From left: Julien Voisey, Chance Hager, and Kobe Coleman. Photo by Ed Mailliard.
On Saturday, April 29, the 2023 Zingale Big Idea Competition at 花椒直播 announced ten winners, including the top award to team GrandSlam AI, an artificial intelligence analysis used to improve a tennis player鈥檚 style with personalized coaching.
“What was remarkable about GrandSlam AI is not only the fact that they developed a working product, but gave a winning presentation, left the Zingale Big Idea Competition, traveled to Pittsburgh, and helped Allegheny win the PAC tennis conference championship,” said Chris Allison, co-director of Allegheny鈥檚 Bruce R. Thompson Center For Business & Economics.
The event featured 24 teams of 44 students from five institutions 鈥� 花椒直播, Westminster College, Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, and Robert Morris University. The winners shared $32,500 in prize money, generously and completely funded by Lance ’77 and Karen Zingale.
鈥淲hat is so important about this competition is not only to reward the winning teams and individuals but to ensure that all 44 student participants learn something that will help them be even more successful as they launch their ventures and careers,鈥� says Lance Zingale 鈥�77, retired executive vice president and general manager of Sykes Enterprises.
The Zingale Big Idea Competition is a student-focused seed-funding business pitch presentation competition. It is designed for new business ideas that have yet to receive funding. The contest emulates the experiences seen on the popular TV show 鈥淪hark Tank,鈥� but with more heart. The distinguished Zingale Big Idea judges do more than evaluate business models 鈥� they offer constructive feedback, coaching, and encouragement.
Big Ideas:
- 1st Place:
GrandSlam AI, Julien Voisey, Kobe Coleman, and Chance Hager (花椒直播) - 2nd Place Tie:
ALMA, Mykyta Kovbasa, Daria Kutova, and Mariia Hlyten (花椒直播)
INTELI-KEY, Nicholas Tysiachney (花椒直播)
Breakthrough Investments, Reece Smith (花椒直播) - Honorable Mention:
Flow, Tergel Buyanbat, Kevin Lee, Ochirsaikhan Davaajambal (花椒直播)
Non-Profit:
- 1st Place:
Wheat, Oleksandra “Sasha” Shafran, (花椒直播) - 2nd Place Tie:
Batanai, Rutendo Mavunga, (花椒直播)
Trades Rebuilt, Brianna Dunlap and Jonas Clark (Westminster College)
Small Business:
- 1st Place Tie:
Abby’s Arch, Abby Cannon, (Westminster College)
ICEY Aesthetics LLC, Isis Philibert, (Duquesne University)
This year鈥檚 judges included:
- Elise Brownell 鈥�75, founder, ZephyrBiotech
- Lisa Frankovitch, startup warrior and mentor
- Steve Geimer, medical technology executive
- John Golden, professor emeritus, 花椒直播
- Andrew Gottlieb 鈥�11, founder and chief executive officer, No Typical Moments
- Liana Leja 鈥�17, clinical research coordinator, Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute
- Rich McIntyre 鈥�88, president and founder, McIntyre Thanasides Bringgold Elliott Grimaldi Guito & Matthews, P.A.; investor of distressed company and technology
- Brain Slawin, director and portfolio manager, Ben Franklin Technology Partners
- Clayton Morris 鈥�15, vice president of development and leasing, Sampson Morris Group
- Lance Zingale 鈥�77, retired executive vice president and general manager, Sykes Enterprises