Eight Quinnipiac University students are among the 100 participants selected to compete in the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s 2021 “Becoming Agents of Change” pitch competition.
Quinnipiac has the second most finalists of any school in the competition, including Meghan Crocetto of Middlefield and Quinn Dallai of North Haven.
Over the next month, the participants will create an online investor pitch deck that must include a business model, a business solution and a video pitch. From there, 20 semi-finalists will be picked to present their ideas at the CEO’s 38th annual global conference and pitch competition from Oct. 28-30 in Tampa, Florida.
“Quinnipiac is the only school in the country to have had finalists in all of five national business plan competitions, including the CEO’s, and we have done it twice in the last three years,” said Dale Jasinksi, associate professor of entrepreneurship and strategy. “This success at the national level is a great indicator of our students’ abilities and desire to go above and beyond what is required in the classroom to pursue their dreams.”
Crocetto, a freshman entrepreneurship major in the 3+1 business program, will pitch “TechTurn,” an innovative device that aids dancers, figure skaters and gymnasts in improving their turning ability. The turning disc has built-in technology that collects and analyzes data on a person’s weight distribution and speed of their turn. The disc also sends the data to an application on smartphones.
“Dance has always been a big part of my life, so I am extremely grateful to be selected because it means my idea is now gaining visibility and has signs of life,” she said.
Dallai, a junior entrepreneurship major in the 3+1 business program, will pitch “Hylite NFT,” an NFT company that sells collectible digital cards featuring players, performers and events in the sports and entertainment industries. The company allows customers to attain rare digital assets that are verified to be unique by a blockchain system.