First Dragon Lair Business Plan Pitch Competition a Success
Minnesota State Moorhead hosted the first Dragon Lair Business Plan Pitch Competition on Thursday, November 20, bringing together ten pitches from student entrepreneurs. More than a dozen majors were represented, with presenters representing business administration, marketing, art education, computer science, photojournalism and more.
Students presented their business ideas in six minute pitches followed by four minutes of questions from a panel of regional judges. Ideas were evaluated on problem identification, customer and market fit, solution and value proposition, feasibility, traction or progress, and overall presentation.
After a full morning of presentations, the judges selected the top three pitches.
First place ($3,500 Prize)
Grant Warkenthien, Construction Management Senior
Warkenthien’s pitched his plan for SnowDash, an on-demand app based snow removal service
The second and third place pitches also received prizes for their plans.
Second place ($1,500 Prize)
Rachel Koeppe, Art Education Sophomore
Third place ($500 Prize)
Cian Logan, Business Administration and Management and Marketing Sophomore
(Logan, Koeppe, Warkenthien pictured left to right)
The competition was sponsored by the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation and the Paseka School of Business. Judges included Michaela Schell of Dakota Business Lending, Christy Dauer of the North Dakota Women’s Business Center, Mike Sojka of Leadership Innovations, and John Machacek of the Greater Fargo Moorhead Economic Development Corporation. Christian Johnson, CPA, validated all results.
Thank you to the students who presented, the faculty and staff who supported their preparation, and everyone who attended the event. The strong participation and energy in Barry Auditorium made clear that Dragon Lair has the potential to become a signature experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs in the coming years.