Startup Summit 2024

April 8th - 12th, Starkville, MS
About

About Startup Summit

Compete for $40,000 in prizes!

Pitch your business idea for a chance to win cash prizes to help you jumpstart your startup. You will be evaluated based on your 5-minute presentation on proposed technology, management, financials, and market by industry-respected leaders serving as judges from companies all across the region.

53

Teams

22

Judges

10

Competitions

40,000

$ Dollars in Prizes

Event Schedule

Competition Break-down

Download Calendar (ICS File) 

  • Day 1

    Apr 8, 2024

  • Day 2

    Apr 9, 2024

  • Day 3

    Apr 10, 2024

  • Day 4

    Apr 11, 2024

  • Day 5

    Apr 12, 2024

  • 4:30 - 5:30pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Opening Reception

    Join us as we kick-off Startup Summit 2023! Network with other entrepereneurs and enjoy hors d'oeuvres!

  • 5:30 - 7:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Elevator Pitch Competition (Group A)

    1st Place: $1,000   2nd Place: $500   3rd Place: $250

    Think you have a good business idea? Present your business idea before a panel of judges and see how it compares to the ideas of your fellow students. The winner will receive $1,000 for the best 90-second pitch. The term "elevator pitch" captures the ability of an entrepreneur to have his or her business concept down so tightly and effectively that he or she could walk into a hypothetical elevator, meet a potential investor, and convey the essence of his or her business by the time the elevator reaches the 20th floor. You should be able to deliver your pitch in 90 seconds.

    This is the first of two groups.

  • 7:15 - 8:30pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Brick and Mortar Division Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is for people who are working on a retail, service, or lifestyle company that will be brick and mortar. Examples: new coffee shop, local boutique, repair service, etc.

  • 3:30 - 5:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Elevator Pitch Competition (Group B)

    1st Place: $1,000   2nd Place: $500   3rd Place: $250

    Think you have a good business idea? Present your business idea before a panel of judges and see how it compares to the ideas of your fellow students. The winner will receive $1,000 for the best 90-second pitch. The term "elevator pitch" captures the ability of an entrepreneur to have his or her business concept down so tightly and effectively that he or she could walk into a hypothetical elevator, meet a potential investor, and convey the essence of his or her business by the time the elevator reaches the 20th floor. You should be able to deliver your pitch in 90 seconds.

    This is the second of two groups.

  • 5:30 - 7:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Business Concept Competition (Group A)

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $250

    The Business Concept Competition is an opportunity to pitch a raw business idea. Participating teams will typically have not begun any execution, and teams will be evaluated on the overall feasibility and potential of the idea.

  • 7:15 - 8:45pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    New Product Division I Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is for entrepreneurs who are working to commercialize a new innovation-based product that can scale internationally. The Division I includes teams who have not built a customer-ready prototype or if participating in VentureCatalyst, would generally be before ECAB. Examples: signal searching drone, light-up ice cube, new video game, etc.

  • 3:30 - 5:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Best Brand Division Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is for people who working on creating the next popular online brand. This brand needs to have a strong platform that will appeal to its target customer with evidence of what it will be selling.

  • 5:30 - 7:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Visual and Voice Ventures

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $250

    This division is designed for startup teams pioneering in personal coaching, audio-visual services, production, or podcasting. The competition is geared towards innovators looking to transform the digital landscape with fresh, scalable ideas in multimedia content creation and distribution. Participants are encouraged to present unique solutions that leverage visual and auditory experiences to engage audiences on a global scale.

  • 7:15 - 8:45pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    New Product Division II Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is for entrepreneurs who are working to commercialize a new innovation-based product that can scale internationally. The Division II includes teams who have built a prototype or if participating in VentureCatalyst, would generally be after PREP and before ECAB. Examples: signal searching drone, light-up ice cube, new video game, etc.

  • 5:30 - 7:00pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Open Tech Division Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is open to the general public, for any entrepreneur residing in the State of Mississippi who are working to commercialize a new innovation-based product that can scale internationally.

