Judges representing UB’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation have selected eight businesses as finalists for the upcoming “Rise to the Challenge” Pitch Competition. The annual event, now in its ninth year, provides an opportunity for members of the greater UB community to pitch ideas and concepts for new and existing businesses before a live audience of their peers, UB staff and entrepreneurial experts.

This year, a panel consisting of undergrads, grad students and alumni, will compete, in two separate business categories, Aspiring Business Ventures and Existing Business Ventures, for more than $20,000 in seed money and in-kind professional services.

This spring’s finalists and their businesses are:

Amadou Bah, presenting Stemtric, an online hub that hosts high-quality, gamified, incentivized, and community-engaging mathematics learning resources on social media platforms.

Shelby Blondell, inventor of the “Shell Pick,” a unique way to play guitar that breaks barriers and solves problems between the musician who enjoys playing with a pick and those who play without a pick.

Kellie Brown, whose team will be pitching SpreadKarma, an ecosystem for social entrepreneurs and others seeking fundraising education, access to funding and exposure for projects that create a positive impact in underserved communities.

Nikia Madison, founder of Safe Pl8te Grocery, which helps people living with food allergies purchase allergy-friendly products and serves as a resource to the community to help with understanding and managing food allergies.

Nicole Mighty, whose startup Spiked Orchids designs, produces, and sells high-quality, environmentally friendly apparel and home goods by leveraging sustainable manufacturing practices and repurposing second-hand materials.

Robert Myers, representing Switchboard, a new organizational system that revolutionizes and simplifies how pedalboards are built for use by guitar players and other musicians in live and studio settings.

Favour Okhuevbie, whose company Gibor Writing Service is a social entrepreneurship endeavor providing writing services to students that uses the profits it makes to launch nonprofit initiatives.

Rebecca Thompson, whose creation Crate Craft & Co. turns easy-to-follow DIY projects into fun online events, by shipping customers all the necessary materials and hosting “live” group instruction parties.

This dynamic group will present before a live audience and a panel of expert judges, representing the local business ecosystem, including

• Lily Bengfort, Chief Growth Officer at TCecure, LLC
• Troy A. LeMaile-Stovall, CEO/Executive Director, TEDCO
• Laura Neuman, Partner, NextGen Venture Partners; and
• Carolyn Yarina, CEO and Co-Founder, Sisu Global

who will band together to select the winners.

“I was overwhelmed by the quality of the submissions and the breadth of this year’s applicants, who hail from all corners of the UB community,” said Henry Mortimer, Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. “It’s exciting to see so many unique ideas put forth by our students and alumni, and an honor to support their efforts through the CEI. I imagine the judges are going to have their work cut out for them in late April. This is shaping up to be our best pitch competition yet.”

The “Rise to the Challenge” competition, sponsored by UB’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, and designed to generate awareness of new and emerging innovative business ventures nurtured by the UB community, is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Registration is required to attend. For more information, visit the Eventbrite page: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/9th-annual-rise-to-the-challenge-competition-finale-tickets148020058981.

The University of Baltimore Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, named one of the Baltimore Business Journal’s “Top Incubators and Accelerators for 2019,” directs support and assistance to UB students and alumni interested in building or growing an enterprise. We do this through support, culture, events, education and research, and connecting with the business community. Meet with one of our counselors to discuss launching or growing your business. Visit us at www.ubalt.edu/cei for more information