{"id":214272,"date":"2026-04-01T09:13:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:13:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214272\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T09:13:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T09:13:20","slug":"keiser-university-pitch-contest-unveils-innovative-student-business-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/214272\/","title":{"rendered":"Keiser University Pitch Contest Unveils Innovative Student Business Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keiser University\u2019s Seahawk Tank Pitch Contest recently spotlighted innovation and entrepreneurship as eight students from campuses across Florida competed for a total of $10,000 in prize funding.<\/p>\n

Held at Keiser University\u2019s West Palm Beach Flagship Campus under the direction of Professor George Stamas, the competition featured finalists presenting well-researched and creative business concepts spanning health, food service, technology, and lifestyle solutions.<\/p>\n

Winning Business Ideas<\/p>\n

First Place \u2013 $3,500
Gavin Mortazavi \u2013 Flagship Campus
Nomad Supplements \u2013 A convenient protein drink designed for athletes on the go.<\/p>\n

Second Place \u2013 $2,500
Esther Cantrell \u2013 Lakeland Campus
Boricua Sailors Kitchen \u2013 A kitchen concept offering organic, natural, and healthy food options.<\/p>\n

Third Place \u2013 $1,500
Alana Lech \u2013 Flagship Campus
Forever Celebrated Events \u2013 A full-service luxury event d\u00e9cor and planning business.<\/p>\n

Additional Finalists Recognized<\/p>\n

Five additional finalists were each awarded $500 for their innovative ideas:<\/p>\n

Sawyer Day \u2013 New Port Richey Campus
Aqua Splash: Pool Box \u2013 Seasonal pool experiences delivered directly to customers\u2019 doors.
\nEric Neron-Bancel \u2013 Flagship Campus
Start Line \u2013 A sleek tri-suit for triathletes featuring detachable components.
\nRodrigo Moreno \u2013 Pembroke Pines Campus
Licensr \u2013 An automated licensing platform to help founders launch businesses more efficiently.
\nRong-Quan Chen \u2013 Melbourne Campus
Virtual Hands-On Training \u2013 A platform designed to transform how technical skills are taught across industries.
\nPraneel Patel \u2013 Flagship Campus
Fluid Fit \u2013 A stream sleeve providing real-time fatigue and hydration intelligence.<\/p>\n

Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship<\/p>\n

Keiser University\u2019s annual Seahawk Tank Pitch Contest is open to students from all campuses and serves as a platform to encourage innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial thinking. The university extends its appreciation to the anonymous cash prize donor as well as this year\u2019s judges \u2013 Katherine Emerson, Philip Crowley, Juan Pagan, and Bradley Gies for their expertise, insights, and thoughtful deliberations.<\/p>\n

Bachelor of Arts degree in Business<\/a>\u00a0students at Keiser University gain a basic understanding of business skills needed for entry-level business professionals, as the program introduces them to the functional areas of business, the business environment including ethical business practices, technical and communication skills needed in today\u2019s business environment.<\/p>\n

Since 1977, Keiser University has been empowering students to achieve their career dreams. As one of Florida\u2019s largest private, non-profit institutions, founded by Dr. Arthur Keiser<\/a> and Evelyn Keiser, it offers:<\/p>\n

Over 100 degree programs<\/a> from associate to doctoral level
\nRecognition as the No. 1 university in the U.S. for Social Mobility by U.S. News & World Report<\/a> (2023)
\nProud membership in the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities
\nA legacy of excellence in education spanning more than 45 years<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t wait to start building your future. Contact Keiser University today and take the first step toward your dream career. Call Toll-Free:\u00a0888-KEISER-9<\/a>\u00a0 or Contact a Keiser Campus near you<\/a>. Schedule your campus tour and learn more about our flexible programs, financial aid options, and career services support.<\/p>\n

\"keiser<\/p>\n

L-R: Brad Gies, Philip Crowley, Katherine Emerson, Praneel Patel, Rong-Quan Chen, Gavin Mortazavi, Rodrigo Moreno, Juan Pagan, George Stamas, Esther Cantrell, Alana Lech, Sawyer Day and Eric Neron-Bancel<\/p>\n

\"pitch<\/p>\n

KU Flagship Academic Dean Dr. Debora Johnston (far left) and Professor and Pitch Contest Director George Stamas (far right) congratulate Pitch Competition winners Alana Lech (Third Place), Esther Cantrell (Second Place) and Gavin Mortazavi (First Place)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Keiser University\u2019s Seahawk Tank Pitch Contest recently spotlighted innovation and entrepreneurship as eight students from campuses across Florida…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":214273,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[249,251,250],"class_list":["post-214272","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale","tag-fort-lauderdale-headlines","tag-fort-lauderdale-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214272","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214272"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214272\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/214273"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214272"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214272"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214272"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}