  • 7:15 - 8:45pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    New Product Division III Competition

    1st Place: $2,500   2nd Place: $1,000   3rd Place: $500

    This division is for entrepreneurs who are working to commercialize a new innovation-based product that can scale internationally. The Division III includes teams who have built a customer-ready prototype or if participating in VentureCatalyst, would generally be after ECAB. Examples: signal searching drone, light-up ice cube, new video game, etc.

  • 1:00 - 1:30pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Remarks & Dedication of E-Center Expansion

    Mississippi State University and its entrepreneurial community are excited to extend an invitation for the opening celebration and ribbon-cutting ceremony of the expanded Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach. Mark your calendars for April 12th at 1pm to be part of this momentous occasion! The expansion of the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach (CEO), increasing space to more than 4,000 square feet, presents a top-tier facility dedicated to assisting students, faculty, and community members in launching or expanding their business ventures. Inspired by renowned institutions nationwide, the CEO features a modern, open-plan design with glass walls, embodying a blend of innovation and accessibility. It issituated at the heart of the campus, integrating cutting-edge technologyinto its architecture.

  • 1:30 - 2:00pm  |  101 McCool Hall

    Ribbon Cutting and Tours

    Walk through the impressive new 2,000 square foot expansion and hear from current and past students in the program.

  • 2:00 - 2:30pm  |  Leo Seal Atrium

    Keynote: Michael Houlihan & Bonnie Harvey, Founders of Barefoot Wine

    Michael Houlihan and Bonnie Harvey are the founders of Barefoot Wine - a company that launched with virtually no capital, from their laundry room in 1985. Barefoot became America’s #1 wine brand and the Barefoot brand is one of the most recognizable wine brands globally. Bonnie and Michael are the co-authors of New York Times best-selling business book, “The Barefoot Spirit: How Hardship, Hustle, and Heart Built America's #1 Wine Brand”. Since the sale of Barefoot Wine to E&J Gallo, they have channeled their efforts into consulting and coaching other people and entrepreneurs on how to launch their products and get them placed in big box retailers. Michael and Bonnie have been featured on ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, Forbes, Entrepreneur, The Huffington Post and many more! Michael and Bonnie have further adapted their teachings and launched the “Barefoot Startup” movement, which encourages newly launched startups to adopt key bootstrapping tenets and sales-driven principles and tactics.

  • 2:30 - 3:30pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    BankTEL Grand Finale Competition

    1st Place: $7,000   2nd Place: $3,000   3rd Place: $1,000

    The BankTEL Grand Finale is composed of the winners of all 5 preceding competitions to name one startup to take home the grand prize!

  • 3:30 - 4:30pm  |  McCool Hall, Leo Seal Atrium

    Closing Reception & Awards Ceremony

    Join us for heavy hors d'oeuvres and beverages as we celebrate the entrepreneurial spirit of Mississippi State University and the Bulldog Family!

Meet the Presenters

Brick and Mortar Division Competition

Brick and Mortar - 1st Place and Brick and Mortar - Peoples Choice — $2,750.00

Happy Platter

Founder(s): Grayson Henry       Susannah Case      

Gifts and happies for parties and celebrations. We make a variety of customizable buttons, stickers, labels, banners, etc. all designed to the customer's liking.

Brick and Mortar - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

Tay's Tasty Treats

Founder(s): Taylor Chewning      

Bake and design homemade iced sugar cookies with a custom design for parties and special occasions!

Brick and Mortar - 3rd Place — $500.00

Sarah Ellen Co.

Founder(s): Sarah McDonnell      

Sarah Ellen Co. crafts unique, premium throw pillows, blending artisanal design with scalable production. Embodying style, comfort, and individual expression, these pillows are perfect for those seeking emotionally engaging and artistically inspired home decor.

The Sip

Founder(s): Lindley Clinton      

A small trailer/ food truck that sells loaded energy teas to students on college campus. The market for loaded tea consumption is already established, so this company brings easy access without having to leave campus. Due to the nature of the trailer, it also has the ability to move to different locations to service and partner with different campus/ community events or Greek life.

