2018 Winners
Students from across Western Michigan University's campus participated in the 6th annual Pitch competition. One person from each company is allowed to present the pitch for their team's innovative idea.
First Place
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$2,000 award: Cluventure, pitched by Desi Taylor, a Spanish major.
Cluventure is a company that puts a creative spin on traditional travel. Cluventure combines mystery and adventure to create an interactive vacation experience. Clients are not told where they're going; instead, travelers solve real-time clues that guide them to their destination.
Second Place
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$1,400 award: Cleat Guardians, pitched by supply chain management major Charles Bailey. Other business partners include Alex Kaanta.
Cleat Guardians are custom rubber molds that users wearing cleated footwear step into after leaving a playing surface so they won't damage non-playing surfaces.
Third Place
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$800 award: Seat Swap, pitched by Lincoln Heaphy, a sales and business marketing major.
Seat Swap is a smartphone application that aims to connect fans with tickets to the same event. Fans who are unable to attend the event or choose to leave early can use the app to list their seat; while fans at the event can use the app to buy the newly open seat if it would be an upgrade for them.
Fourth Place and People's Choice
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$800 award: Perfect Shake, pitched by industrial and entrepreneurial engineering student Anna Ryan. Other business partners include Alex Berardelli and Charles Motley, both majoring in industrial and entrepreneurial engineering.
Perfect Shake is a cylindrical container capable of grinding crystals, seeds or whole peppercorns that takes the guesswork out of cooking because it includes a mechanism to set the exact amount of seasoning that should be dispensed.