to pursue an MBA degree, which he earned from the Australian Graduate School of Management.

 

About the Contest

The Pace Pitch Contest is based on the Elevator Pitch concept, popular in the venture capital community. It is an extremely concise presentation of an entrepreneur's idea, business model, marketing strategy, competitive analysis, and financial plan, which is delivered to potential investors. The premise is that it could be made in a few minutes, should the entrepreneur spot a potential investor on an elevator and have the opportunity to pitch their idea during the brief ride.

Each Finalist will have exactly three minutes to pitch their new venture idea to a distinguished panel of judges and an enthusiastic audience. In addition to broad participation at Pace, we have been pleased to welcome student competitors from a number of other universities, including Columbia, Harvard, MIT, NYU, Princeton, and Stanford.

Each individual/team will have 3 minutes to make a pitch and may use up to 5 PowerPoint® slides. The pitch must be an original concept, created by the presenter(s).

Here's How to Enter

1. At least one member of your team should meet one of the following two criteria:

  • Full or part-time student currently enrolled in Pace University
  • Recent Pace University graduate (graduated within the past 18 months)

AND if you have already launched the venture, it must have been in business for less than 2 years and received less than $100,000 in funding.

2.Register online. Each member of the team must complete the Registration Form through the online competition management system.

Deadline - 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday March 19, 2018

 

3.Submit a biography. Each biography (if competing as a team, each member must submit a biography) MUST be a minimum of 100 words and a maximum of 200 words. Please be sure to indicate your status as a student (college/university and school, degree, major, full or part-time status, and expected year of graduation) or as a recent graduate (college/university and school, degree, major, and date of graduation).*

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday March 19, 2018

 

4. Submit an Executive Summary. You should prepare a ONE PAGE Executive Summary to be used on the Pace Pitch Web site and in the printed program.*

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday March 19, 2018

 

5.Pre-selection Announcement. The names of the pre-selected students will be announced on Thursday March 22, 2018

 

6.Pitch Clinic. If pre-selected, you must schedule an appointment with Professor Bruce Bachenheimer, Executive Director bbachenheimer@pace.edu between the dates Monday March 27, 2017 to Friday April 7, 2017. Based on the outcome of the pitch clinic the finalists/alternates will be announced.

 

7.Finalist Announcement. The names of the finalists will be announced on Monday April 9, 2018

 

8.Submit a photo. If selected as a Finalist or alternate, you must submit a digital photograph (approximately 100 KB - 1 MB in JPEG format) to be used on the Pace Pitch Web site and in the printed program.*

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday April 16, 2018

 

9.Submit a PowerPoint® presentation.If selected as a Finalist or alternate, you may submit up to 5 PowerPoint® slides to be used with your pitch (the 5 slide maximum includes a title slide and none of the slides may include external hyperlinks, embedded video, or transitions that 'effectively create' more than 5 distinct slide images). PowerPoint slides are not required and may not be used if not received by the deadline. Presentations in other formats will not be accepted.*

Deadline: 5:00 p.m. EST on Monday April 16, 2018

 

10. Make Your Pitch! The finalist/alternate contestant must arrive at the One Pace Plaza, Bianco Room (formerly Multipurpose Room), New York, NY. 10038 by 5:00 pm EST on Thursday April 19, 2018

 

* All documents must be submitted online through the online competition management system

Click here to watch the video guide to the Competition Management System

Here's How the Pace Pitch Contest Works:

On Thursday, April 19, 2018, finalists will make their pitches to a panel of judges in front of an enthusiastic audience. There is a strict time limit of three minutes for all pitches. Contestants will present in alphabetical order. After each pitch, the judges may ask a number of questions. All answers must be kept to less than one minute. Immediately after the pitches have been made, the judging panel will decide on one winner from each category based on the Guidelines and Judging Criteria. The Pace Pitch Contest has proven to be an exciting, educational, and fun event. We hope you will enjoy the event and find it valuable.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Professor Bruce Bachenheimer, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Lab, at bbachenheimer@pace.edu or Elizabeth Jovanoska, Associate Director, The Entrepreneurship Lab at ejovanoska@pace.edu

Good luck!
The deadline to enter the Pace Pitch Contest is 5:00 p.m. on Monday, March 19, 2018

 

New Business Concepts Pitch Guidelines | Social Ventures Pitch Guidelines | Ten Questions That You Should Try To Answer

New Business Concepts Pitch Guidelines

 

New Business Concepts will be evaluated on the following judging criteria.

