Rohnert Park, CA - Sonoma State University announces the winners of its second annual Seawolf Pitch Competition which took place on Tuesday, April 20, via a virtual pitch competition co-hosted by the School of Business and Economics and the School of Science and Technology. Team Centinel won best overall presentation for the top cash prize of $1,000. Three $600 prizes were awarded to SommMobile for most innovative, Sonoma Marketing Solutions for most social impact, and Fitness from the Sole for most commercially viable. The winners were four of 11 undergraduate and graduate student teams that presented a 60-second pitch to a panel of expert entrepreneur judges from North Coast SCORE, Marin Sonoma Impact Ventures, Boomerang Plus, Underdog Labs, Ooh La Luxe, and SSU. A full list of the venture teams can be found here.
“Today was an incredible demonstration of creativity and innovation by the participating teams. I am especially partial to the social impact award as the School of Business and Economics continues to explore purpose-driven businesses as a curriculum theme for our students,” said Jean-Francois Coget, dean of the SBE. “There is untapped potential here in the North Bay to expand our entrepreneurship ecosystem with Sonoma State University as the hub.”
“The pitch competition was a great opportunity to utilize the skills I learned and practiced in SSU's Global Wine Executive MBA program,” said Dana Farner, Global Executive Wine MBA ’21, presenter of SommMobile. “Thank you to my cohort and our professors for pushing me to do better every day.”
“The Seawolf Pitch Competition is an opportunity to inspire and educate the next generation of leaders to become better critical thinkers and problem-solvers through cross-pollination of knowledge between STEM+H and business and other disciplines,” said Elisabeth Wade, dean of the School of Science and Technology.
Hosting deans Dr. Coget and Dr. Wade provided opening remarks followed by pitch presentations from each venture team, an entrepreneurs panel moderated by SSU Lead Entrepreneur in Residence Chris Stewart, and an award ceremony.
“Thank you to our expert judges and panelists for giving our students their valued time and an extraordinary learning experience,” said Mr. Stewart. “The Seawolf Pitch Competition is open to early-stage startups from the business community who team up with an SSU student. Community startups interested in participating are encouraged to apply for future Seawolf Pitch Competitions.”
Application period for the Seawolf Pitch Competition opens in February or March each spring semester with the event taking place in April. More information about the Seawolf Pitch Competition can be found at http://sbe.sonoma.edu/seawolf-pitch-competition or by emailing sbe.entrepreneurship@sonoma.edu.
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More About the School of Business and Economics
Sonoma State University’s School of Business and Economics' vision is to be the educational catalyst for a thriving North Bay economy and its global impact. Its mission is to create extraordinary learning experiences for our students and to advance best business practices in the North Bay and beyond. With undergraduate, graduate, and executive programs serving over 1500 students each year and concentrations in Accounting, Finance, Management, Marketing, Wine Business, and Economics, the School offers the most in-demand degree on the Sonoma State campus. The School of Business and Economics is accredited by AACSB (the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business), making it one of 15% of all business schools in the world to meet these standards of excellence. More information regarding our degree and certificate programs can be found at http://sbe.sonoma.edu.
More About the School of Science and Technology
The School of Science and Technology at Sonoma State University is committed to serving as a state-wide center of excellence and innovation in STEM+H. SST is a dynamic community committed to educational excellence across disciplines in the life and physical sciences, technology, engineering, math and health-related sciences including kinesiology and nursing. Our highly qualified and dedicated faculty and staff are committed to our mission to graduate learned and capable students that will contribute to the wellbeing and prosperity of our region, state, nation and planet. For more about our School, including degree programs, please visit our website: scitech.sonoma.edu.