focus on entrepreneurship and to raise visibility about other entrepreneurial opportunities on campus. “We want people to know that entrepreneurship is for everyone,” Dr. Kary Oberbrunner, Berry Chair and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship, said. “As we like to say, ‘Entrepreneurship is a mindset, not a minor.’” The Cedarville University Entrepreneurship (CUE) student organization hosts The Pitch every semester, but preparations begin well before anyone takes the stage. In the months leading up to the event, contestants submit their startup ideas to CUE, present their pitches in preliminary rounds to business faculty, and hope that they’ll be among the six finalists who make it through to the live show. When the day of The Pitch finally arrives, nerves are high. Contestants button their blazers, review their notes, and await the five minutes they’ll have to sell their idea from the Scharnberg Auditorium stage. The entire student body is invited, and thousands of others will watch the show live or via replay. “Welcome to the Pitch!” Aubrey Colburn ’25, one of the event co-hosts, announces. She’s met with cheers from the crowd. Colburn explains the structure of the event — five minutes to pitch followed by five minutes to answer the judges’ questions — introduces the judging panel, and then kicks off the event by welcoming up the first contestant. Judges take notes from their black leather chairs as Addi Melvin ’25 presents her equestrian coaching service, Achiever’s Equine Academy. “What would be your marketing strategy?” one judge asks. “Howwould you scale this business?” another adds. Lainy Humes ’24 opens her pitch with a piece of Gen Z, fashion-insider slang. “Do you want to be ‘cheugy’?” she asks the judging panel, going on to explain the word’s connotation with being out of style. Being ‘cheugy’ is a problem that would devastate clothing boutiques, and that’s exactly what her fashion consulting technology, NEOCHIC, is meant to combat. Humes flips through presentation slides filled with runway models and fashion magazines while explaining the way NEOCHIC uses machine learning to analyze fashion trends and produce reports that help boutique owners merchandise their stores. The judges’ questions fly in: “What made you choose the boutique route rather than direct-to-consumer? How did you price your services?” Humes answers them one by one and thanks the judges before walking off the stage. Between pitches, spotlights circle the chapel and intense music plays. Judges turn to clean pages in their notetaking portfolios. Hosts announce the names of audience members who’ve won CUE merch in the night’s giveaways. Brief commercials showcase student companies developed through Cedarville’s entrepreneurship curriculum. But the crowd’s attention always zeroes in when a new contestant takes the stage. Will Woods ’27 and Abby Atkins ’26 introduce their business idea, Peace, a counseling platform that presents pregnant women with a single, unified network of pro-life counselors from various organizations. EthanWallis ’25 passes around prototypes of the protective motorcycle gloves manufactured by his startup, Rider Aspect. When the final presentation of the night concludes, the judges step off stage to deliberate. Colburn welcomes Associate Professor of Management Dr. Daryl Smith to the stage to explain the ‘why’ behind The Pitch. Smith’s presentation follows the same structure as the student pitches — identifying a problem in the world, proposing a solution, and explaining the value of that solution — but he isn’t marketing a product; he’s sharing the Gospel. “The world is broken because of our sin,” Smith explains. “God knew that problemwas too big for us to solve ourselves, so He sent Jesus to pay for our sins on the cross. And now, we can turn towards “ I love this event,” Moffat says. “I love the ideas, love the innovation. Every time it gets better.” 18
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