Transformational investment elevates Pirate Challenge
East Carolina University’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge has a new name and an investment that will boost prize money and the student experience for the university’s signature pitch competition, which kicked off its eighth season Tuesday.
Helen and Thad Aman visit with an aspiring entrepreneur during the Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge.
Through a $3.2 million gift from Helen Aman and family supporting the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, the College of Business has renamed the signature pitch competition in memory of Gene Aman ’65. The Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge will provide more opportunities for participation, larger cash gifts and the ability to expand its reach and influence across the campus and in eastern North Carolina.
Sharing the announcement of the “transformational gift,” Chancellor Philip Rogers recognized the collaborative vision that has resulted in the success of the challenge. Rogers cited the contributions of ECU trustee Fielding Miller, and his wife Kim, for the gift that established the only endowed school of entrepreneurship in the UNC System.
“We thank you (all) for your investment and for bringing us to this moment so that we can have today’s celebration,” Rogers said. “The generosity of so many Pirates helps us make this happen and helps us fulfill this work as a university community. It’s because of great individuals who have demonstrated their trust in ECU that we’re able to sustain (the challenge) over the long term.”
“Today is a big day,” Miller said as he announced the second largest gift since the Miller School was established. With the Aman family investment, the total capital raised for the Miller School eclipsed $20 million.
“We’ve had a lot of people step up financially and invest in this idea,” Miller said. “To honor Gene, the family has made a substantial donation and today we are announcing that the Pirate Challenge is now the Gene T. Aman Pirate Challenge.”
Aman was a business major who had a passion for business and entrepreneurship, Miller said. He shared an interest in business with childhood friend, James Maynard ’65. Aman became one of the founding investors in Golden Corral with Maynard.
Miller described the Aman gift as an incredible addition to the entrepreneurship program.
“It will more than double our budget,” he said. “It’s an endowment so that will spin off (approximately) $160,000 annually, which will more than double our ability to invest and that investment will go back to the students.”
Established in 2018, the Pirate Challenge has awarded more than $900,000 in cash prizes and in-kind services to more than 25 student-led teams representing all of ECU’s schools and colleges. More than 50 degrees and departments have been represented in the Pirate Challenge since its inception.
More than 75 aspiring entrepreneurs entered this year’s challenge. Miller, the Aman family and a who’s who of Pirate alumni witnessed the first round of the competition as students pitched their ideas to the ECU community vying to become the eighth winner of the campuswide competition. This year’s challenge will culminate in April when the Miller School names its eighth Pirate Challenge winner and pushes the total cash prizes and services over the $1 million mark.
“This signature competition plays a significant role in how the Miller School serves as a national model for building a comprehensive entrepreneurship program,” said Dr. Michael Harris, dean of the College of Business. “The cumulative effort to get to this point has been created by ECU entrepreneurs who see the College of Business, the Miller School and now the Aman Challenge as the incubator of the next generation of Pirate Entrepreneurs.”
Harris celebrated the Aman gift, its impact on experiential learning at ECU and its power in elevating an entrepreneurial culture on campus.
“The word for the day is gratitude,” Harris said Tuesday. “This gift is truly a game changer. The next great entrepreneur could be on the mall this afternoon.”