Chapman’s entrepreneurial arena: Who will win the Panther Cage?
The Panther Cage Pitch Competition hosts a hub of ambitious entrepreneurs — including both students and community members — in the process of developing, launching and scaling their businesses, all vying for the attention of the potential investors in the room and getting the $1500 prize.
The competition was held on March 14 at Chapman University’s Leatherby Center for Entrepreneurship and Business Ethics. With the Accelerate California: Inclusive Innovation Hub grant, the center was equipped with the funding to open its doors to not only Chapman students but also Orange County residents to use its program and resources. The center has an incubator program for individuals who need mentorship in formulating and refining their business ideas, and an accelerator program focused on growth and escalation.
The event began with thirty-second elevator pitches, which anyone could participate in. The following is a pitch given by Nyleve Henry, the founder of Looks for Lease (L4L), who is pioneering sustainable, environmentally conscious business practices in the fashion industry.
Then, it was showtime for the Panther Cage competitors. There were two competing divisions: students and community. These groups had sent videos and were selected from a pool of applicants to showcase their skills at this final event. They were each allotted three minutes to present and five minutes of Q&A from the judges.
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie. Pictured right to left: Lisa Walker, Ray Chang, Justin Sanders, Gil Bradshaw, Jordan Hopson and Will de Groot. Kip Knight is out of frame.
Nyleve Henry, the founder of Looks for Lease (L4L)
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie
The judges sat at a long table at the front of the stage, devices at the ready to score the competitors’ presentations against their rubric. The judges — Kip Knight, Lisa Walker, Ray Chang, Justin Sanders, Gil Bradshaw, Jordan Hopson and Will de Groot — are industry leaders, experienced in a world where success is determined by one’s ability to sell their vision.
Among the competitors striving for the $1500 prize was Sean Von Kaenel, a senior studying business administration with an emphasis in entrepreneurship at Chapman.
“There are an army of entrepreneurs and residents here who are just ready and willing to help you free of charge, and these are people who have thirty-plus years out in the world of entrepreneurship and their experience is priceless,” Von Kaenel told The Panther.
His passion for entrepreneurship was sparked by his experience selling beaded American flags he had learned to make at the YMCA, which he sold at a Fourth of July celebration. Now, at the competition, he had the opportunity to pitch Backstock, a decentralized marketplace that streamlines the shipping process for shoes, empowering the user to do its own verification and sending the product directly to them.
Freeze-frame credit: Chris Weber, Only On The Rancho. Pictured: Panther News Writer Maya Hawks (right) and Sean Von Kaenel, CEO of Backstock.
The pitches also showcased the diverse Orange County community, from Max, an eleven-year-old pitching an educational adventure game, to Foothill High School student Noah showcasing his Comfy Cuff pillow prototype, to social impact consultant LaShonda Smith and computer scientist K Khandan’s Prequaly application that incorporates artificial intelligence into the housing search process.
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie
Photo credit: Maya Hawks
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie
The pitches were judged by the idea itself against the significance of the problem, the degree to which the solution solves that problem, the projection for growth, the supporting data, market potential, the business model and the degree to which the ask is appropriate.
The winners in the student division were Fountain Valley High School sophomore Karalyn Law and freshman Sydney Sato with their business, It’s True, proposing a line of drip chicken essence.
Photo credit: Maya Hawks. Pictured: Karalyn Law and Freshman Sydney Sato, founders of It’s True.
“The current concern is the necessary intake of protein in our everyday lives. Many options take too long to consume or are inefficient,” Sato said in the pitch. “Our product is a pure liquor protein that is both easy to use and free from additives. And it delivers essential amino acids and collagen for strengthening the immune system, muscle recovery and energy.”
The winner in the community division was Kamola Mir, CEO & Founder of Lidavex. Mir is a former OB-GYN nurse and an activist for women’s health and rights. Her team has founded Lidavex, a medical device designed to provide objective cervix measurements for expecting mothers, allowing for easy, at-home monitoring and real-time data.
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie
After the pitches, keynote speaker Karen A. Clark recognized and congratulated the entrepreneurs in the room.
Clark said, “You already have what it takes, so whatever comes is because you were already so fantastic in the first place. Own your amazing capability. Own everything about you. Own it.”
Photo credit: Nia McDuffie