2021 WINNERS
1st Place
Jordan Hunt
Main Street Microgreens is an urban farm devoted to growing the finest quality microgreens. Locally and sustainably grown, Main Street Microgreens provides some of the healthiest foods on the planet.
2nd Place
Terrelle Tettey
GenZbuzz is an online media platform that creates fun, informative and interactive content to remind GenZ to prioritize their mental health and practice self-care for a happier, healthier life.
3rd Place
Amrth Shenava
Electrify is a digital application focused on combating climate change by making it easier for people to rent electric vehicles. We also provide services and products for electric vehicle owners such as charging maps and eco-friendly routes to reduce carbon footprint.
FINALISTS
Hangout is a mobile hydration smoothie café that creates hydrating, delicious drinks served with powerful ingredients to help reduce a hangover. Using hangover cures already on the market and our signature blends, smoothies will include supplements, electrolytes, hydration and caffeine.
The Balanced Life Planner is the ultimate planner to help support college students through the transition from living at home to becoming independent at college. Using daily, weekly and monthly goals that align with mental health, education, physical fitness and long-term planning, the planner will include helpful resources to help students manage all aspects of their life.
Main Street Microgreens is an urban farm devoted to growing the finest quality microgreens. Locally and sustainably grown, Main Street Microgreens provides some of the healthiest foods on the planet.
DesignzByAnnie creates custom unique designs using denim and other apparel. These designs are either produced by hand or through contract apparel manufacturers/screen printers. Each denim piece is one-of-a-kind and completely customizable.
Electrify is a digital application focused on combating climate change by making it easier for people to rent electric vehicles. We also provide services and products for electric vehicle owners such as charging maps and eco-friendly routes to reduce carbon footprint.
GenZbuzz is an online media platform that creates fun, informative and interactive content to remind GenZ to prioritize their mental health and practice self-care for a happier, healthier life.
JUDGES
Archer is Board Chairman and owner of Kent Watersports and its branded companies O’Brien International, Connelly Skis, HO Sports Company, Liquid Force, Absolute Outdoor, Barefoot International, Nash/Hydroslide, Arbor Snowboards and Aqua Sports (Houjie, China). Archer serves on the Ashland YMCA Board of Trustees, the Huntington Bank Regional Advisory Board and the Ashland University Board of Trustees. He is involved in scholar athlete and scholar musician scholarships in New London and Ashland, Ohio.
Bill Baumel is a seasoned venture capitalist who spent more than 20 years investing in Silicon Valley before returning to his home state to found the Ohio Innovation Fund in 2016. OIF has already returned a majority of the fund, with the most recent exit, the merger of Stirling Ultracold and BioLife Solutions (NASDAQ: BLFS), currently valued at over $2 billion.
Leading EDJE delivers IT strategy and custom technology solutions to solve the most complex of business issues, with no two solutions alike. Before launching Leading EDJE in 2007, Joelle spent 14 years with Software Architects (SARK), building a local practice while starting and supporting 11 other offices across the nation. Joelle is an alumnus of Accenture and first began her IT consulting career in 1990 with AGS Information Services, a NYNEX Corporation. Prior to the IT Industry, Joelle put her Communications/Journalism degree to use as an ABC field reporter and on-air radio personality.
ABOUT THE CEBIDEA PITCH
Pitch Your Idea for Funding
The Kent State Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship’s John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship is now offering a fall pitch competition for students who have an idea. The CEBIdea competition creates an opportunity for students to receive mentoring and feedback on their business idea, as well as win seed money. Ten finalists will pitch to a panel of judges on Monday, October 8. All finalists will win a cash prize, and the first-place winner will earn a guaranteed spot as a CEBIpitch finalist in the spring.
Presenting Sponsor:
Ohio Innovation Fund (OIF) is a venture capital firm based in Columbus, Ohio whose member institutions include Kent State University, The Ohio State University and Ohio University. The OIF team has turned ideas into over $10 billion of market value, including several Initial Public Offerings and acquisitions by SAP, Medtronic, Dell, Intuit and Stryker. OIF's companies have been featured in prominent media outlets such as CNN, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. Many Fortune 500 companies and leading universities are customers of OIF’s portfolio, and their strategic partners include Microsoft, Facebook, Citi and SAP, among others. Combined revenue growth was approximately 100 percent between 2016 and 2017 for OIF’s portfolio.
PRIZE MONEY
TBD
1st place winner has a guaranteed spot in the 2022 CEBIpitch Competition.
Application Process Details
Submit idea online: submit your idea
Deadline for online application:
Semi-finalists notified:
Semi-finalists present 2-minute pitch:
Finalists notified:
Mentoring process for finalists
Live pitch: 12/2/21 @ 4 p.m.
LEARN MORE
CEBIdea Pitch Infosession
About the Ohio Innovation Fund
Bill Baumel oversees all operations of The Ohio Innovation Fund (OIF), a venture capital firm based in Columbus, Ohio. OIF has the largest early-stage venture capital portfolio of Ohio-based companies. Member institutions include Kent State University, The Ohio State University and Ohio University. OIF’s companies have been featured in prominent media such as CNN, Forbes and The Wall Street Journal. Many of the Fortune 500 and leading universities are customers of OIF’s portfolio companies, and their strategic partners include Microsoft, Facebook, Citi, and SAP, among others. Combined revenue growth was approximately 100% between 2016 and 2017 for OIF’s portfolio.
Turning "Bold Ideas" into thriving enterprises is what OIF partners with entrepreneurs to accomplish. One such bold idea was from a diabetic, who each night worried that they might not wake up in the morning because their glucose levels may go too low overnight, and the only diabetic testing was periodic finger pricks. Out of that bold idea came Dexcom and its continuous glucose monitor, which provides a glucose reading to diabetics' mobile devices every five minutes. A great step forward for diabetics, and a company now worth over $10 billion. This could be you!
OIF fosters commercialization efforts at KSU, OSU, and OU through appointments to university's Accelerator Award Committees, sponsoring internship programs, career linkage among member schools’ students/alumni and OIF companies, speaking engagements, mentoring of faculty members, incubating faculty start-ups, and guest course, panel, and business plan competition participation.
With more than twenty years of experience investing in Silicon Valley, and close ties with a significant network of key Silicon Valley leaders, Bill has spent his career investing in venture capital-backed emerging growth companies. Awarded Venture 100 status as one of the top 100 VC’s in the United States, with successful exits via multiple Initial Public Offerings and acquisitions by companies such as Medtronic, Dell, SAP, Intuit, and Stryker. Areas of focus include SaaS, Big Data, Cyber Security, Med Tech, and Advanced Manufacturing. Having served as a CEO, COO and CFO of successful public and private companies, he understands what it takes to build and scale a leading company in a high growth market.
Contact Us
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SHAWN ROHLIN, PH.D.
Director, John S. and Marlene J. Brinzo Center for Entrepreneurship and Associate Professor,
Economics
srohlin@kent.edu -