Ideas to Action Events

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the April 2020 Social Entrepreneurship Competition took place online. Ideas were peer-reviewed and judged by members of the class.

Best Idea – a tie

Cultural Family Bonds:  Christina Kunich and Brooke McPherson

Community Compost Co.:  Hattie Rose Padgett & Max Cline

Best Pitch

NutriKids:  Melanee Rowley and James Sparks

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the November 2020 Social Entrepreneurship Competition took place online. Ideas were peer-reviewed and judged by members of the class.

Best Idea

Stepping Stones to Greatness: John Cherry, Ryan Simpson

Best Pitch

Prepared not Scared: Nora Donovan, Amanda Peirano

Total Overall Votes in Best Idea & Pitch Categories

Cat Café:  Jessica Overby, Hailey Polsky,

Most Thoughtful Throughout

Sustainable Surf: Kyrstan Conrad, Alex Ferris

and

SAL’s Artistry:  Ilana Adlee, Genesis Lipshy, Sarah Sheek

Best Financials

Asheville Artist Center:  Jason Biles, Jodie Karr

Most Ready for Prime Time

Sustainable Wanderlust:  Ashley Bray, Caitlin Doherty

Most Personal Project

Asheville Music Associates:  Maddie Kendrick, Daniel O’Grady

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Each team wrote an “idea summary” and then pitched for 2 minutes, followed by 5 minutes of Q&A from the judges. Scholarships were awarded to the winning teams: first place ($1000), second place ($500). For more information on the winners and the judges:  Entrepreneurial alumni return for Ideas to Action student competition

Teams

(placed first) Bridge the Gap – Lea Gilbert, Nathan Koerschner

Bridge the Gap addresses the issue of loneliness among seniors by providing a service that matches seniors with the company of individuals who listen to and record their stories.

CARE Clothing – Carleigh West, Brianna Caraccio

Through the redistribution of retail companies last season’s items, CARE Clothing addresses the issues of apparel waste and shopping inequity by providing quality, fashionable clothes to low-income kids and families at discounted prices through one of our mobile shops.

Chorebuddy – Rebecca Vines, Caelum McCall

Chorebuddy is a platform that matches the elderly and others with disabilities with individuals who wish to earn supplemental income by assisting the elderly and those with disabilities with day-to-day chores.

(won best pitch)  Landmark –  Hannah Rosenbalm, Jesse Miller

Landmark is an app that gives users a scavenger hunt of fun and exciting activities in Asheville to address social isolation often created through the misuse of technology.

The Move Asheville – Quinn McKearney, Vicente Adame

The Move Asheville is a unique production company dedicated to connecting the community to the flourishing local art scene by providing a web app that lists local shows and a personalized show promotion plan for each venue that uses our service.

NeuroWonderful – Lacey Arch, Chloe Everett

The Comfort Ribbon is adhesive satin ribbon designed to help people with Sensory Processing Disorder reduce distraction caused by uncomfortable clothing.

(placed third)  Studio Arch – Lily Laramie, Caroline Tadych

Studio Arch provides gallery and event space that helps to bridge connections with professional artists and the community, while creating opportunities for at-risk youth to express themselves through arts education.

(placed second)  SunRoof – Robert Britton, Gemma Gentlesk

To increase the efficiency and convenience of clean, renewable energy, SunRoof is creating solar panels that attach to the top of vehicles in order to collect and store energy for home consumption.

Judges

Teams

(placed second) Green Peak – Jacqui Henderson-Scott, Nelson Leonard
Green Peak is the innovative alternative to expensive green certifications with its use of analytic tools to develop long-term green goals for businesses that want to make an impact on the environment.
MediCore – Seona Craig, Randi Fossett, Samantha Giordano
In order to address inefficiencies of the health care system and the frustration of excessive paperwork and disorganization for the patient and doctors/specialists, our app will organize, file, and track a patient’s medical documents, doctors appointments, insurance information, medication, and health trends.
ManagAIR – Morgan Fuller, Andy Morrison
Our product is an app that tackles the problem of inefficiency in heating and air conditioning systems through the collection of crowd-sourced user data.
(placed first) ReSight – Katherine Franks, Tia Foster
ReSight is a text to speech cellphone application that provides audio accessibility and resources to assist students with learning and reading disabilities.
(placed third) Safety Creations – Shayla Khalife, Camden Aguilar
Safety Creations is ​a ​proposal for a ​personal safety company that produces ​jewelry with Bluetooth technology, to act as an alert device, in order to combat sexual assault.
SEEDS (Social, Ecological, Economic Driven Solutions) – Lissy Kirsteins, Sebastian Herranz
SEEDS is a website which carries social, ecological, economical products and services from social entrepreneurs to create an accessible market for changing the world.
SOCA (Socially Oriented Charitable Accommodations) – Zac Lopez-Ibanez, Sinead Abbott McCloud
In order to address the immediate needs of homelessness, SOCA’s membership model channels funding to non-profit organizations by selling short-term rental owners a certification of sustainable tourism.
U-CAN (University Counseling & Advising Network) – Zachary Silverman
U-CAN provides trained mentors and a wide range of tools to guide and nurture students interested in improving any aspect of their lives.
Universal Vending – Kit Sullivan, Emelye Sneed
To address the need for after hours essential products for students, we are designing a vending machine that will have a wide range of products to provide a way for students to access these items within the safety of their campuses.

