A record 113 students from eight colleges at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln recently demonstrated their entrepreneurial, communication and presentation skills at the 16th annual 3-2-1 Quick Pitch competition.
Hosted by the Nebraska Center for Entrepreneurship, the event offers students a platform to present a three-minute business idea to judges for a chance to win a portion of $12,000 in prizes.
Twenty-four students won $500 each by earning one of two top spots in 12 competition groups. Winners also received guaranteed entry into the center’s New Venture Competitionin April, where they will vie for a $15,000 grand prize and potential investment from the student-led Husker Venture Fund.
Following is a list of 2024 Quick Pitch winners, listed alphabetically by hometown, with their year in school and academic major(s) or program.
Nebraska
Elkhorn:
- Nathan Ray, junior, supply chain management (Raikes School)
Genoa:
- Samantha Weeder, senior, agribusiness
Grand Island:
- Kenny Morales, sophomore, software engineering (Raikes School)
Hershey
- Brandy Bode, sophomore, computer science, economics and finance
Lincoln:
- Lena Lankas, junior, business administration and computer science (Raikes School)
- Johnny Liesveld, sophomore, marketing
- Taylor Streich, sophomore, Clifton Builders management
Omaha:
- Jacob Hyder, sophomore, management and marketing
Papillion:
- Analise Erlbacher, freshman, computer science (Raikes School)
Platte Center:
- Noah Koch, junior, accounting and finance
Rising City:
- Alexa Carter, sophomore, agricultural leadership, education and communication
Syracuse:
- Madison Kreifels, senior, agricultural and environmental sciences communication
Waterloo:
- Andreas Katsaounis, freshman, business administration
Unadilla:
- Sydney Wellsandt, senior, animal science
Elsewhere
Murrieta, California:
- Landen Fogle, junior, computer science and finance (Raikes School)
Santa Barbara, California:
- Leah Castillo, sophomore, accounting
Erie, Colorado:
- Emily Frech, sophomore, Clifton Builders management and marketing
Bull Valley, Illinois:
- Joseph Weinberger, sophomore, Clifton Builders management
Elmwood, Illinois:
- Brooke Parrish, doctoral student in animal science
Wheaton, Illinois:
- Clara Delzell, sophomore, computer science (Raikes School)
Brighton, Massachusetts:
- Zakaria Rab, sophomore, computer science (Raikes School)
Bloomington, Minnesota:
- Jackson Donley, sophomore, management
Nashotah, Wisconsin:
- Charlie Kubik, sophomore, accounting
Belo Horizonte, Brazil:
- Bernardo Lopes, freshman, economics
“After doing this for more than 15 years, I’ve seen incredible things that past competitors are now accomplishing,” said Sam Nelson, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management. “Many would say they got their start here — sharing their ideas with successful businesspeople. It’s a big step, especially for students used to presenting only in a classroom, and they gain a lot from the experience.”
The event’s 12 competition “rooms” were in the hallways of Howard L. Hawks Hall, the home of the College of Business.
Andreas Katsaounis, a freshman business administration major who has talked about his pickleball paddle business, Alpha Omega, on podcasts and YouTube, refined his message for the three-minute format, focusing on the problem he is solving rather than the technical details.
“I usually get into the engineering of my paddles, but I had to focus on the core message,” said Katsaounis, a Waterloo, Nebraska, native and member of the Center for Entrepreneurship’s Catalysts first-year scholarship program. "I had to block out everything going on around me to focus on my pitch and the judges. I made sure I shared all I needed to within the three minutes, but I also learned from other competitors some tips to take into the future."
Like all the center’s programming, the competition meets students where they are in their entrepreneurial journey.
It was the first entrepreneurship event for Kylee Magee, a junior textiles, merchandising and fashion design major and Husker softball player from Anaheim, California. Working with Nelson, she spent weeks preparing to pitch her athletic apparel brand, After Show, which recently launched its first collection.
“Dr. Nelson challenged me to think about all the questions the judges may ask,” Magee said. “Launching my first collection last week was the hard part, and tonight was about gaining valuable feedback.”
Thirty-eight Husker alumni and friends served as judges, including Bob Frady, co-founder and CEO of PropertyLens, who traveled from Minneapolis for the event.
“One of people’s biggest fears is public speaking, and this event made some shake with nerves,” he said. “But in a supportive environment like this, it’s a huge help for their careers, even if they don’t continue with their business idea.”
Husker alumna Christie Stukenholtz, co-founder and CEO of Senior Care Finder, said she heard pitches ranging from early ideas to fully operational businesses and saw the potential for success among participants.
“The students’ poise, clarity and storytelling ability were impressive,” she said. “They were vulnerable in sharing their personal story to paint the picture of the problem they are trying to solve. We shared how proud of them we were and encouraged them to share how well they did with their families. Putting yourself out there is no small feat, and they’ll be better for it.”
Individual photos of the 3-2-1 Quick Pitch winners are available upon request by emailing Sean Hagewood, news coordinator in the Office of University Communication and Marketing, at shagewood2@unl.edu.
For more information on the Center for Entrepreneurship — including its next event, the 48-Hour Challenge (Feb. 20-22) — click here.
