Villanova University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Hosts 13th Annual Pitch Day
VILLANOVA, Pa. (May 9, 2024) – On April 21, Villanova University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) hosted its 13th annual Pitch Day. Held each April, Pitch Day gives students from across the University’s six schools and colleges the opportunity to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurial spirit, while gaining real-world experience in building an idea from the ground up.
On Pitch Day, students took part in the final rounds of the Villanova Student Entrepreneurship Competition (VSEC) and the Ignite Change Case Competition. The Meyer Innovation Awards were also presented.
“Pitch Day empowers Villanovans to engage, collaborate and innovate,” said Ann Goody, the Daniel J. Hogarty, Jr. ’61 Director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “It challenges our students to look for multidisciplinary solutions to important, pressing issues, shaping the next generation of business leaders and problem solvers.”
Information on this year’s events, as well as the day’s winners and awardees, can be found below:
Sophomore Tanner Maddocks won VSEC’s first-place prize for his subscription-based platform Athlete².
Villanova Student Entrepreneurship Competition
VSEC is a semester-long, interdisciplinary entrepreneurship competition for Villanova student ventures. The competition’s top teams presented their original concepts and prototypes to a room of experienced alumni entrepreneurs involved in business development, investments, marketing and technology. Competitors gained valuable insight on how to successfully advance their ideas, and more than $20,000 in prizes and in-kind services were awarded to the best ventures.
First Place ($10,000 Prize) – ATHLETE², Tanner Maddocks ’26 CLAS
- Athlete² is a subscription-based platform that lowers the cost of youth sports training and empowers college athletes to monetize their name, image and likeness (NIL).
Second Place ($5,000 Prize) – POCKETSNAP, Ayden Lagalante ’26 COE
- The PocketSnap is a magnetic attachment that secures pockets to prevent the loss or theft of valuables, protecting its user’s personal belongings in a cost-effective way.
Third Place ($3,000 Prize) – STAMMY, Julian Muncan ’24 COE
- Stammy is a laser engraving business that specializes in creating customized products, specifically near-field communication (NFC) business cards, for young entrepreneurs and individuals looking to expand their network.
Crowd Choice ($1,000 Prize) – SUSO, Scarleth Vasconcelos ’25 COE, Yen Leng Chong ’24 COE and Timothy Hoo ’24 COE
- SUSO is a Software as a Service (SaaS) business that aims to significantly reduce the investment required for carbon accounting measurements, providing businesses with accurate emissions results.
Klinger Unitas Prize ($500 Prize) – TOUCHPOINT, Alex Birle ’24 VSB, Connor Koury ’24 COE and Bailey Robson ’24 CLAS
- TouchPoint provides safety assurance to higher education administrations, national fraternities organizations and local chapters by actively monitoring and assessing risks within student organizations in real time.
Halloran Social Impact Prize ($500 Prize) – MANER CONSULTING, Yousef Maner ’24 VSB
- Maner Consulting’s mission is to modernize over 600 medical centers and impact over 2.2 million Native Americans daily by turning the tide on years of outdated practices and technological neglect.
City of Motherly Love won first place in the 2024 Ignite Change Case Competition—and donated $5,000 to the Reinvestment Fund.
Ignite Change Case Competition
The Ignite Change Case Competition focuses on a specific social or environmental issue and gives students the chance to connect, think creatively and initiate conversations about a real-world problem. This year’s case challenged participants to explore strategies and craft solutions to mitigate homelessness.
In addition to earning a $5,000 grand prize, the first-place team was asked to award $5,000 to a non-profit of their choosing that had a significant impact on their project proposal. The second-place and third-place teams received $3,000 and $2,000 awards, respectively.
First Place – CITY OF MOTHERLY LOVE, Genevieve Mohr ’24 CLAS, Elizabeth Vaughn ’24 VSB, Isabelle Kellezi ’25 CLAS and Max Kellezi ’26 COE, with their donation benefiting the Reinvestment Fund
Second Place – PATHWAY PARTNERS, Naija Nelson ’24 COE and Daniel Magrini ’24 VSB
Third Place – FOUR CENTS, Luke Ohr ’25 CLAS, Eric Rego ’25 CLAS, Megan Zuzarth ’27 CLAS and Lily Renga ’25 VSB
Graduating senior Julian Muncan won a Meyer Innovation Award and third place in VSEC for his laser engraving venture Stammy.
The Meyer Innovation Awards
The Meyer Innovation Awards were created and endowed by Patrick Meyer ’74 VSB in honor of the Meyer family (Patrick ’74, Edward ’86 and C. Paul ’30) to recognize the spirit of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship fostered at Villanova. Each year, the Meyer Innovation Awards are conferred to one graduating student—who is awarded $5,000—as well as one faculty or staff member, who is awarded $2,500.
Student Winner – JULIAN MUNCAN ’24 VSB
- Muncan has a proven track record of initiating and successfully executing innovative projects. His leadership in developing his Stammy business, addressing sustainability concerns and organizing January’s Villanova in the Valley program, among other endeavors and achievements, has made a tangible impact within our community and beyond.
Faculty/Staff Winner – CAROL WEINGARTEN, PhD, FCN
- Dr. Weingarten founded and executed an innovative radio project in which Villanova students learn to create, produce, edit and deliver health promotion messages in minute-long public service announcements (PSAs) and podcasts. Since 2018, her team has built a thriving partnership with WXVU, the College of Nursing and the University’s Office of Health Promotion. In March of 2023 alone, the station documented 685,193 web views from 58 countries.
About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University’s Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges—the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation’s top universities, Villanova supports its students’ intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.