Ideas for new businesses pitched in 90-second contest

Aspiring young entrepreneurs were given a minute and a half to sell new business ventures to faculty judges during the annual Elevator Pitch Competition, sponsored by the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Saint Mary’s. Eleven enthusiastic competitors proposed a wide array of business concepts from gourmet hog dogs to support services for women suffering from infertility. The contest, which awarded cash prizes, was open to all students on campus, regardless of major. Students were allowed to submit a video of their pitch or make it live.

Three students tied for first place. Daniel Murphy, a marketing major from Woodbury, Minn., and Jakub Koziuk, a marketing and entrepreneurship major from Cary, Ill., pitched an emergency response app called “QuikClik.” Melissa Radermacher, a global studies major from Plymouth, Minn., pitched a nonprofit fitness club called “Fit For Life.”