The Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge business plan and pitch competition returned for its 11th season in April, showcasing some of the region’s most innovative and cutting-edge college and high school student entrepreneurs.
The $5,500 grand prize in the collegiate tier went to Santa Barbara City College student Elvis Idunate for his venture, Texas Tacos, which will provide students in Isla Vista tasty and portable Tex Mex-style breakfast tacos at an affordable price.
Students from Santa Barbara City College and UCSB kicked off the collegiate tier of the event, followed by the high school tier that featured students from San Marcos High School. The aspiring entrepreneurs competed for more than $15,000 in cash awards and startup support.
“After a demanding year that has laid bare many challenges in our region and across the globe, entrepreneurship and innovation restores hope in a bright future,” said Julie Samson, director of the Scheinfeld Center.
“Our region’s aspiring student entrepreneurs demonstrate that innovation, passion, and determination can succeed against all odds. We invite our entire community to join in supporting their success,” she said.
Military veteran Steven Benavidez of SBCC won the Military Veteran Startup Award for the highest scoring business plan. His venture Argonauts Tactical will manufacture textile tactical gear for civil, law enforcement, paramedic, and private security use, such as medical pouches, magazine pouches, tactical belts, plate carriers, chest rigs, and admin pouches.
Eva Krognes from UCSB took second place and $3,000 for WTR Pearl, a portable home water filter that uses a motor, impeller and magnets to provide fast filtration and automatic shut-off once the water is completely filtered. The filter can be placed in any water container, and it remineralizes water and adds electrolytes.
The third place prize of $2,000 went to UCSB student Mihir Shevgaonkar for Solaris, a venture that will manufacture and deploy drones to provide farmers actionable insights that lead to increased profits and reduced costs.
Solaris will help farmers decrease water and fertilizer use, quickly recognize disease and pests, increase yields, and optimize harvest to become more competitive in the market.
In the high school tier, San Marcos students Kennedy Frisell and Ben Webber came in first, winning $1,000 for their venture Happy Patch, which provides aesthetically pleasing adhesive covers for medical insulin delivery devices to keep them securely on the skin and maximize the life of the device.
Ava Cannizzaro from San Marcos earned second place and a $600 award for her venture Soapgoat, which provides an eco-friendly plastic-free alternative to the everyday shampoo bottle along with environmentally safe soap.
Third place and $400 went to San Marcos student Adopho Gonzalez and Guilio Rambeili for their venture Strapped IN, which will manufacture a car seat accessory that stabilizes children’s heads to prevent whiplash, providing them a safe and fun journey.
The winners were determined by independent judges who are established entrepreneurs and investors and hold senior level positions in their companies. The collegiate judges panel included military veteran Curtis Riggs of the Military Influencer Conference; Nitin Pachisia of Unshackled Ventures, and Mateo Neri of Emerald Peak Private Equity.
Serving the high school tier were judges Rita Mounir of Allthenticate, Ronnie Rich of Fitbanker, and Warren B Ritter II of Wealth Management Systems.
The competition was live-streamed and can be viewed on the Scheinfeld Center’s YouTube channel.