ORU Entrepreneur Finalists Competing for $10k in Cash Prizes

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, March 4, 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Dr. Kevin Schneider, Executive Director
ORU Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship                                                                                                                   918.495.6161
kschneider@oru.edu

TULSA, Okla.—In the midst of a pandemic, business is booming for Oral Roberts University’s (ORU) aspiring entrepreneurs. Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Vast Bank, the stage is set for the ORU Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship’s (SC4E) second annual start-up competition: The Launch.

Emmy award-winning media entrepreneur and bestselling author of The Ultimate Gift, Jim Stovall, donated his time to mentor teams and host monthly meet-up events to help students prepare for the pitch competition at his alma mater. Students also benefited from the expertise of SCORE, a thriving community of entrepreneurs and executives who provided mentoring and workshops for competition participants.

The first round of competition kicked off on Feb. 6 at ORU’s Global Collaboration Hub in the SC4E; nine teams pitched their business ideas in front of a panel of entrepreneurs, investors, and high-level executives. Judges selected the following six teams to advance:

• Ichthus, a social enterprise that provides opportunities for low-income, local fishermen in Guatemala by marketing and selling the fishermen’s products to citizens near Guatemala City. 
• Red Halo, a company that develops and markets low-cost, energy-efficient mechanical equipment for respiratory support. 
• Sweet Freaks, a frozen sweet treat company that offers guilt-free alternatives to traditional ice cream options. 
• Prosper Student Services, a K-12 tutoring service that connects college students with parents who need a tutor for their children. 
• My Neighbor, a concierge service that performs a wide range of out-of-office, routine tasks for corporate clients. 
• Joyosity, a peer-to-peer video-based technology platform that offers students online music classes with a specially matched instructor from any connected device worldwide.

The SC4E will host the final round of The Launch competition on March 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at ORU’s state-of-the-art Global Learning Center. The top three winners will be awarded a combined total of $10,000 in cash prizes by Vast Bank.

The judges for the event are Brad Scrivner, President and CEO of Vast Bank; Meisha Smith, Assistant Vice President Commercial Lender for Prosperity Bank; Teresa Knox, Entrepreneur and Real Estate Developer; John Curzon, Founding Partner of CCK Strategies, PLLC; and Sean McCroskey, Associate Investor at Atento Capital.

ORU is grateful for the contributing sponsors and partners, which include Vast Bank, Prosperity Bank, SCORE, and the ORU College of Business. 

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ABOUT ORAL ROBERTS UNIVERSITY

ORU is an interdenominational Christian, Spirit-empowered university located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. Under the leadership of Dr. William Wilson, ORU is preparing its students spiritually, mentally, and physically to be whole leaders for the whole world. It offers over 150 majors, minors, and pre-professional programs ranging from business and biology to engineering, nursing, ministry, and more.

The Wall Street Journal ranked ORU as the #5 university in the nation for student engagement, which measures interaction with faculty, collaborative learning, critical thinking, how the university supports students applying what they learn to the real world, the extent to which classes challenge students, and whether they would recommend the school to others.

ORU is ranked by U.S. News & World Report as 

#1 Best Value Regional College in the West
#1 in Undergraduate Teaching
#3 in Best Colleges for Veterans
#5 in Best Regional Colleges in the West

For more information, visit www.oru.edu.