Future Founders Announces Semifinalists for U.Pitch 2020

October 9, 2020

Future Founders, a non-profit organization that believes every youth can become an entrepreneur, today announced the 18 semifinalists for its 7th Annual U.Pitch National Collegiate Elevator Pitch Competition & Showcase – Presented by Target Accelerators. 

U.Pitch brings together the top collegiate entrepreneurs from universities across the country for the ultimate elevator pitch competition. Finalists will compete for a share of a $10,000 prize pool by pitching to a panel of judges comprised of seasoned entrepreneurs and investors. This year’s FREE virtual event will stream live globally on Thursday, October 29 from 6:00pm – 7:00pm CDT.

You can register for this free event here: http://bit.ly/upitch2020.

In addition to having a front row seat to all the action, guests at this year’s U.Pitch will be able to cast their vote for the People’s Choice Award, an additional cash prize given to the semifinalist with the most audience votes. You can learn more about this award and see the pitches that landed these entrepreneurs a spot in the competition by visiting www.u-pitch.com.

“Now more than ever, our country needs the creativity and problem solving abilities possessed by these young entrepreneurs,” said Scott Issen, President & CEO, Future Founders. “Though this year’s U.Pitch will look decidedly different than years past, we are excited to have a virtual format that will properly celebrate the innovation and impact these young entrepreneurs are making in our world when it’s needed most.” 

U.Pitch begins with a private semifinals round where contestant pitches are evaluated by four different groups of judges, with the five top entrepreneurs moving on to the finals round. During the finals, contestants will have 90 seconds to pitch their business ideas and additional time to field questions from our distinguished judges. The full list of judges for the event will be released in the coming weeks.

Previous U.Pitch winners include Mi Terro, Quevos, SnapClips, SwineTech, Inc., Seed Slide, and Sokowatch.

Congratulations to the 2020 U.Pitch Semifinalists!

• Candice Blacknall, GABA, Morehouse School of Medicine & Georgia Institute of Technology (GA)
• Apoorva Chintala, Clocr Inc., University of Texas at Austin (TX)
• Dillon Connolly, Rize Fitness, University of Southern California (CA)
• Joshua Ermias, Door Robotics, University of Maryland (MD)
• Benjamin Greenfield, ViveSense, Columbia University (NY)
• John Hatfield, ChordaWorm Lures LLC, Iowa State University (IA)
• Michael Ioffe, Arist, Babson College (MA)
• Arohi Jain, BreezeBubble Inc., University of Michigan (MI)
• Brandon Johns, Buzzbassador, Mississippi State University (MS)
• Taimi Kennerley, The Girls Company, Brigham Young University (UT)
• Sutton King, ShockTalk, New York University (NY)
• Zachary Lynch, Card Stock-Exchange LLC, Texas A&M University (TX)
• Del Martin, Labio Couture, Pitzer College (CA)
• Michael Paredes, OlaCoral, St. Olaf College (MN)
• Naman Singh, MassApply, Virginia Tech (VA)
• Jackie Smythe, INFKNIT Apparel, Inc., Michigan State University (MI)
• Brendan Wang, CAPNOS LLC, Michigan State University (MI)
• Alexsandra Wolfe, Puresipity, University of Tampa (FL)

In addition to the competition, all U.Pitch semifinalists will participate in mentorship sessions with seasoned Future Founders coaches, as well as a virtual networking event where guests can engage with these talented young entrepreneurs and learn more about their ideas and businesses.

U.Pitch is one of the opportunities Future Founders offers to support aspiring and existing 18 to 30-year-old entrepreneurs. This work is generously supported by Blackstone Charitable Foundation, Capital One, The Coleman Foundation, Keywell Foundation, EY, The John E. & Jeanne T. Hughes Foundation, ChicagoNEXT, Jack and Goldie Wolfe Miller Fund, Softchoice, Target Accelerators, and World Business Chicago.

Join us on Thursday, October 29 for this special event. Register at http://bit.ly/upitch2020.