A business idea for flavored soda won Northern State University’s Idea Pitch competition on Tuesday, Nov. 18.
The idea, CR8 Soda, was presented by NSU junior Madi Jones. Her business idea is a mixed drink alternative to coffee. Her pitch featured soda mixed with creamer and flavors. She won first place and $500 along with the Industry Disruptor People’s Choice Award.
Jones’ idea for a drive-thru dirty soda shop housed in a shipping crate began with a summer trip to New Orleans, according to a news release. There, she noticed the potential for shipping containers to serve as an affordable storefront. Originally considering a coffee shop, she shifted direction after realizing she wanted something that reflected a growing current trend like dirty soda — a mixture of fountain soda, flavored syrups and creamer.
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“I thought, what does Aberdeen need? And what’s trending? The perfect thing was soda,” Jones said in the release.
Madi Jones and her business pitch for CR8 Soda took top honors at the Northern State University Idea Pitch on Tuesday, Nov. 18. Photo Courtesy of Northern State University.
A softball player for the Wolves, she said the name CR8 Soda came to her during practice and that the business concept has already gained support among her teammates.
Jones said she hopes to pursue opening the business as early as June, depending on funding and scheduling. She said feedback from judges on revenue projections will help refine her plan.
“The biggest thing is looking at the numbers — what profit looks like, what I charge, what I pay workers,” she said in the release.
Other winners include:
Second place: Elana Bishop’s idea for Liora: Infrared Bed Studios, which also won the People’s Choice Award for Greatest Need. Her pitch was a wellness concept centered on infrared light therapy.
Third place: Blake Clay, Cade Trenhaile and Maggie Kruger’s idea for Behind the Pack, which also won the People’s Choice Award for Best Entrepreneurial spirit. Behind the Pack is a student-produced podcast focused on athletics and the athlete experience.
The annual Idea Pitch Competition was organized by the Northern State University School of Business and the Northern Innovation and Startup Center. The Aberdeen Development Corp. sponsored the event’s prize money.
“The ADC is always happy and proud to sponsor this event,” Tim Hanigan, CEO of the group, said in the release. “The competition was fierce. There were a lot of great ideas, and as a judge it was really tough to pick them out.”
The Idea Pitch Competition is held annually to encourage entrepreneurship among NSU students. Five finalists presented their ideas in a “Shark Tank“-style competition.