Faculty member helps develop state business pitch contest
A statewide business pitch competition created through a partnership led by a Western Carolina University faculty member recently announced the winners of the inaugural event during an award banquet held in Raleigh.
The result of efforts by Tonya Snider, instructor of management and entrepreneurship in 蘑菇短视频鈥檚 College of Business, and two colleagues, the first-ever North Carolina Small Business Center Network鈥檚 Startup Showdown consisted of 17 finalists competing for a share of $60,000 in unrestricted early-stage enterprise funding
This statewide entrepreneurship accelerator brought together 17 finalists competing for a share of $60,000 in unrestricted startup funding. The process included intensive business training and coaching, a 鈥減itch day鈥� event patterned after the popular 鈥淪hark Tank鈥� television show, public voting and evaluation by a panel of business and entrepreneurship leaders.
Contest winners were announced during a by-invitation-only awards celebration sponsored by Wells Fargo in Raleigh on Thursday, Sept. 17. The recent awards presentation came after a rigorous, months-long training and pitch competition.
Among those in attendance were Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, N.C. Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, N.C. Community College System Acting President Monty Sullivan, and other state and local leaders.
Snider and her collaborators 鈥� April Priester, director of the Small Business Center at Coastal Carolina Community College, and Brandy Bell, SBC director at Carteret Community College 鈥� partnered last year to create the PitchIt! program and curriculum that was used for the competition.
The N.C. Small Business Center Network approached Snider about developing a comprehensive entrepreneurship training and pitch competition program as part of the REAL Entrepreneurship initiative in early 2025. She, Preister and Bell developed the curriculum, participant workbooks, facilitator materials, activities, pitch development tools, evaluation resources, and overall structure and process.
鈥淲hen the SBCN decided to launch its first statewide Startup Showdown, PitchIt! was selected as the training program and framework for preparing participants,鈥� Snider said. 鈥淪o, rather than creating a curriculum specifically for the competition, the statewide initiative was built around the PitchIt! program we had already developed.鈥�
An important aspect of PitchIt! is a train-the-trainer component. Before instructors can deliver the program, they must complete a three-day certification process developed and led by Snider, who has provided certification to 32 Small Business Center staff members across North Carolina. 鈥淭hese individuals are now equipped to bring the program to entrepreneurs in their own communities, extending its reach well beyond the statewide competition,鈥� she said.
Snider said when she started developing PitchIt!, she wanted to create something that would help people take their business ideas and turn them into something real.
鈥淚 also wanted it to be a program that could work in communities all across North Carolina, not just in one location. Seeing it become the foundation for a statewide competition has been pretty incredible,鈥� she said.
鈥淲e've already certified more than 30 Small Business Center professionals to take PitchIt! back to their communities, and that鈥檚 where I think the real impact will be. This is so much bigger than one competition. We鈥檙e creating opportunities for entrepreneurs across the state, and I鈥檓 really excited about what this could mean for small businesses in North Carolina,鈥� Snider said.
First place in the Startup Showdown competition and a prize of $30,000 went to Dan Spangler, founder of Rinse-A-Poo, which manufactures a patent-pending, self-cleaning pooper scooper designed to solve one of the most overlooked operational problems in pet care鈥攚aste management
Judges awarded second place and a prize of $20,000 to Victoria Gadbois of Victorious Wellness, supported by the Wilkes Community College Small Business Center. Gadbois is building a holistic women鈥檚 wellness concept designed to bring personalized care, restoration, education and connection together in one welcoming environment.
Third place and $10,000 went to Phil McNutt of The Gilded Lantern Co., supported by the Montgomery Community College Small Business Center. McNutt is developing a mobile mystery adventure experience designed to bring immersive team-building and shared experiences directly to businesses, organizations and communities.
Finalists were evaluated on multiple business criteria throughout the competition and were required to successfully complete Snider鈥檚 REAL Entrepreneurship PitchIt! course, facilitated by local community college leaders. The competition also included a public voting period conducted online from Sept. 1 through 15.
The competition attracted a total of more than 300 applicants from across North Carolina, generating 1,050 hours of pre-application counseling and technical assistance through the SBCN. The contest also engaged communities statewide, with finalists鈥� pitch videos generating more than 41,000 views and 9,300 votes during the public voting period. The $60,000 in unrestricted funding is designed to help the top three finishers move to their next stages of business development.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 really meaningful from my perspective is that a program developed here in Western North Carolina, through the work of a 蘑菇短视频 faculty member, has now become the educational foundation for a statewide entrepreneurship initiative,鈥� said A.J. Grube, dean of the 蘑菇短视频 College of Business. 鈥淎nd because PitchIt! was designed to be replicated, its potential extends well beyond this first competition.鈥�
The SBCN is one of the largest state-funded small business assistance programs in the United States, operating through all 58 North Carolina community colleges and serving all 100 counties.
The network鈥檚 Startup Showdown 鈥� the first statewide entrepreneurship accelerator of its kind launched through the state鈥檚 58 community college Small Business Centers 鈥� was made possible through funding by the Wells Fargo Foundation and the North Carolina Community Colleges Foundation.
鈥淓ntrepreneurs are driving innovation and economic growth in communities across North Carolina, and we鈥檙e proud to support programs that help turn promising ideas into thriving businesses,鈥� said Juan Austin, senior vice president of philanthropy and community impact at Wells Fargo. 鈥淭he Startup Showdown is creating new opportunities for founders to access capital, guidance and networks that can help accelerate their success and strengthen local economies.鈥