Lean it Out Bulk it Up

Founder(s): Aaliyah Conner      

This startup is a all-in-one fitness journal that will track macros, progressive overload, and more in a aesthetically pleasing way.

Coaster and Co, LLC

Founder(s): Breanna Cooper      

Coaster and Co, LLC, is a small business that creates customized coasters based on customer preference. For example, some customers like to gift personal items to other family members. If they buy a coaster from Coaster and Co, they can submit family pictures that they would like to be on the coasters. This makes the best personalized, useful item to be gifted. Coaster and Co can also create coasters that best fit the theme in a customer's house or office area based on their request in the order.

Magic Growth / Happy New You

Founder(s): Kaliyah Johnson      

I will pitching two ideas that each became through the developmental growth of I, Liyah Bia. Magic Growth is a magic hair growing oil that is made for my clients with Lupus & Alopecia. With use of this hair oil, your hair will grow beautifully. HNY is a Herbal Tea that transforms your body from Ÿ??noŸ? to Ÿ??yes???Ÿ?

Business Concept Competition (Group A)

Business Concept - 1st Place — $2,500.00

KineticForce

Founder(s): James Chalmers       Jacob Hurwitz      

Our mission is to revolutionize the sports industry by empowering athletes and coaches with a new, better, and more precise way to harness the power of resistance training. We believe that by providing easy-to-understand metrics and a portable, efficient resistance trainer, we can enable athletes of all skill levels to optimize their training and performance like never before.

Business Concept - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

SCREAMM for Food

Founder(s): Clark Dobbs      

SCREAMM for Food is a web based supply chain risk management tool designed specifically for the food industry. The acronym SCREAMM stands for Supply Chain Risk Event Assessment, Mitigation, and Monitoring. The suite of tools supports industry standard business processes and provides everything a company needs to manage supply chain risks. Because SCREAMM is built for food, it delivers the business processes necessary to manage process based manufacturing; instead of the generic functionality used to manage risks associated with discrete manufacturing supply chains.

Business Concept - 3rd Place — $500.00

Discrete Tech

Founder(s): Jacob Watson      

A device disguised as normal objects (chapstick, hand sanitizer, etc). That uses Bluetooth to send pre-written messages to contacts in a discrete manner

Business Concept - Peoples Choice — $250.00

Bully Cares

Founder(s): Patrick Bradley       Jada Rose       Elexxus Richardson      

Bully Cares is a mix of both a software and hardware based application intended to assist students, faculty and future visitors with a self care bulk bundle at an affordable price. The products will consist of skin care, toiletries, hygienic products, etc. The website will provide potential customers with the option of a one time purchase or the option of a subscription in which can be implemented in students tuition. Customers will also have the option of selecting the duration that fits best with what they are looking to pay in that moment.

Artful Influence

Founder(s): elliot mathers      

A dive into one of MSU's problems, trashcans. There are not enough of them, and they are very boring. Our mission is to solve the crime of littering in starkville person by person. The aim is for MSU designed trashcans.

Revere

Founder(s): Devin Hutchins       Luke Chaney      

Revere is an app that provides a platform for news providers to share their stories, and for users to follow their preferred sources of news. Think: instagram, but for your city's local paperŸ??or, for every newspaper. By drastically cutting down untenable overhead costs in web or app design for smaller providers, a centralized consumer base for larger providers, and a one-stop shop of relevant information for consumers, Revere will massively revolutionize the way that people consume their news.

2Cents

Founder(s): Christopher Tate       Grace Hodanich      

2Cents is a budgeting app specifically for designed for students by students with a second aspect of a social media. Students can not only track their spending within their specifically designed budget but chat with other students online about where to find the best deals and pricing as well as other financial burdens and successes. Our Goal is to promote financial literacy in students through a community aspect.

iPark

Founder(s): Jaren Lee      

A community based parking app for campuses

New Product Division I Competition

New Product I - 1st Place — $2,500.00

Connect U

Founder(s): Jack Maloney       Dillon Scott      

A social media like networking platform to connect college students with brand ambassadorship/ marketing internship opportunities and the businesses looking to market to the target market users engage with.