  • 1. Business Description: Details of the venture and what it does.
    • How well was the concept explained?
    • How reasonable, sustainable, and scalable is the new concept?
  • 2. Market Analysis: Characteristics of the market and description of its customers.
    • Is there a genuine need for the product or service?
    • How well was the target market defined?
    • What is the size and growth of the market?
    • What is the consumers' willingness to pay for the product/service?
  • 3. Product or Service Analysis: The specifics of the product or service.
    • Is the description clear?
    • Is the product feasible?
    • How easily it can be duplicated?
    • Is there a presence of potential substitutes for the product?
  • 4. Competition: Identify current and potential competitors.
    • Have the current and potential competitors, competitive response, and analysis of strengths and weaknesses been adequately defined?
  • 5. Marketing Strategy: How sales will be achieved.
    • How realistically defined is the marketing plan?
    • Does the plan adequately address price, product, place, and promotion?
    • Are resources sufficiently allocated for marketing?
  • 6. Operations: How the product or service will be produced and delivered.
    • What is the likelihood of securing resources required for production?
    • Is there an ability to operate competitively and grow?
  • 7. Management: An assessment of the entrepreneur(s) and team.
    • Does the team exhibit the experience and skills required for operation?
    • What is the depth and breadth of the team's capabilities?
    • Does the team demonstrate the ability to grow with the organization and attract new talent?
  • 8. Finances: An overview of the required resources and economics of the venture.
    • How compelling is the business model?
    • Have the resources required for the venture been addressed?
    • Has the team clearly and adequately presented a breakeven analysis?
    • How reasonable are the financial projections?
    • Are there prospects for long-term profitability?
  • 9. Investment Proposal: The terms and conditions offered to investors.
    • Did the entrepreneurial team explain funding?
    • Were offerings to investors and anticipated returns clearly explained?
    • Did the team calculate a realistic valuation?
    • How feasible is the exit strategy?
  • 10. Presentation: Overall effectiveness of the actual presentation.
    • Did the presenter(s) engage the audience and hold their attention?
    • Did the presenter(s) appear to speak with confidence authority?
    • Were visual aids (i.e. PowerPoint® slides) clear and valuable?
    • Was the pitch exciting and compelling?
    • How efficiently did the team allot their time?

 

Social Venture Pitch Guidelines

 

Social Ventures will be evaluated on the following judging criteria.

  • 1. Assessing the Need: An analysis of the social issue and its affected population.
    • Does the proposed venture address a significant and critical social problem?
  • 2. Well-defined Target: Characteristics of the market and targeted population.
    • Does the proposed venture adequately describe the problem it hopes to address and have defined parameters within which it plans to operate?
  • 3. Management: An assessment of the entrepreneur(s) and team.
    • Does the entrepreneurial team possess the skills and experience required to translate the plan into action?
    • Can they demonstrated the passion, commitment, and perseverance required to overcome inevitable obstacles?
    • Is the team comprised of individuals committed to ethical standards?
  • 4. Creativity: A demonstration that the proposed solution displays a unique approach.
    • Does the proposal approach the social problem in an innovative, exciting, and dynamic way?
  • 5. Feasibility: A demonstration that the venture can be successfully implemented.
    • Does the initiative aspire towards clear, realistic and achievable goals, while thinking big?
    • Can it be implemented effectively?
  • 6. Planning: A clear and well-defined strategy to achieve objectives and goals.
    • Are there clear and coherent schedules, milestones, objectives, and financial plans?
  • 7. Operations: How the product or service will be physically produced and distributed.
    • Has adequate attention been given to the way in which the product or service is to be produced and/or delivered?
    • Do they have, or can likely secure, the resources required for production?
    • Will they be able to operate competitively and grow?
  • 8. Sustainability: Long-term prospects for viability and success.
    • Does the proposed venture include adequate strategies for fundraising and income generation?
    • Does it consider the different dimensions of financial and social sustainability in a conscientious manner?
  • 9. Social Impact: The value that the new venture will bring to society.
    • How will the implementation of this social venture benefit the community and the multiple stakeholders involved?
    • Is there the potential for significant social impact and engagement of the broader community?
  • 10. Presentation: Overall effectiveness of the actual presentation.
    • Did the presenter(s) engage the audience and hold their attention?
    • Did the presenter(s) appear to speak with confidence authority?
    • Were visual aids (i.e. PowerPoint® slides) clear and valuable?
    • Was the pitch exciting and compelling?
    • How efficiently did the team allot their time?

