Six finalists to compete in April’s Aman Pirate Challenge finals
First, there were 75. Then there were 12. Now, there are six.
On a night when 12 student-led teams summoned the courage to stand on a stage and pitch their ideas to a packed ballroom, six teams emerged and took the next step toward winning the 8th annual Aman Pirate Challenge and their share of almost $300,000 in cash and in-kind services.
12 teams competed for one of six spots in the Aman Pirate Challenge Finals, scheduled for April 15.
The second round of the Aman Pirate Challenge was held Feb. 4 in the Main Campus Student Center. Family members, friends, Aman Pirate Challenge organizers, and College of Business (COB) faculty and leadership were in the audience. Also in attendance were five business leaders willing to step forward and mentor five of the 12 teams and prepare them for the finals. At the end of the pitching, the mentors chose their five mentees. The sixth team was chosen by the audience and will be mentored by the Miller School of Entrepreneurship, organizer of the Aman Pirate Challenge.
The finalists include:
- Grid Housing, a website that combines all the processes for off-campus college housing
- Kid Fit, a company that uses science-backed programming and a culture of encouragement to envision a future where every child can reach their full potential, one gym exercise at a time
- Pane Pirates, a trusted and reliable exterior cleaning company in eastern North Carolina
- Pirate 3D, a supplier of cheap, simple and accessible 3D anatomical models to support medical education
- Surf Stick Wax, a heat-resistant, sealable applicator for surf wax
- Thrive IT, a nonprofit focused on financial literacy education
They represent the College of Business, Honors College, Thomas Harriot College of Arts and Sciences, Arthur Graduate School of Business, and the Brody School of Medicine.
The mentors included:
- Ryan Butcher – an Inc.500 entrepreneur
- Tyler Lumley – startup business counselor with the ECU Small Business and Technology Development Center
- Vin McCaffrey – successful entrepreneur, grew and sold Game Plan
- Tom Snyder – executive director of RIoT, an internet of things company and startup accelerator
- Dr. Tilwanda (Tee) Steinberg – COB faculty and Miller School Entrepreneur-in-Residence
What’s next?
From the second round until the finals, mentors will provide advice and resources to help the student teams grow and scale their businesses. Mentors will leverage their experience and networks to develop technologies for the teams and gain new customers. New this year, the mentors will have a $2,000 budget to fund business acceleration.
David Mayo, the organizer of the Aman Pirate Challenge, stated that a recent investment to rename the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge has provided the Miller School of Entrepreneurship with additional resources. This funding will enable the school to expand the annual challenge and enhance its innovative efforts in helping students deliver their best pitches.
“It’s our goal to make the Aman Pirate Challenge the preeminent entrepreneurial challenge in the United States,” said Mayo. “Thanks to the Amans’ gift, we are creating more programs, providing additional funds and recruiting more students who have dreams of becoming entrepreneurs.”
The finals for the 8th annual Aman Pirate Challenge will be April 15 in Harvey Hall on ECU’s campus. The first-place winner will receive more than $20,000 in cash and in-kind services, with more than $15,000 and $10,000 going to second and third place, respectively.
Upcoming Milestone
The finals will mark a major milestone in the history of the Aman Pirate Challenge. At the end of the night, the challenge will have awarded more than $1 million cumulatively since the first challenge 8 years ago.
“2025 marks the 10th anniversary of the Miller School of Entrepreneurship,” said Chip Galusha, interim director of the Miller School. “I can’t think of a better way to help celebrate the Miller School than the challenge reaching the $ 1 million mark in prizes awarded. It’s a testament to our pursuit of student success and creating an entrepreneurial mindset for ECU students.”