New Product I - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

Librarian Interactive

Founder(s): Ryan Curry      

Librarian Interactive is a education tool for employee training and compliance. We develop courses rooted in the problem based learning educational model.

New Product I - 3rd Place — $500.00

Ticket Trader

Founder(s): Jullian Flowers       Jude Letonoff       Gavyn Williams      

A ticket trading hub for college stdents.

New Product I - Peoples Choice — $250.00

Bridge to Cyber

Founder(s): Cameron Cummings      

E-learning platform is designed for individuals seeking to obtain cybersecurity certifications. To capture a developing market our target customer segments include students and recent graduates looking to pivot into the cybersecurity industry. Aiming to attract those who are seeking a more personalized and effective learning experience compared to traditional classroom settings.

Rejextiles

Founder(s): Ashton Roberson       Aiden Terry       James Purdue      

We are researching a more Sustainable and Eco-Conscious Textile made of Hemp Byproduct and recycled Polyethylene.

ReadySetPrep

Founder(s): Grant Houston       Noah Carpenter      

Our product/service is a mobile application that will provide users with a personalized list of recipes each week and a shopping list of the grocery needed to make these recipes. The recipes will be tailored to the specific user based on a short weekly survey that will ask about dietary preferences and restrictions for that week. This will allow users a more efficient and simple way to prepare meals and prepare to make said meals.

Best Brand Division Competition

Best Brand - 1st Place — $2,500.00

505 Curated Vintage

Founder(s): Dean Jones      

505 Curated is a student owned and operated startup, founded with the purpose of providing sustainable, high-quality fashion to the city of Starkville and beyond. Our team carefully hand selects only the best clothing to offer a variety of products that cater to all ages and audiences.

Best Brand - 2nd Place and Best Brand - Peoples Choice — $1,250.00

Animals Playing Musical Instruments

Founder(s): Parker Guest       Charlie Guest       Joseph Slack      

APMI is a small family run business that is dedicated to providing high quality shirts at an affordable price. Our business is built around our constantly growing band of characters including Gilbert the goose, Sam the sloth, and many more!

Best Brand - 3rd Place — $500.00

Hawkins Height

Founder(s): Mariama Hawkins      

My ambition is to create a fashion brand for senior women. This demographic is often overlooked in the fashion industry. Having witnessed the vibrant spirit of older women, including my own mother, has reinforced my conviction to challenge societal norms regarding aging and fashion. Style and fashion should not have age restrictions.

DORSE

Founder(s): Iyana Dorsey      

DORSE is a luxury brand founded by me, lyana Dorsey. I've always had a passion for luxury designer, so I decided to create a brand that encapsulates my love for fashion. In 2020, I came up with the name DORSE to represent my last name. Two years later, I decided to launch my brand. DORSE is where your luxury journey begins! Are you ready?

Americkan Made

Founder(s): Ericka Caples      

I'm a custom clothing designer looking for the right tools and steps to take in order to further expand a brand idea i've tossed around for the longest. I've always had a vision, I just never throughly studied the steps to take in order to help it come to life. I have the talent so now I'm searching for what's next.

KC&CO

Founder(s): Kennadi Cobb      

I want to create an Eco-Friendly Christian clothing line

Apathetic

Founder(s): Taylor Jennings      

Apathetic is a sustainable upcycling business that aims to combat the harmful effects of fast fashion by offering affordable, high-quality clothing and accessories made from recycled materials. Our goal is to provide stylish and trendy options for individuals who are conscious of the environment but may have limited financial resources.

Barbell Bandits

Founder(s): Obuchi Aga      

A clothing brand empowering you to effortlessly showcase your passions with confidence and comfort.

