Grambling, LA – Three Grambling State University (GSU) teams cashed in on their creativity and business acumen on Tuesday as they participated in the Golden Pitch Challenge on Nov. 19 at the Digital Library and Learning Commons.
The Golden Pitch is a north Louisiana entrepreneurial and business development event open to all Grambling State students. The competition’s goal is to provide real-world education in entrepreneurship and to boost awareness and innovation commercialization in our region.
GSU students can submit models for new businesses in any industry.
Qualifying participants progressed through three phases in the competition — Idea Proposal, Business Development Workshop, and the Final Pitch.
Taking first place and earning $3,000 was Ishara, a team consisting of a pair of GSU students from Ghana who are part of a team building software tools for recycling companies to manage, track, and scale operations.
Accounting and computer information systems major Christotes Muange and engineering technology major David Nintang make up GSU’s Team Ishara.
Team Smart Match, took the $1,000 second-place prize for its work creating an app to improve access to innovative healthcare and clinical trials to address chronic disease disparities in underrepresented communities.
Members of Team Smart Match are math and physics Major Samuel Torto; computer science major Nonso Duaka; biology major Favour Aina and computer science major Oyindamola Balogun.
Earning $500 with a third-place finish was Team Pathwise, an education-based company committed to advancing student success by integrating personalized learning tools, career planning and data-driven insights into a seamless platform aimed at creating personalized tutoring, career-aligned development support, and educator insights.
Emmanuel Oladele (engineering technology), computer science major Daniel Osuoha (computer science), Tanyaradzwa Mangundhla (computer science and accounting) and Flyness Namatama (computer science) are the members comprising Team Pathwise.
Eight teams participated in GSU’s 2024 Golden Pitch event.
“Golden Pitch has been a wonderful activity that allows our students to share their creativity, to brainstorm, learn, and grow, both as student scholars as well as business professionals, so we’re really excited about it,” said Dean of GSU’s College of Business Dr. Derrick Warren.
Warren also noticed a common thread flowing throughout the eight presentations made by GSU students at the Golden Pitch competition.
“All of our presentations were based on social impact,” said Dean of GSU’s College of Business Dr. Derrick Warren. “So, what has happened today has inspired us to have an impact ourselves within the college.
“So any student who is interested in joining what we’re going to create and call Case, Hackathon, Invention Pitch Club, and that will help us build a community of students that are interested in performing and participating in Case competitions in Hackathon and also in pitching, because we have some very gifted judges who said they are going to work with us to continue to promote a mindset of creativity — a mindset of innovation, entrepreneurial excellence, and I think that is important.”
