UTC senior Castle Ford makes his pitch at the Fly! Mocs Business Competition. Photo courtesy of Dr. David Witt.
The annual Fly! Mocs Business Competition for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga students, a spring pitch competition “where a good idea and a strong pitch can earn you some cash and startup resources to move your business forward,” took place on Thursday, April 4, before a standing-room-only audience at the UTC Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE).
Eight student-led businesses—representing the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Health, Education and Professional Studies, and the Gary W. Rollins College of Business—made presentations. The competitors were selected from 30 applicants.
“The Fly Pitch Competition is a great way for UTC students to showcase their businesses,” said Mike Bradshaw, director of the CIE. “The judges had a tough job because every competitor delivered an outstanding performance.”
Four judges from the Chattanooga startup community were tasked with deciding how the $6,000 in prize money was distributed. Contestants received at least $500, with the top two earning $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.
“The prize money isn’t the most important part of Fly. It’s the experience of displaying their creativity and passion,” said Dr. David Witt, an associate lecturer of marketing and entrepreneurship in the Rollins College of Business.
First place went to Mason Yarbrough and his business, Circliq. Yarbrough is a computer science major at UTC.
Circliq is a mobile app where users can connect with events and friends in a reimagined event-centered social network. Features like comments, likes, sharing and much more allow Circliq to foster a vibrant, event-driven community.
Graduate student Alex Butler and Muni Enterprises took second place. Muni Enterprises intends to design and distribute a variety of items. The company’s first product, a multi-function golf tool, has already been prototyped, and the first units will be in production soon.
Six competitors earned $500 each for the outstanding presentation of their businesses.
- Castle Ford – Plot Twist AI
- Katelyn Henderson – The OT Closet
- Michael Kinsey – Peculiar Lexus
- Brooke McFarlin – College Quest
- Ewan Nowlin – Hat Shak
- Demerious and Demichael Ipkomwasa – Thank Mosa
The Fly judges are mainstays of the Chattanooga startup community and have considerable experience working with entrepreneurial ventures.
- Chantz Yanagida, Stract Corporation
- DeJuan S. Jordan, Launch Chattanooga
- Jonathan Bragdon, Capacity Capital
- Allie Schrenker, The Company Lab
For information about the Fly! Mocs Business Pitch Competition, email mike-bradshaw@utc.edu.
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Fly! Mocs Business Pitch Competition
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The Ipkomwasa brothers: Demichael (left) and Demerious. Photo courtesy of Dr. David Witt.
