Fourth Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge kicks off, virtually
Andy Gilicinski with SC Johnson casts a first-round vote during last year’s Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge. This year, in-person first round votes were replaced with Facebook likes. (Photos taken pre-COVID-19 by Cliff Hollis)
Despite COVID-19, the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge (PEC) kicked off for the fourth time Oct. 12. While prior years had the first round taking place on the grounds of East Carolina University with students, faculty and staff casting votes for their favorite products/ideas, this year’s Challenge started online. In-person pitches were converted to videos. Facebook likes replaced voting tickets. Where the first round happened in one afternoon in prior years, this year’s kickoff took place over seven days.
“It was a completely different experience in this first round,” said David Mayo, PEC organizer. “In previous years, students relied on walk-by traffic to drive votes, but this year, they not only had to create compelling videos, but they also had to drive traffic to those videos.
“This experience was great practice for marketing their products and services.”
Moving On
After more than 4,000 votes cast and almost 10,000 video views, 20 teams will move on to the second round, scheduled for January 2021.
Those teams include:
Ajaa, a handmade jewelry and home accessories brand
Alignment Dancewear, tops and leotards for dancers
Booze Juice, an alcoholic juice box company
Campus Maps, an app for universities that targets students, professors and visitors
Carterr Collection, a handmade, cruelty-free and vegan cosmetic company
Colorful Desires, a platform for minority-owned businesses in college communities
Designs by Lyd, a Christian clothing line
Dogbell, a doorbell device for pet training that allows dogs to alert owners that they need to go outside
Food Trucking, an app that connects consumers to local food trucks
Go Bo, stick segments that can be connected to form more than 20 martial arts weapons
InHouse Call, a transformative communication tool for patient care in hospitals
Lymit, a social media app that will change how people view social media
Mystery Meals, a randomized food delivery service
Project Custos, a community-oriented mobile application and service to help deter human trafficking, sexual assault and other crimes
Quickirun, a concept that allows consumers to stay in the comfort of their homes to make a return for any nonperishable item
Sand-off, a body spray that repels sand and provides SPF protection
Simply Divine Extensions, a high-quality hair extension company
Spirit Sleeves, a customizable cast sleeve for children with broken limbs
Tellus, a COVID-19-inspired product aimed at reducing unnecessary waste in the United States
Ultra Golf, a revolutionary golf ball designed for the average amateur player
Last year, approximately 3,000 votes were cast during the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge’s first round. This year’s virtual kick off saw more than 4,000 votes cast online.
The 20 teams were chosen by popular votes, judges’ votes and at-large votes by the College of Business’s Miller School of Entrepreneurship, the PEC sponsor. In total, seven colleges and schools and 20 majors were represented in this year’s first round.
Like last year, the fourth PEC winner will have a chance to win more than $100,000 in cash prizes, making it the largest pitch competition in North Carolina.
“This year’s first round was just as tough as the prior years,” said Mayo. “The judges’ comments were overwhelmingly positive, and some popular vote winners exceeded 500 votes. Each year the teams and entries become more diverse, and that diversity drives innovation and success.”
PEC’s final round is tentatively scheduled for April 2021.
For more information about the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge, visit its website.