Donning a Hello Kitty gym outfit, business administration senior Alara Wiefling entered the stage in front of the judges ready to pitch her business idea: Ju Jitsu- inspired modern gym ware with logos that infuse “combat expression filled designs,” like Hello Kitty and Superman.

“I was in the gym, just walking on the treadmill and I looked around and everybody is wearing the same exact outfit with no expression,” Wiefling said. “They’re basic single color sets, and I thought it would be really cool to add more fun and expression into gym ware.”

Wiefling started this project during her business startup class, and this project has been in the works for about six weeks.

“As I was standing there, I was just really grateful that I had the opportunity to stand up there and pitch something that was just this random idea I had on a random day at the gym, and people found it cool enough for me to be a finalist in the competition,” Wiefling said.

The 16th annual Elevator Pitch Competition, which occurred at the Performing Arts Center’s Pavillion Room, featured students from across all colleges pitching their ideas to a panel of judges. The catch: They only had one minute and thirty seconds to explain their idea.

The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) hosted this event. The CIE is Cal Poly's hub for innovation, supporting entrepreneurs at every stage with resources, mentorship and a collaborative startup ecosystem.

This year's Elevator Pitch featured a Battle of the Colleges theme. 

As the winner of the competition, Carter Lim, who pitched Communicare, an AI-powered tool designed to make communication coaching affordable and accessible, won $1,000. Sam Weston, who presented The Tendon Project, won the Audience Choice, and got $500. The Tendon Project is a wearable device that gauges tendon health for athletes, inspired by Weston’s passion for rugby.

Other pitches included a location-based news curation app to keep consumers informed on local news, a  titanium cutting board and a hangover cure.

“The energy at this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition was fantastic,” said Stephanie Zombek, senior marketing and communications manager for the CIE. “The variety of ideas on stage reflected the diversity of disciplines across campus, and that’s what makes this event so fun and impactful. Elevator Pitch Competition pushes students to think fast, communicate clearly and with confidence, and own their ideas -- skills that are valuable across every major and career path.”

Business administration sophomore Morgan Edwards pitched a company called Rooted Nutrition, which aims to be an affordable source of nutrition without any additives or dyes . Both she and her partner in the project, Finn Bourke, are endurance athletes who like to mountain bike, and when she is on a bike ride for about 50 miles, she has to eat every 30 minutes.

The company strives to offer this healthy nutrition source, as Edwards has experienced negative issues from other nutrition sources she has tried. Edwards gained skills in public speaking through this experience.

“To be honest, I feel like I was super nervous, because I haven’t really spoken at an event publicly,” Edwards said. “Especially giving a speech with no notes or no visual aids.  And I don’t really remember half of what I said to be honest because I was just focusing on not messing up and at one point ditched what I had memorized and just kind of spoke from my heart.”

Through this experience, Edwards learned about viewing this event as an opportunity, rather than something that, “Oh, if I don’t win, there’s no point in me doing this.”  

“Winning wasn’t really the goal necessarily of the competition, but just to practice getting my idea out there and sharing it with others as well as just meeting new people,” Edwards said.

Zombek said this competition teaches students about communicating under pressure, a skill used in many aspects of the professional world.

“Our hope is that they leave with more confidence, clearer messaging, and a stronger sense of how to connect their ideas to a broader audience,” Zombek said.

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The Elevator Pitch finalists were judged by Jim Dantona, former president and CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce; Dr. Jasna Jovanovic, assistant professor of psychology and child development and director of Cal Poly’s University Honors Program; and Dr. Lucy McGowan, assistant professor of agribusiness and faculty fellow with the CIE. Judging criteria included how clearly the problem was explained, creativity and innovation, effectiveness of communication, persuasive potential and entertainment value.

The finalists who presented included:

• Rooted Nutrition, a startup offering clean, plant-based endurance fuel made without dyes or preservatives to support gut health during long-distance activities; pitched by business administration sophomore Morgan Edwards of Pismo Beach, California, representing the Orfalea College of Business.

• Learning Curb’s CAP, a customizable academic planner that helps neurodivergent students manage their time and stay on track with classes, tests and extracurriculars; pitched by biomedical engineering freshman Avari Brocker of Troutdale, Oregon, representing the College of Engineering.

• Drink Tox, a health drink designed to help users recover from hangovers by restoring essential nutrients and aiding liver detoxification; pitched by biochemistry senior Charlie Palmer of Danville, California, representing the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics.

• News Curation App, a digital platform that combats disinformation by curating local and global news stories with context and source transparency, pitched by journalism and political science senior Jeremy Garza, representing the College of Liberal Arts.

• Nibble, a mobile app that encourages people to explore local food spots by providing surprise dining recommendations and sharing user-created “food trails”; pitched by agricultural business senior Josh Van Tassel of Los Altos, California, representing the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

• PureRise, a clean, functional beverage designed with adaptogenic mushrooms and other plant-based ingredients to support stress reduction and focus; pitched by agribusiness sophomore Brea Rossiter of San Marcos, California, representing the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.

• SURFACE22, a cutting board designed to improve kitchen hygiene by using swappable and color-coded surfaces for different food types, pitched by materials engineering senior Ryan Krakauer of Redwood City, California, representing the College of Engineering.

• Gym Wear Made Fun, a women’s athletic apparel brand blending bold fashion with jiu-jitsu and streetwear-inspired functionality, pitched by business entrepreneurship senior Alara Wiefling of Houston, Texas, representing the Orfalea College of Business.

Top photo: Alara Wiefling, a business administration student, presents her idea for gym ware. (Photo: Katy Clark)

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