GREENEVILLE – Entrepreneurship was on full display as 12 students and community members shared their impressive and well-developed ideas for businesses and products during Pioneer Pitch Day Saturday, April 18, at Tusculum University.
Tusculum student Aniye Nouck Nouck gives his winning presentation.
Sienna Laffitte finished second for her jewelry business
Alistair MacGregor, a Tusculum student, was one of two people to finish in third place.
The event, held by Tusculum’s Center for Free Enterprise and New Venture Creation, gave participants five minutes to share the story of their creation and explain what type of support they needed to start their business or project successfully or continue to grow it. They were bidding to receive the first place prize of $5,000, the second place prize of $3,000 or one of two third place prizes, which brought $1,000 each.
“We were really excited to hold this event and were thrilled with the attention it brought to these up-and coming entrepreneurs and the Tusculum academic program that supports their aspirations,” said David Hite, the center’s director and associate professor of business at the university. “It enabled us to bring out the talent within our student body and the region and help them make a strong first impression in the business world or take their project to the next level.“
Drum roll for the winners
The winners by the panel of three judges were:
- First place – Aniye Nouck Nouck, a Tusculum student, who has created Coast2Coast, a basketball recruiting app
- Second place – Sienna Laffitte, a Tusculum student, who has opened Quara Jewelry
- Third place – Alistair MacGregor, a Tusculum student, who has created MacAthletic Pickleball Bag, and community member Josh Shores, who is launching Greeneville Music Academy
David Hite, the director for Tusculum’s Center for Free Enterprise and New Venture Creation, led the event.
Community member Josh Shores was the other third place winner.
Nouck Nouck said his app connects continents in a global sport and provides opportunities to players. During his presentation, he showed a video in which an American player said he needed to find a team for which he could play overseas and a coach looked for a player. In the end, a deal was made between the two using the app.
Laffitte said her brand of jewelry is strong because it is made of sterling silver, is designed to last and is friendly to one’s skin and looks luxurious without being expensive. MacGregor described his bag as sleek, minimalist, lightweight and portable, and he said it is designed for any player and can be carried like a suitcase or over the shoulder. Shores said the academy will give students and family a place to grow, connect and belong and stimulate creativity and participation in something meaningful.
The audience also had a chance to participate in selecting winners. Individuals picked Shores as the winner of the community presenters and Nouck as the winner of the student presenters.
Becoming ready for the event
To prepare for Pitch Day, students took courses to help them understand the concepts and participated in weekly workshops to learn from experts and refine their ideas. Many of the community members who participated in Pitch Day also attended the workshops so they could receive guidance that shaped the direction of their economic development projects.
In addition, Tusculum received excellent financial support from donors that provided key resources so the university could further progress this program. That particularly enhanced the outcome for students.
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, speaks at Pitch Day.
“Students who go through entrepreneurial systems and get plugged into the ecosystem are two times more likely to be successful in establishing a business,” Hite said. “Our students have benefited greatly from our program by connecting with mentors from all areas of business.”
Dr. Scott Hummel, Tusculum’s president, said the university had eagerly anticipated this event, which had been in the works for more than a year. He already has an eye toward 2027 when some of the pitchers might demonstrate their entrepreneurial drive by presenting another idea.
Reflecting on Pitch Day, Dr. Hummel noted that it aligned nicely with Tusculum being pioneers as the oldest higher education institution in Tennessee. He said Pitch Day and the preparation that led to the event also meshed with Tusculum’s mission.
“Part of our mission is to have a pioneering spirit and instill it in our students as they become career-ready professionals,” Dr. Hummel said. “Another component is to provide an active and experiential education in their development, and this event showcases that. Our students are not just meeting about entrepreneurship and taking classes in it but about engaging in that process and learning by practicing it.”
Dr. Hummel was also pleased that so many community members elected to pitch their ideas during this event. Tusculum’s mission statement highlights the value of being civically engaged, and he said the relationships the university has developed with the community are extremely valuable.
Advice from a prolific entrepreneur
One of the attendees of Pitch Day was Dr. Scott Niswonger, a highly successful businessman and prominent philanthropist who serves on the university’s Board of Trustees. He discussed his business history and provided advice to those who made the pitches.
Dr. Niswonger has been involved in more than 20 startups, including two of his more well-known that were launched in Greeneville and later went public – LandAir and ForwardAir. One of the ways he has supported his development as a businessman is the business administration degree he earned from Tusculum in 1987. Today, he has 16 active companies that range in size.
He emphasized the importance of the leader of a business hiring high-caliber employees.
Dr.. Scott Niswonger addresses the audience.
“Most entrepreneurs will fail once they get through the start-up phase because they’re afraid to open up and bring in people that are more talented than they are,” Dr. Niswonger said. “I’m a pretty good salesman and a heck of a pilot, but I’ve never known as much as my CFOs have. Try to find the most talented people to help you move your companies forward. Don’t be afraid of that.”
Dr. Niswonger also dispensed two pearls of wisdom he learned from someone with whom he had been in a business deal.
“He said, ‘I’d rather have a small piece of a large pie than a large piece of a small pie,’” Dr. Niswonger said. “But more importantly, the last thing he left me with was when you’re negotiating a deal, always leave the last nickel on the table for the other guy because when the next deal comes up, he will remember that he was treated fairly by you. And when the next deal comes up, he will call you first. I’ve never forgotten that.”
During the event, a representative of First Horizon spoke with many of the pitchers individually during the networking sessions that were embedded into Pitch Day. He shared resources that were available to the pitchers.
The judges and other competitors
The judges for the event were Isaac Deel, marketing director of Founders Forge in Johnson City; Kathrine Hackler, founder and owner of Hackler Hall Event Center in downtown Greeneville; and Tammy Kinser, president of the Greene County market for Apex Bank.
Deel said his ambition has been to help students and community members launch and grow businesses in this area rather than moving away. Kinser commended the program Tusculum has established and said she was particularly impressed with the Appalachian AI Summit the university held in February. She was interested in hearing how the pitchers proposed to invest in themselves. Hackler said she was passionate about entrepreneurship and understands how the process of that feels. She urged the pitchers to focus on the problem they are solving with the business or product they are starting.
The judges deliberate.
The remaining individuals who presented their businesses and products were:
- Tia Anderson, a community member; Take Care, a self-care gift box business
- Rebecca Belcher, a community member; Rebecca Belcher Photography
- Chris Brown, a community member; Convenience Solutions
- Kam Casey, a community member; Data Flow Controls
- J. Greer, a Chuckey-Doak Middle School student; Ajustarench
- Sarah Lantis, a community member; Searah’s Shack, which is primarily a mural-making business
- Cristy Thomas, a community member; The Blue 102 multipurpose venue
- Kam Williams, a Tusculum student; Kams Kloset clothing
Anyone who is interested in participating in future Pitch Day events can email Hite at dhite@tusculum.edu. More information about the university is available at www.tusculum.edu.