Five student teams compete for top prizes at Innovation Challenge finals

Five student teams compete April 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the Decker Center Forum for a $10,000 top prize, $3,000 second place and $2,000 audience-choice third place by presenting their entrepreneurial ideas and products to a panel of experts at the annual McDaniel College Innovation Challenge Finals. The event is free and open to the public.

The Innovation Challenge competition is part of The Encompass Distinction, an academic program in innovation and entrepreneurship that is open to students in any major. By combining courses, off-campus learning experiences and mentorship by entrepreneurial alumni of the College, students gain broad-ranging skill sets required for enterprise management. The Encompass Distinction also includes entrepreneurship and marketing minors.

McDaniel College’s entrepreneur-in-residence Jonathan C. Weetman serves as the master of ceremonies at the finals. The program is made possible with the support of 1968 alumnus Dennis Sisco and Alexine Lesko through The Sisco Fund for Enterprise Management.

The five finalists and seven runners-up were chosen by members of the President’s Advisory Council, which is made up of entrepreneurial alumni of the College. The students were judged based on creativity/innovation, clarity of purpose, market potential, financial plan and overall strength of application of their entrepreneurial idea or product.

The five finalists are:

Loyl, presented by senior Matthew Meagher, a Computer Science and Economics double major from Frederick, Md., and freshman Ben Schipper, a Computer Science major from Olney, Md., is a customer loyalty mobile application geared towards customer retention for small businesses. Small businesses might not have the same resources as larger corporations to create their own online or mobile application to keep customers coming back. This app is essentially a digital loyalty punch card that replaces the paper versions.

The team’s mission statement is “We support communities all across small town USA by connecting local businesses to loyal customers thus growing local economy and satisfying the customer with superior hometown service.” View the pitch video here.

Sertified, presented by junior Owen Long, a Psychology major from Hanover, Pa., and sophomore Justin Arter of Waldorf, Md., is a pop-up business that tackles the lack of American Red Cross certified lifeguard instructors in northern Maryland and south-central Pennsylvania. A network of instructors “pop-up” at local pools to provide courses to those in the area. The training that is provided helps to employ individuals in fields such as babysitting, aquatics and first responder.

The team’s mission statement is "Sertified, LLC is committed to providing top quality and affordable first responder training from the American Red Cross to the northern Maryland and south-central Pennsylvania area.” View the pitch video here.

Show Your Hero, presented by freshman Sarah Pennington of Pottstown, Pa., is a nonprofit started by Pennington, a passionate advocate for mental health awareness, because everyone is a hero for getting through the everyday struggles of life. This program pairs young adults with mentors and provides opportunities for them to become a leader by going through three tiers —self-identification, self-confidence and finding one’s passion.

Pennington’s mission statement is “Inspiring confidence in young adults.” View the pitch video here.

Stylish Thrift, presented by senior William Martin, a Business Administration major from Winchester, Va., sells new and vintage sportswear.

Martin’s mission statement is “Aim to provide reasonably priced new and vintage clothing, without sacrificing quality and give everyone the opportunity to support their team or show their style.” View the pitch video here.

ZenZen, presented by senior Kelly Edullantes, an Environmental Studies major from Houston, and junior Kris Gibb, an Art major from Glen Burnie, Md. is a mobile application and website that assists in planning green and sustainable events that reduce environmental impact, save money and create positive social rewards. The Zen Store marketplace includes a variety of vendors and products to choose from that that can be shipped directly to the event organizer. 

The team’s mission statement is “Green events made simple.” View the pitch video here.

The judges who will choose the winning teams include:

• Steve Chapin, Jr., an entrepreneur who founded LifeMinders.com and is also the owner of JARS Residential Properties. Currently a trustee and lecturer at McDaniel College, he received a bachelor’s degree in engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School and master’s degree from Georgetown University. A Carroll County native, he resides in Leesburg, Va.
• Lee Jokl co-founded Citelighter, an education technology startup specializing in creating comprehensive writing and critical thinking tools for K-12 teachers and students, which was acquired by Sylvan Learning. A Baltimore resident, he currently works as a senior manager at T. Rowe Price.
• Steven Kousouris is senior director of finance and administration for Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures, where he manages the financial relationships with licensees and within the university. He also oversees information technology, human resources, licensee compliance and material transfer agreement departments. He earned a M.H.S. degree from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and M.B.A. from Loyola College of Baltimore. He resides in Finksburg, Md.
• Jenny McWhorter is executive producer of global events at Electronic Arts in Redwood City, Calif. Electronic Arts is a leading publisher of digital interactive games on console, PC and mobile, including The Sims, Madden NFL, Plants vs. Zombies and Mass Effect. She is a 2003 alumna of McDaniel College.
• Tiombe Page owns Cultivated, a boutique for contemporary women’s apparel, décor and gifts in Westminster, Md. One of The Baltimore Sun’s “25 Women to Watch,” she also leads the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce’s Launch Carroll networking group for young professionals.

Visit www.mcdaniel.edu/encompassdistinction for more information about The Encompass Distinction. More information about the McDaniel College Innovation Challenge can be found at https://ceo.mcdaniel.edu/innovationchallenge18.