Judges

For more information about the winners of this event:  UNC Asheville Students Changing the World

Check out the story on Blue Ridge Public Radio here.

Teams

Apollo – Claire Childs, Jason Rafferty
To increase classical arts training and help artists make a living, a private teaching studio that will focus on technical training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a unique arts entrepreneurship mentoring program
(placed second) Biomod – Erika Floyd, Ben Wall
To decrease household waste disposal and energy consumption, an in-home biogas generator that collects household organic waste and converts it into energy
Camp Life – Stephanie Cabral
To lessen the struggles many young adults face, a summer program that offers the opportunity to experience life skills one must learn in order to become successfully independent
Growing Minds – Jacqui Henderson-Scott, Glaucia Vieira
To encourage children to develop a connection to their food, a small home aquaponics system with a fun and educational app that will help them understand the source of their food and how it will impact their future
Petscription – Savanna Lloyd
To aid owners of pets with obesity, illness, and poor nutrition, a pet food subscription tailored to each pet’s dietary needs
(placed first) TerraFemme – Anna Dasliva, Kelli Early
To lesson the 17 billion used tampons and pads that accumulate in landfills every year, a collection bin and pick-up service to decompose used products into organic compost
Toddler Tracker (TNT) – Tim Hussey, Tatiana Miller
To address the issue of child neglect and abuse in daycare facilities, a mobile-friendly software tool that connects daycare cameras to a platform for parental viewing and communication

Judges

For more information:  Better Business, For Good

Teams

Artibus – Ben Eisdorfer, Jeremy Gower, Ivy Sugars, Simon Taugwalder
Addressing the homeless epidemic in the United States with a multi-platform application and website that will connect homeless individuals with financial, time management, counseling, rehabilitation, psychological, and mentor resources
BuzzFuzz – Rosemary Fischer, Jacob Persons
Combatting the negative publicity given to interactions between police officers and the public, a smartphone application that records negative and positive interactions, notifies emergency contacts and calls a witness to the scene
Colorfulhashtag – Amanda Holst, Charlie Svensson
Giving American charities new opportunities to maximize donations, a simple function to allow individuals to donate a small amount of money through a social media account
E-Waste for the Visual Arts (EVA) – Bryan Berry, Elijah Hawley, Maria Lomeli-Garcia
Reducing electronic waste with a WNC-based collector and reseller that creates a unique end-use in e-waste art for local artists and hobbyists
Generation Fit – Michael Kelly, Nick Boyles, Eris Dardha, Christian Jewkes
Addressing obesity with an innovative online platform that helps individuals with their underlying problems
Healing the Hate – Lauren Glennon, Mandi Melton, Lexi Banks, Francesca Duncan
Inspiring empathy, compassion, and awareness for diversity with a community that discusses core personal beliefs in order to drowns out hate crimes
(placed first) Sound-Fade – Logan Lueck, Michael Luney
Easing the problem of distractions in classrooms of children with special needs and learning impediments, a product that reduces sound-based distractions
(placed second) Wonder Bundle – Joe Baker, Michelle Rickenbach
Helping with the cognitive development of children, a product subscription service that will sell and donate international learning tools to families

Judges

For more information:  The Business of Change

Teams

EVolve Car Rentals – Hammad Ali Ejaz, Joseph Baker, Luke Van Hine
Zero-emission electric rental vehicles
(placed second) Heart Racers – Ashleigh Hillen, Lance Mills
Onsite CPR training to save lives, one compression at a time
Drop-In To Success – Anna Emslie, Darby McKnight, Dan Pungello
With the hope of lowering high school dropouts, free workshops focusing on “Things You Can Do With a High School Diploma”
Make AVL – Anna Hitrova, Jordan Miller, Andrew Sotak
Transformative apprenticeship and scholarship programs in technology
(placed first) Pro(TECH)t – Donna Al Melhem, Benjamin Eisdorfer, Madison Eddings
Wearable technology and real-time GPS to help reduce sexual assault on college campuses
Two months later, Pro(TECH)t took the grand prize at the statewide UNC System statewide competition.

Judges

  • Bradley J. Cain, COO of Education & Research Consortium of the Western Carolinas
  • Tommy Dennison, Business Counselor at Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC)
  • Caroline Fisher, Creative Director at Seeded
  • Jodi Rhoden, Owner & Founder of Short Street Cakes

For more information:  Social Entrepreneurship: A Smarter Way to Save the World

Contact Us

For more information, watch the video above or contact Professor Laura Bond (lbond@unca.edu).