Visual and Voice Venture Division

Visual and Voice - 1st Place and Visual and Voice - Peoples Choice — $2,750.00

T1-THERAPY

Founder(s): Omari Johnson      

This startup company is a program dedicated to helping people with type 1 diabetes cope with their illness. I aim to educate these people on how to have a better outlook on having diabetes. I want them to know that having type 1 diabetes is something that can be used to gain leverage, rather than it being a crutch. This will indefinitely be a completely online program, scheduling Zoom meetings to host lectures, give speeches, invite keynote speakers, and overall build a strong community of type 1 diabetics around the US.

Visual and Voice - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

Mills Creations

Founder(s): Aniyah Mills      

I am a videographer, so I will be pitching my business, and how I sell my product, promote it, and manage it with a busy schedule.

Visual and Voice - 3rd Place — $500.00

Omazing Productions

Founder(s): Omarion Luss      

Omazing Productions started as a podcast. We did a couple episodes talking about trending topics and putting a positive light on situations. It has now expanded to interviews and editing videos for upcoming athletes.

Tough Dude Wrestling

Founder(s): Sean Pounds       Jessi O'Bryant       Kendall Boatman      

It is a wrestling YouTube channel that has extreme potential to grow.

Wiseman Ave

Founder(s): Jarius Isabell      

I will be presenting my brand Wiseman Ave. A podcast Platform and a Clothing brand, that is here to empower, enlighten, and direct individuals to a better place they have never been before.

Young Vagabond

Founder(s): Travis Willingham       Bryson Reeves       Dj Hardy      

Young Vagabond is a Podcast is a Christian-based podcast that shares the journey of life through truth and love

G Drone Events

Founder(s): Garrett Alston      

This business is a drone photography and videography purpose. It consists of housing photos to land landscape photo and videography. This is an eventful photography and videography as well. Group fun sporting to weddings. This can be a traveling drone company.

New Product Division II Competition

New Product II - 1st Place — $2,500.00

Study Placer

Founder(s): Brandon Cooper      

Study Placer is an assignment manager for students that will integrate directly with their Google Classroom, Canvas, or Blackboard account to automatically import and manage their assignments. Users will be able to customize app settings to tailor the app to their schedule and needs. When I complete development, I plan to promote Study Placer through short-form content.

New Product II - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

NapSac

Founder(s): John Luke Snell       Ethan Holder      

External frame hiking backpack that transforms into a cot.

New Product II - 3rd Place — $500.00

Fitness Figure

Founder(s): Reese Sorrell       Conner Bell       Quinn Crothers      

Our startup is going to be a digital fitness companion app that keeps people consistent in the gym!

New Product II - Peoples Choice — $250.00

SkyPasture

Founder(s): Andrew Trepagnier       Trevor Stovall      

SkyPasture is an agricultural technology startup company that combines existing drone-based video-capturing technologies and SkyPasture's custom AI-powered software to create a complete product package for cattle farmers to utilize in the management of their cattle. Farmers can fly the drone over a herd and receive real-time analytical insights into the herd, such as the number of cows in the drone's FOV(Herd Count), the number of calves within the drone's FOV(Calf Count), the ratio of cattle breeds(Breed Ratio), and more! SkyPasture serves the farmers as an analytical tool for easier and faster herd management.

Aebyss

Founder(s): Dante Vega       Jacob Wilson      

Aebyss (formerly Second Brain) is a startup developing an educational software that functions as an all-encompassing, central hub for learning and memory. The software [name TBA] seeks to streamline the learning process by crafting a highly optimized and unique curriculum for each user and providing them daily study content.

Garbage Gauge

Founder(s): Hunter Ward       Austin Wheat      

We are making grocery lists more convenient to make.

Open Tech Division

Open Tech - 1st Place — $2,500.00

Poseidon's Vaults

Founder(s): Tysonn McKinnon      

Poseidon's Vaults is a staffed locker rental business that operates within walking distance of public beaches.

