High Point University students pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and earned thousands of dollars in start-up funds during the annual Elevator Pitch Competition on Nov. 15. Pictured from left to right with oversized checks representing their awards are HPU student winners Julia Thackston, Maura Malichio, Reeve Fatuova, Vivian Love, Jasmine Bennett, Gena Ghandour, Quinten Barrial and Alex Berger.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 1, 2023 – High Point University students pitched their business ideas to a panel of judges and earned thousands of dollars in start-up funds during the annual Elevator Pitch Competition on Nov. 15.
The annual competition is part of HPU’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, an international initiative that introduces entrepreneurship to young people across the globe. There were 15 students who competed this year for funding to launch their companies or continue developing their business plans. At the competition, four businesses were recognized and awarded start-up funds.
Vivian Love won first place and received $7,000 for her business, aircierge, which she described as a virtual concierge to elevate guest services for Airbnbs. For $29, a customer gets an easy-to-use cube that uses artificial intelligence to generate a guide for any of the 4 million Airbnb hosts across 100,000 cities worldwide in 40 different languages. For the host, aircierge can streamline guest services while providing incentives for better reviews, Love said. She recognized a need for this product while attending a sporting event in Spain, where she didn’t want to miss any attractions.
Vivian Love won first place and received $7,000 for her business, aircierge, which she described as a virtual concierge to elevate guest services for Airbnbs.
“Studying abroad changed my life,” said Love, a senior entrepreneurship major from San Francisco, California. “I was so frustrated, and I knew there was something I could do about it. We’ve been working on aircierge for about a year now. It’s been such a journey. I’m excited for next year. It’s finally time we’re able to put this out into the world. I can’t wait to go to an Airbnb in South Africa, in Colombia and all over the world and see an aircierge there. I’m overjoyed and incredibly grateful right now.”
Second place and $5,000 was awarded to Gena Ghandour, a sophomore psychology major and entrepreneurship and philosophy minor from Charlotte, North Carolina, and Jasmine Bennett, a sophomore interior design major from Bramwell, West Virginia. Their business, Reach the Bar, offers a gym accessory designed to help short people access weight training equipment more easily.
Reeve Fatuova, a Class of 2026 entrepreneurship major from Ramsey, New Jersey, took third place and earned $3,000 for her business BUSTZ, a quality sports bra she developed for women athletes.
The Rock Star Rookie Award and $2,000 was presented to Maura Malichio, an entrepreneurship major from New York City, New York, for her Retreat app. She is pictured with Gary Simon of Simon Jewelers, who sponsored the award for a second consecutive year.
Three students tied for fourth place and earned $1,000 each for their business development.
- Quinten Barrial, a senior business administration major and entrepreneurship minor from Atlanta, Georgia, presented LOAI, a product development company that fellow entrepreneurs can join to participate in a monthly call to help generate ideas and facilitate product development.
- Alex Berger, a senior sport management major from Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, presented Sports Matching, an app for 18- to 35-year-olds who want to play pick-up sports but lack a platform to connect.
- Julia Thackston, a senior entrepreneurship and marketing double major from Surf City, New Jersey, presented The Stall Pocket, a 5×7-inch stainless steel package to adhere to the inside of bathroom stall doors in public restrooms to provide a convenient and sanitary place for cellphones.
The Rock Star Rookie Award and $2,000 was presented to Maura Malichio, an entrepreneurship major from New York City, New York, for her Retreat app. Malichi said the app is designed to help cellphone customers wean from constant use of their phones and encourage personal interactions. Gary Simon of Simon Jewelers sponsored the award for a second consecutive year.
In addition to Simon Jewelers, sponsors included Troy Knauss; Steve and Jackie Bell of The Bell Foundation; the HPU Business Accelerator Fund; FirstPoint, Inc./Guilford Merchants Association; and the Bailey and Trey McKee Entrepreneurship Fund.
This year’s judges were Brent Allen, founder and general partner of Carolina Acquisition Partners; Daniel H. McCollister II, president and chairman of McCollister’s Global Services, Inc.; and Amanda Steele, managing director of Crawford 1031 Advisors.
At High Point University, every student receives an extraordinary education in an inspiring environment with caring people.® HPU, located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina, is a liberal arts institution with 6,040 undergraduate and graduate students. U.S. News & World Report has ranked HPU the No. 1 Best Regional College in the South for 12 consecutive years and the No. 1 Most Innovative Regional College in the South for nine consecutive years. The Princeton Review named HPU in “The Best 389 Colleges: 2024 Edition” and among the “Best South” colleges by region list. HPU was also recognized among the Top 20 in the nation for Best-Run Colleges, Best Career Services, Most Beautiful Campus, Most Active Student Government, Best College Dorms and Best Campus Food, as well as a Great School for Business/Finance Majors and a Great School for Communication Majors. For 13 years in a row, HPU has been named a College of Distinction with special recognition for career development, business and education programs. The university has 60 undergraduate majors, 66 undergraduate minors and 18 graduate degree programs. It is a member of the NCAA, Division I and the Big South Conference. Visit High Point University on the web at highpoint.edu.
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