Apply for the Viking Business Pitch
Business Pitch Sponsors
Donna M. Katzman '87, '98G & Elliot M. Katzman '78
Ralph and Janice James
R.Thomas Belhumeur
Participant Eligibility
Application Instructions
Five Steps to Develop Your Business Pitch
1) Define the opportunity: Provide evidence to show there is demand for your business idea (industry statistics, market trends, market size etc.)
2) Identify the specific problem you are looking to solve for customers
3) Describe your business idea
4) Explain what new value you can provide customers with; what problems you solve; how you are better than competitors
5) Identify next steps; resources needed; use of funds
Competition Judging Criteria and Example Slides
Terms and Conditions
Resources for Presenters
Past Award-winning Projects
The Viking Business Pitch Competition has awarded more than $20,000 in prizes. Read about past prize-winning ideas.
1st Prize $5,000: David Sheehan, a Fire Science major student, who pitched 鈥淔irst Due Fire Exam鈥 a website to offer the study materials and exam for firefighters in Massachusetts.
2nd Prize $2,500: Jingwen Zhou & Wenna Li, two English major students, for 鈥淟ocaLink鈥 a worldwide travel guide app to find local tourist guides of trust.
3rd Prize $1,500: Vin Tep, Jennifer Arevalo & Sophia Beechin,, three Marketing major students, for 鈥淭he Cozy Bowl鈥 a hot meal vending machine business.
1st prize ($5,000): Xhesina Sirika with ShareBattery (an idea for sharing phone battery charge wirelessly) -Xhesina is a business student. She is working on this business idea with a data science student from Vienna University and an architecture student who is taking English classes at SSU.
2nd prize ($2,500): Ben Gallini with ClutterCache (an app for recording and valuing possessions on a real-time basis). Ben is a history major, with a minor in business.
3rd prize ($1,500): Christian Alquinta with Auto Prints (a business that prints hard-to-find/expensive car parts more cost-effectively using 3D printers). Christian is a business major.
- First prize of $3,000 went to Henry Doherty, Michael Flynn, Jack Pender, a team of three business majors, who pitched 鈥淧oliticalEd,鈥 a plain-language unbiased political media platform for education and reporting.
- Second prize of $2,000 went to Rose Biandie Jean Mary, a biology student, for 鈥淎ll Things Rosemetics,鈥 a sustainable beauty store with handmade cosmetics.
- Third prize of $1,000 went to Glen Gjuraj, a management student, for 鈥淗armony,鈥 a laundry and textile recycling business.
- First prize of $2,000 went to Lorimer Mateo, a management student, for 鈥淟ocal Spot,鈥 a business that rents shelf space to small businesses.
- Second prize of $1,500 went to Patrick Tannian, a marketing student, for 鈥淛ersey Express,鈥 a yearly subscription platform for professional sports club jerseys.
- Third prize of $1,000 went to Abigail Hurley, a business major with concentration in analytics and management Science, for 鈥淎lleviate,鈥 a peer-to-peer mental illness support app.
- First prize of $2,000 went to Toiell Washington, a senior sociology major, who pitched 鈥淭he Master's Tools,鈥 a board game that teaches people about systems of oppression.
- Second prize of $1,500 went to Benine Mudymba, a second-year graduate student working toward a master of social work, for 鈥淭he Natural Sis,鈥 a beauty consultation service.
- Third prize of $1,000 went to Katie Ciccolini, a media and communication major for 鈥淭he Salem Witch Subscription Box,鈥 a monthly box that contains items from local Salem Witch shops. The theme of each box is based on the cycles of the celebration of pagan holidays.