Entrepreneurs win cash prizes in ‘PNW Big Sell’ competition – Inside INdiana Business
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The entrepreneurs behind a learning app, a snack food brand and a medical venture each have won investment capital as the top picks in the annual PNW Big Sell pitch competition held by Purdue University Northwest.
Jonathan Rose earned first place and $10,000 for ModMath, a tablet application that helps students with dyslexia and dysgraphia complete math exercises with a digital interface instead of pen and paper.
“The PNW Big Sell serves as a valuable opportunity to support regional entrepreneurs and forward a university goal of fostering transformative innovation for our communities,” Alexandra Moran, clinical instructor of entrepreneurship, said in a university news release. “We appreciate the contestants’ ingenuity and look forward to continuing to support their business goals.”
Emily Edwards earned second place and $3,000 for Paradise Spreads, a collection of organic, gluten-free, plant-based spreads and snacks. Edwards also won second place in The PNW Big Sell in 2021 and received university staff support for further commercialization.
Danielle Cruz-Lopez received third place and $1,000 for Sepsis Slayers, a business that aims to reduce sepsis-related deaths within the medical field.
Ten finalists had made their pitches to four judges inside Purdue University Northwest’s Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center. The judges were casting director Vincent Arcuri, Roosevelt University journalism professor John Fountain, former for-profit and not-for-profit director Max Moses, and Alex Wisniewski, co-founder and CEO of Cultivation Connect, an ag-tech company.
The PNW Big Sell was sponsored by the university’s business college, Northern Indiana Public Service Co. and Centier Bank.
“The PNW Big Sell pitch competition provides aspiring entrepreneurs from all walks of life to present their innovative ideas for potential commercialization,” said Niaz Latif, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs and associate vice chancellor for commercialization and research. “We appreciate the community sponsorship that we receive each year, which helps to recognize these talented individuals and promote potential startups in Northwest Indiana.”
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