At the conclusion of Columbia College’s Fish Tank Pitch Competition on Thursday, April 16, in New Hall, the dozen finalists in the college division awaited word on who would bring home the grand prize.
To Austin Jansen’s great surprise, his name was called for the $2,000 award.
“I was not expecting it, for sure,” said Jansen, a senior in the Robert W. Plaster School of Business. “I knew there was some tough competition. When I heard my name, it definitely shocked me.”
Jansen and his fellow contestants took turns pitching their entrepreneurial concepts to a panel of business leaders, first sharing their elevator pitch and then engaging in a Q&A session with the judges. The event is hosted by the Steven & Barbara Fishman Center for Entrepreneurship.
Jansen’s winning entry was for his business concept, Midwest Soil Solutions, which he described as a means for mitigating the losses many farmers experience due to soil erosion.
“My business provides a permanent, scalable erosion prevention system by reshaping the land, building terraces, and installing durable tile-based barriers that stabilize soil and manage water flow,” Jansen said in his pitch. “Think of it as an infrastructure for farmland designed to protect yield year after year and not just season to season.”
Minutes before his presentation, Jansen watched the eventual runner-up, Samantha Strohschein, pitch her concept for Type One Threads, which is a business idea based on creating a special sleeve to help individuals with diabetes avoid false readings from continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).
“Sam did really well and I thought for sure that she was going to win,” Jansen said. “I was fortunate enough to see her pitch, and it was amazing.”
“The funny thing is, the first thing Austin told me after his pitch was, ‘You totally won. You beat me,’” said Strohschein, who received $1,500 for her second-place finish. “It makes me really excited that he thought that I was going to win, but I was still supporting him and really excited for him.”
Drew Schlimme’s business idea entitled Fitted.AI earned him $1,000 and third place among the college division, which included students from Columbia College and Moberly Area Community College.
The judges for the college pitches were Trish Koetting, Entrepreneurship Program Supervisor at Regional Economic Development Inc.; Adam McChesney ’14, owner, founder and CEO of Builders of Authority; and Corbin Umstattd ’12, partner at Umstattd Sonic Group.
Shapree Marshall ’21 ’23, winner of the 2022 pitch competition, returned to campus to inspire students with a keynote address while the judges deliberated.
Marshall is the founder and CEO of A Traveled Path Homes, a housing company created to support the unique needs of traveling health care professionals. The concept was shaped and launched during her time at CC, where she discovered a deep passion for entrepreneurship and community leadership.
“I’m very proud that my story started here,” Marshall said of the college. “I have literally been in your shoes, and I’m grateful for the experiences that have gotten me to where I am today.”
The college contest culminated a day-long event that included high school and middle school rounds.
“This year we wanted to really amp it up,” said Dr. Scott Zimmerman, director of the Fishman Center for Entrepreneurship. “We wanted to think of an exciting new way to represent all these really smart young people and their ideas.”
Jansen, who also received the audience choice award, expressed his appreciation for the funding toward his budding agriculture business.
“It’s going to help me get the tools that I need,” he said. “I need a level, so a big portion is going to go to that. It’s definitely a great start. I’ve already been working on it some, but this is going to take me to the next step.”
The pitch champion encouraged his peers to take advantage of the contest in years to come.
“This is such a great opportunity that you almost have to go for it,” Jansen said. “Having the judges there to help you see the things you didn’t think about and getting their feedback, it’s just all really valuable.”
Other finalists in the college category included (in chronological order of program):
- Jasmine Washington – Washington Global Sports Management
- Lake Gott – StoreU
- Macy Alber – Road Rage
- Megan Grace – Paw Pass
- Isaac Schneider – Isaac Schneider Music
- Paul Morpurgo – CrowAI
- Rebecca Wheaton – AP Pen
- Julian Greenwood & Adrian Greenwood – 405 Mobile Detailing
- Brian Davis – Fizz and Forage, LLC
Columbia area high school students pitch business plans
Students from Hickman, Rock Bridge, Battle and Tolton high schools competed in the middle segment of the day through a partnership with Columbia College.
Ben Drury earned first place for his business concept BTN Insights, followed by Madison Elliott in second place with Atterbury’s Auction Bidder Base and Cory Bonner in third place with BioChill. Bonner also received the audience choice prize.
Judges for the high school and middle school rounds were Mark Miles, president and CEO of Orscheln’s Management Co.; Ashley Switzer, Director of Business Development at PCE Construction; and Brian Murphy, CEO of American Outdoor Brands.
Miles congratulated each of the high school contestants for the quality of their presentations.
“I am thoroughly impressed with the manner in which you step up on this stage and demonstrate your passion for your ideas and the enthusiasm you have for your solutions,” Miles said.
Other finalists in the high school category included (in chronological order of program):
- Kian Byrd – Kiwi Publishing
- Shennie Byrne – Shredding for Bedding
- Nicholas Yuske Swope – COMO Forage and Craft
- Konner Kite – Beauty Blueprint
- Evelyn Stewart – Refreshed
- Ava Addison – Traveling Canvas
Columbia area middle schoolers share their ideas
Students from West, Lange, Smithton, John Warner and Gentry middle schools in Columbia kicked off the Fish Tank by participating in the first contest of the day.
Arnav Edara, Charles Cruz and Andrew Hinshaw earned first place and the audience choice award for their business idea, Spark. Vennela Telugu, Xinrui (Alice) Jiang and Sophie Wack took second place for their entry of Jag-Wires, while Leo Moore and Joshue Losentes placed third with Meltters.
From the judges’ table, Switzer encouraged the middle school students to continue the spirit of innovation that was on display throughout the event.
“Whether it’s this idea or the next one, just being a person who thinks about problems and how to solve them is a really, really incredible skill, and I am proud of you all,” Switzer said.
Murphy echoed his fellow judges with a message of his own for the student participants.
“The amount of conviction you have about your idea sends a message,” Murphy said. “I was impressed by how each of you really took ownership of the idea you were presenting. I didn’t sense any reluctancy or hesitation. You owned your story and what your solution was.”
Other finalists in the middle school category included (in chronological order of program):
- Ted Soetaert – Pencil Leash
- Clark Selders – Chair Savior
- Agnes Neal, Kendall Martin and Anna Flaherty – Tyme
- Hannah Huang – Plan Your Life
- Ian Cranston – Mages vs. Dragons
- Brian Wang, Grady Houin, Luke Rogers and Silas Baurichter – Pots Plus
- Zhicheng Lou – PokeTrade