Open Tech - 2nd Place and Open Tech - Peoples Choice — $1,250.00

Sweet PURSEONALITY

Founder(s): Tabitha Latham       Micaiah Latham       Melinda Latham      

Sweet PURSEONALITY began in 2015 in my home. It began as a side gig during my seventeen year tenure as a stay at home mom. I started selling pre-owned authentic designer purses and resold them for a profit to my friends and family. After my kids got older, I started doing pop up shows at the Best Western Meeting room in Columbus, Mississippi. My first sale was November 3, 2017. I sold my designer purses out of this hotel room for two years and graduated to my first 400 feet retail space during the onset on the COVID pandemic in 2019. After two years, we moved to a larger 1200 feet space, currently located at 1118 Gardner Boulevard Columbus, Mississippi where in addition to authentic designer purses, we sell clothing, shoes, and jewelry.

Open Tech - 3rd Place — $500.00

Vagtopia

Founder(s): Desiree Driver      

Vagtopia is the first e-commerce platform for holistic, vaginal healthcare combining quality period products and herbal supplements to support vaginal health.

GAMES R 'US

Founder(s): Timeyia Ferguson       Tashianta Cooks      

My startup will be strictly for the youth. To remove them from the violence in the streets and not pay much attention to the poverty surrounding them. GAMES R ' US will be dedicated to giving the less fortunate and those that are fortunate some to do as kids should have.

Mama Nature's

Founder(s): Michael McElroy       Tkeyah Williams      

Mama Nature's is a beloved health-conscious brand known for its fresh and flavorful juice and food creations. Building on our success in the juice bar industry, we are excited to introduce a new line of CPG superfood lattes and lemonades. Crafted with the same dedication to quality and taste that defines our offerings, our CPG products offer consumers convenient and delicious options to support their health and wellness goals on the go. With our commitment to using premium ingredients and innovative flavor combinations, Mama Nature's is poised to make a significant impact in the CPG market, offering consumers a refreshing alternative that nourishes both body and soul.

Rare'vera

Founder(s): Darrian Johnson      

It is a facial skin care line , that relieves stress ,cleans acne , and skin tightness.

New Product Division III Competition

New Product III - 1st Place and New Product III - Peoples Choice — $2,750.00

MagneBrite

Founder(s): Dylan Suddarth       Ben Brooks       Jay Stiles      

An innovative and highly versatile type of magnetic utility light, designed for working with your hands in tight spaces. Our patent-pending design includes built-in neodymium magnets, a variable-angle light emitter, and a rechargeable internal battery with a proprietary charging dock. Additionally, the magnetic base is designed with inherent coupling mechanics for secure use with specialized mounting brackets, such as our signature wrist strap for mounting MagneBrite on the bottom of the user's wrist for the best lighting possible when using their fingers for intricate tasks.

New Product III - 2nd Place — $1,000.00

Automatic Mosquito Ovitrap LLC

Founder(s): Nate Venarske      

Developing the mosquito trap of the future--an autonomous trap that only harms mosquitoes.

New Product III - 3rd Place — $500.00

SEAspectral

Founder(s): Max Wamsley      

SEAspectral revolutionizes the fluorogenic testing landscape with its groundbreaking methodology, delivering results 10 times faster than traditional methods. This cutting-edge product not only slashes testing times but also dramatically lowers costs and boosts sensitivity, transforming the speed and efficiency of diagnostics across healthcare, environmental studies, and beyond.

Smart Pro Phone Case

Founder(s): Asanka Duwage Duwage       Rasika Siyambalagoda Gamage      

We are developing a smart pro phone case that includes an Airpod holder and portable charger with a charging facility for pods.

Cylotron

Founder(s): Frank Stasa       Brad Baker       Ben Stasa      

Cylotron introduces a transformative approach to speech therapy, merging advanced technology with the engaging world of gaming. Our innovative electronic games, equipped with speech recognition and analysis technology, are set to redefine teletherapy for speech disorders. Targeting primarily children with speech challenges and expanding to other age groups, our product offers an appealing, interactive addition to conventional therapy.



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