Written by: Nyah Jackson
On Thursday, Feb. 29, 10 student entrepreneurs from various Seventh-day Adventist universities will compete on campus for $10,000.
BringIT, a student-led project under Southern Adventist University’s Enactus chapter, is co-organizing with HYVE International to host the BringIT National Student Pitch Competition in Thatcher Chapel at 7:30 p.m. The four other universities participating in the competition are Andrews University, Walla Walla University, Southwestern Adventist University and Middle East University, which is located in Lebanon. Two entrepreneurs from each university will pitch their business ideas in an attempt to win grants for first place ($10,000), second place ($5,000) and third place ($2,500).
Glenn Grakov, junior finance major and project manager for BringIT, said, “BringIT exists to provide networking opportunities and financing for student entrepreneurs.”
BringIT and HYVE have been partners for about one and a half years, and last year was the first HYVE Creators conference.
This year, Colette Williams, junior marketing major, who owns Collete’s Creations, a small bakery business, and Giovanni Leonor, senior business administration major, who owns First Class Travel and Financial Consulting Group, are the two participating entrepreneurs from Southern.
“I am really happy that Colette and Gio will be representing our university,” Grakov said. “They both have a lot of drive and passion for what they do, and that is going to be visible during the competition. They beat out five other SAU student entrepreneurs in November for the opportunity to represent Southern through the ‘Shoot Your Shot’ pitch competition.”
Williams won first place in the competition and Leonor placed in second; they won a combined total of $3,500.
Williams is excited to be participating in the pitch competition. She competed in last year’s BringIT “Shoot Your Shot” pitch competition and took first place, winning $2,500 for Colette’s Creations.
When asked about what people should expect to see at HYVE Creators 2024, Williams said, “I will be competing against other student entrepreneurs all with the goal of winning $10,000. At the competition, I will be sharing about my business, what I would use the prize money for and the dream and goals I have for my small business. I’m so excited and grateful to be able to be a part of this event.”
The BringIT National Student Pitch Competition kicks off the four-day HYVE Creators event. The Iles P.E. Center will host a vespers on Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m., then on Saturday at 10:15 a.m., there will be a sermon by Jeffery Rosario, a professor at Loma Linda University. Later that night, at 7:30 p.m. in Iles, the second annual “Lion’s Den” will feature numerous startups that will be pitching their business ideas to a panel of judges. Grakov said it is a “Shark Tank-esque” program. Last year at the Lion’s Den, a startup walked away with $1 million in investments.
Others attending the event will get a chance to pitch their business ideas and attract investors on Sunday at 10:30 a.m. In the South Atrium at Collegedale Church of Seventh-day Adventists, attendees can give a one-minute business idea pitch in front of potential investors.
Last year, HYVE Creators 2023 was able to provide financing for nine entrepreneur startups.
“I am really excited that this year we get to expand our reach to other Adventist universities, as well!” Grakov said.
