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The Wilson Center’s annual Pioneer Weekend pitch competition took place from Friday, September 26th, to Sunday, September 28th. The objective of Pioneer Weekend is to bring together student innovators to develop and pitch a business or nonprofit plan. It encourages hands-on experiences and helps develop skills critical to entrepreneurship. The top three teams also receive cash prizes. 

Keynote and Team Formation

The weekend opened on Friday with keynote speaker Ham Serunjogi ’16. Serunjogi  co-founder of Chipper Cash, a platform that offers instant cross-border mobile money transfers, in 2018 with Maijid Moujaled ’14. They met while studying at ɬ�﷬, and both then ventured out to Silicon Valley, where Ham worked for Facebook. The alum offered an inspiring speech, encouraging students to imagine new possibilities. 

Following the keynote speech, students began the competition by presenting their open mic pitches in an attempt to inspire others to join their team. This year, 45 students formed 11 different teams. 

Structured Mentoring

On Saturday, teams began working alongside a mentor to begin developing and refining their plan. This year, mentors included Kevin Allen, Christina Cutlip ‘83, Robert Gehorsam ‘76, and Kate Goddard ‘91. Mentors help participants focus on customer development, validating their ideas, practicing LEAN Startup Methodologies, and designing a minimal, viable product.

On Sunday morning, teams finalized and pitched their innovations to a panel of judges for a chance to win cash prizes. This year’s judging panel consisted of important members of the community who have made a longstanding impact. They were President Anne F. Harris, Rachael Kinnick, president and CEO at ɬ�﷬ Area Chamber of Commerce; and Evan Petig ’98, owner of The ɬ�﷬ian B&B. After deliberation, the winning teams were presented at 4 p.m. on Sunday, less than 48 hours since Pioneer Weekend first began.

In reflecting on the competition, Jeffrey Blanchard, professor of Mathematics and director of the Wilson Center, says, “Pioneer Weekend was a huge success. We had lots of first years participating and nearly 50 students were part of the final 11 teams. The quality of ideas and pitches was impressive. I hope several of these students pursue their ideas. The winning team was filled with students who have participated in numerous Wilson Center activities which was a great testament to the co-curricular learning opportunities provided by the Center.” 

Meet The Winning Teams 

First place: GrinFit, pitched an app with features to make physical wellness accessible, enjoyable, and social for every ɬ�﷬ student.

Team Members: Rihaan Bhansali ‘27, Aaryan Lodaya ‘27, Dennis Mboya ‘27, Aritra Mookherjee ‘27, and Beatriz Polo Diz ‘27.

Second place: Grin & Go, refrigerated vending machines stocked with fresh, nutritious, meal-prepped food and strategically placed around campus for access at all hours.

Team Members: Syed Hassan ‘28, Daria Haynie ‘29, Boris Khesin ‘28, Virginia Oliver ‘29, and Raahim Sodha ‘28. 

Third place: GrinnLoK, a multilingual website helping families of international students feel connected to ɬ�﷬.

Khanh Ngo ‘27, Hoang Nguyen ‘29, Vy Nguyen ‘29, Anh Pham ‘29, and Duc Tran ‘29.