PEORIA, Ill. – The entrepreneurial hopes and dreams of Bradley students were on display Thursday afternoon.
Nearly 20 student-led business ideas were on display at the Big Idea Innovation Expo at the Hayden-Clark Alumni Center.
Mary Conway Dato-On is the Academic Director for Bradley’s Turner School of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. She says the idea behind the event is inspiration.
“What I hope today is that students gain self-confidence in their sharing of their ideas, and I hope that other students are inspired to share their ideas and potentially develop them into businesses,” Dato-On said.
Dato-On says the contest was open to any student on campus, not just those in business and entrepreneurship majors and programs.
Students submitted a two-page entry at the start of the semester in January, and submitted them to judges for consideration. The top 20 entries were picked to give their presentations on Thursday, and are judged on two-minute pitches and a student vote. Dato-On says 4-5 finalists are selected and will make an eight-minute pitch in late April to determine a winner.
Dato-On says the 20 selected for Thursday were based on feasibility, desirability, and viability of the business idea.
One of the 20 finalists was Abby Rybicki and her Flash Frames. The product is a pair of LED glasses with light strobes that is worn at concerts and events, and can be programmed to flash symbols and messages.
Rybicki, a freshman Business Management Leadership major from Huntley, IL, says the product’s inspiration came from seeing fans at football games disconnected from the action, and a desire to bring people together at events.
Rybicki also believes her product can help mental illness and depression.
“One in 5 adults experience mental illness right now, and concerts are a way to bring people together and bring about happiness,” Rybicki said. “We might not be curing cancer, but we are solving the problem of lack of happiness in the United States, and I think that’s something everyone needs.”
Peyton Nelson is a senior studying Innovation and Entrepreneurship. His idea is called Diamond Rock, and is an apartment concierge service that helps people handle simple tasks; such as rides, errands, and general daily assistance.
Nelson notes his business idea can help get people time back that they might need to get through each day.
“I think that’s super important, especially as how busy people are today. Just having more free time, more time to spend on what you want to spend it on, instead of these things that may slip your mind, but still have a factor of they need to get done,” Nelson said.
The inspiration for Nelson’s business came from personal experiences as a college athlete. He is currently an infielder on the Braves baseball team.
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