From healthy frozen desserts to life-saving ventilators, this year’s winners of ORU’s The Launch competition represented diverse markets and target audiences. The second annual startup competition drew over forty-five multinational students in the fall and included two rounds of judging by a panel of investors, entrepreneurs, and high-level executives. Six teams advanced to the final round on March 13 in ORU’s Global Learning Center.
“We are very proud of The Launch participants. On top of their studies, and amidst ongoing disruption from the pandemic, it was inspiring to see how hard they worked to develop their startups. The final round of pitches was excellent, each exceeding my expectations. I believe we are just beginning to scratch the surface of our entrepreneurial talent at ORU, and I am excited to see how The Launch expands in coming years,” said Dr. Kevin Schneider, Executive Director of ORU’s Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship.
A twin sister duo delivered the winning pitch for Sweet Freaks, a startup that will bring a competitor to the Tulsa market: a healthy low-carb frozen dessert that rivals traditional ice cream and frozen yogurt treats. Sweet Freaks will also offer protein milkshakes and “freaky floats.”
"Winning this competition showed us that our dream can become true. We are ready to go full-steam ahead and start this company," said Sweet Freaks Founder and ORU accounting major Paige Nye.
"The Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship staff came beside us to support and guide us through this competition. We've never had this much support from people who are honest but also see success in us,” added Sweet Freaks Co-Founder Parker Nye, an ORU marketing major.
Ichthus placed second at The Launch for their international social enterprise.
A team of aspiring international entrepreneurs pitched the second-place startup, Ichthus—a Guatemalan social enterprise that innovates the wholesale distribution process, providing fresh fish to local markets while increasing profits for low-income fishermen.
Red Halo won third place at The Launch for their portable ventilator.
The third-place startup, composed of engineering and finance students, addressed global ventilator challenges. The team pitching for Red Halo designed an affordable, portable ventilator with a three-way power supply for the global market, especially NGOs, the military, and Tier 2 and Tier 3 countries.
Vast Bank awarded the three winners a combined $10,000 in cash prizes.
Jim Stovall, Emmy award-winning media entrepreneur and bestselling author of The Ultimate Gift,said, “As the Stovall Center for Entrepreneurship completed the second year of the Launch Competition, I didn’t think it was possible but the businesses represented this year may have exceeded those in our first year. The students continue to amaze me with what they have accomplished in launching real businesses in the real world during the significant challenges of the pandemic. As I look to the future regarding The Launch competition, I remain convinced that the best is yet to come.”
Designed to take students from business idea to launch stage in six months, The Launch competition provides students with workshops, networking opportunities, and professional mentoring from SCORE—a community of entrepreneurs and executives who offered their expertise at no-cost to competition participants.
ORU is grateful for all the judges and sponsors of The Launch, including Vast Bank, SCORE, Prosperity Bank, and the ORU College of Business.
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.