The Contest
Listen. The world is changing and money’s tight, and we know that a lot of students are looking for a little side hustle to make ends meet. This semester, we helped 20 students get their business idea off the ground to gain business experience and ease some of that financial stress.
They each grabbed a napkin and started doodling their idea. They told us why they want to get this business started and any other info that let us know their plan. They submitted their napkin for our $500 prize package that included a $300 Visa Git Card for startup expenses, $50 Moo.com Gift Card for promotional print materials, and a 1 hour Strategy Consultation with a marketing agency!
The Judging Criteria
The following entries received high scores on the basis of their Appeal, Feasibility, and Originality.
LinkUp is an app that allows students to post odd jobs they need done and how much they are willing to pay and allows other students to accept these jobs. Jobs such as picking up dry cleaning, mowing a lawn, etc. can be posted. It is for college students who have a college email address who need jobs done on a college campus. We would love to use the money for marketing and app development.
I am part of MakerGirl, a non-profit start up on campus at the University of Illinois. We began in 2015 and our goal is to inspire girls to be more active in STEM through 3D printing and teach them to become the driving impact towards equality and diversity in both educational fields and work forces. With the cash from this contest we would be able to buy more laptops and materials to educate more girls in the Champaign-Urbana area and across the country.
Melody is an online musical education hub connecting qualified instructors with students. The winnings will be used to build out the online platform and for marketing purposes.
I’m starting a business as an artist because music is what I most enjoy and do naturally, and I want to share that with others to inspire people to stay true to themselves and chase their dreams and their own happiness. Additionally, I envision using my platform to give a voice to those who need it most and to advocate for and raise awareness for issues and topics such as mental health, social equality, and climate to name a few. Ultimately, I see music as not just something I enjoy or something that others can enjoy, but as something that can uplift, enrich, encourage and evoke peace and positivity throughout the world. If I were selected as winner of this contest, I would put the cash towards better studio equipment, promotions and live shows so that I can create and deliver the best music I’ve got to achieve these previously mentioned visions.
I have started a small business where I write thank you cards for people. It started by me writing them for my father because he has terrible handwriting, but slowly I have realized this is a very valuable service that people are willing to pay for. The meaningfulness of a handwritten thank you note or general greeting card is pivotal, especially for businesses. One of my bosses at a summer internship advised me that this idea could go very far. I will spend the money on supplies such as new cards and pens and stamps, along with paying a friend to create some social media content for me.
In my hometown, Jonesboro, AR, there is not a restaurant where you can get a good burger at an affordable price. You can't beat a good burger, it's one of my favorite foods. People need a place to get quality burgers, at affordable prices. There is not a joint in town that offers unique styles and combinations, branching outside the range of plain old cheeseburgers, but that also gives people complete customization of what they want.
This student platform will be created to eventually enable students at all colleges and universities across the country to connect with their peers and help each other save money on used textbooks, find and sell rent contracts, find free events near or on campus, share opportunities or initiatives near and on campus, make money through odd jobs or other opportunities, know where to find the help when they need it, and much more. College students are already barely scraping by with high tuition costs. A centralized platform for and updated by students will allow them to connect, save money, and make it through college with a little more money. With the cash I will be able to fund the creation of this platform.
Crimson Cotton is a T-shirt company that will service a hole in the market. We will use cash to finance inventory.
Grain Beans aims to encourage the use of grains, seeds, legumes and beans into common recipes and dinners as a sustainable option. Not only delicious, versatile, cheap, and filling, these superfoods are incredibly sustainable with a significantly lower carbon footprint in comparison to greenhouse inducing foods such as beef, eggs, and potatoes. My winnings would go towards materials needed to create the Grain Beans monthly subscription service box such as cardboard boxes and ingredients! In addition, I’d also like to create a website where I can raise awareness about sustainable dieting as well as give customers the option to choose and customize their desired Grain Bean dish!
My business includes buying and reselling clothes through platforms such as Poshmark, Mercari and eBay. I typically buy designer clothes at extremely discounted prices through sample sales, clearance events or even wholesale. I have made $2000+ dollars from my venture thus far. The cash will be used for picture equipment such as a mannequin or backdrop, as well as additional stock clothing.
My business will have the purpose of providing others with modest apparel that is custom made. I will use the money toward the cost of trademarking my business name and or buying a serger machine to give the clothes a professional touch.
Burns Begone is a machine that gives users an even coat of sunscreen. Say goodbye to patchy red spots and asking your friend to spray your back! Simply place a quarter into the machine, select your preferred brand and SPF, then enter in the capsule. An even sunscreen application will be applied within a minute, ending with cool air blowing to seal the layer. This machine is perfect for beaches and water parks! I would love to start this business to help people prevent skin cancer, as this is very prominent in my family. I'd use the cash to get a patent for my idea!
A company that hand-makes modern bracelets for men. I used to make my own bracelets because ones in stores were too expensive or weren't the right look for a male growing up, not wanting a flashy bracelet made for models. I started with beaded bracelets and my friends liked them and coined them "Good Vibes". And then I started making bracelets out of string that were more subtle than beaded bracelets and had more variety due to the amount of colors string comes in. With the cash, I would put it towards helping pay off college, which is an intimidating number to pay off with bracelets but every little bit helps my parents.
Some of my friends and I started Hyred at the beginning of this summer to find a way to stay connected throughout the summer when we're away from school, make some extra money, solve a problem in our local community, and put our skills from the first year of business school into action. It was awesome to try to get it going this summer and we are trying to work to make it even better. This contest is the perfect opportunity for us. We want to work on our website, do some research into this kind of business and what people have done before that is successful, get some tangible marketing materials and content, along with giving our teams at home some incentive to stay on board with us. Check out our website at hyredhelp.com.
My idea has to do with customizable Velcro patches that can be attached to the center of a shirt. With the cash, I am able to buy more material, thus, allowing me to make different kinds of patches.
Auxilia Funds will help students finance their university education through equity, rather than debt financing. We are removing the risk burden from student's shoulders to ours.
We have dolls with different skin tones and different body types, but we leave out the kids with disabilities. I want to create a doll that can help kids feel like they have someone who understands them. The DisABILITY Doll can do anything and everything with you. I work with kids with disabilities and I know this will help them feel included.
Coming to college in a remote location, I noticed that there is a desperate need of cheap transportation for college students. Most of the freshmen don't own cars, thus getting back home during holidays can get extremely expensive. When I came to college, I didn’t own a car and realized travel was extremely expensive, so I want to help other students by finding them a cheap and safe way home. I am making and designing a website which will allow students to find other students going to the same city to travel along with by sharing gas money.
Thread Count is a social media platform to buy, trade, and sell between people's closets. You can look inside someone's closet and rate their style, bargain for a piece, or just comment on your favorite piece. A lot of people throw away clothes they never wear or can't fit; this is the solution to that.
Youfluencers connects Instagram micro-influencers that have a dedicated and loyal following with brands to create targeted and successful social media campaigns. I would use the cash to attract influencers, buy a business phone number, file as an LLC, and market the company through various channels.
©2002-2019, Graduate Management Admission Council® (GMAC®).
All rights are reserved.
