by Emmaleigh Clegg
Troy University’s Idea Bank held its first-ever food exhibition and pitch competition, challenging established business owners to better their organizations.
The pitch competition, which took place Tuesday evening, is a final for participants in one of the Idea Bank’s business classes. One of the main aspects of the course is learning how to pitch a business idea, which is what was judged in the competition.
Students may have recognized one of the judges from the popular ABC show “Shark Tank.” Travis Perry, the inventor and founder of ‘Chord Buddy’ a multi-million-dollar company that promotes an innovative guitar learning method, said his ability to pitch his business is one of the reasons why “Chord Buddy” is successful.
“Tonight we are judging on two categories: presentation and a participant's ability to effectively pitch a business idea in a short amount of time,” Perry said. “We are looking for the next greatest food company here in Troy, and surrounding areas.”
Juliana Bolivar, the center director and lead advisor for the Idea Bank said the program's intention is to help established businesses take a step further and expand. This is done by teaching business owners about finance, marking, social media, and more.
“I’m really proud of all the businesses that came out here today,” Bolivar said. “They have been very hard at work for the last twelve weeks in this program.
The event hosted a variety of food-related businesses that went through the Idea Bank's program, such as coffee shops, food trucks, bakeries, restaurants, and even a hot sauce company. The business owners come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, one vendor being just 17-years-old.
“I’m proud of the idea banks programs such as this one,” said Dr. Judson Edwards, the Dean of the Sorrell College of Business. “It really brings together both the community and the university, which is a beautiful thing.”
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