* While there is some debate regarding the precise definition of a social venture, and what exactly differentiates it from a traditional for profit business, the Selection Committee and Judging Panel will use the following criteria:

  • PRIMARY MISSION - is the organization's primary purpose to serve its owners (New Business Concept) or society (Social Venture)
  • PRIMARY MEASURE OF SUCCESS - does the organization measure its success primarily by profitability (New Business Concept) or positive social change (Social Venture)

 

Ten Questions That You Should Try To Answer

 

Whether pitching a New Business Concept or a Social Venture, try to address the following ten big questions as completely as possible. Remember, you should not simply talk about a general idea (those are "a dime a dozen"), rather, try to present a concise concept with a cleareconomic model, convincing everyone that you can actually make it happen.

  • 1. What's the PROBLEM?
  • 2. What's your SOLUTION?
  • 3. How large is the MARKET?
  • 4. Who is the COMPETITION?
  • 5. What makes you so SPECIAL?
  • 6. What's your ECONOMIC MODEL?
  • 7. How exactly will you achieve SALES?
  • 8. Have you assembled a qualified TEAM?
  • 9. How will you secure required RESOURCES?
  • 10. What are you proposing for an INVESTMENT?

Suggested reading: The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki (Penguin 2004), especially Chapter 3, "The Art of Pitching"

First Prize

A $1,000 cash prize will be awarded to the winner.

Second Prize

A $500 cash prize will be awarded to the second place.

Third Prize

A $250 cash prize will be awarded to the third place.

Pace University reserves the right to disqualify, at its sole discretion, any individual or team from the competition at any time (before or after the Pitch Contest or the award of any prize) for any reason. Reasons for disqualification may include, but are not limited to, misrepresentations in the application process, plagiarism, infringement of the intellectual property of others, and any failure to comply with the rules of the competition. Disqualified individuals or teams shall forfeit any and all prizes awarded to them.


 

 


Previous Pitch Contests

Thirteenth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 20th, 2017)
Twelfth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 14th, 2016)
Eleventh Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 16th, 2015)
Tenth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 17th, 2014)
Ninth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 18th, 2013)
Eighth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 19th, 2012).
Seventh Annual Pace Pitch Contest (April 11th, 2011).
Sixth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (December 3rd, 2009).
Fifth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (December 4th, 2008).
Fourth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (December 6th, 2007).
Third Annual Pace Pitch Contest (November 17th, 2006).
Second Annual Pace Pitch Contest (December 9th, 2005).
Inaugural Pace Pitch Contest (December 3rd, 2004).

 

[Pitch Contest Brochure]
Click to download the full Official Program for the Twelfth Annual Pace Pitch Contest (PDF).

 

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For additional information, please contact:

Bruce Bachenheimer,
Clinical Professor of Management and Director, The Entrepreneurship Lab
Tel: (212) 618-6663
Fax: (212) 618-6664
E-mail: bbachenheimer@pace.edu
Web: webpage.pace.edu/bbachenheimer
Address: Pace University
Lubin School of Business
Department of Management, Room 342
163 William Street
New York, NY 10038

Elizabeth Jovanoska,
Associate Director, The Entrepreneurship Lab
Tel: (212) 618-6667
E-mail: ejovanoska@pace.edu
Address: Pace University
The Entrepreneurship Lab
163 William Street, 3rd Floor
New York, NY 10038

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