The ideaLabs Experience

​Dear EEC Friends & Supporters,
Amidst rousing applause on April 11, our ideaLabs entrepreneurs took full advantage of Eaton Corporation’s elegant Beachwood headquarters to deliver their well-rehearsed pitches. 

Fifteen years ago, ideaLabs offered its first regional pitch competition for Northeast Ohio university students. Over the years, the competition has grown in scope and sophistication, offering the opportunity for students to compete for prize money, deliver their pitches before experienced judges, and receive constructive feedback.  

But the benefits of the ideaLabs experience extend well beyond the competition event itself. Delivering a smooth and compelling pitch involves practice, focus, and poise. Preparation for the competition requires the student entrepreneur to conduct research, distill their message to fit the timeframe, rehearse, and anticipate possible questions. Feedback from advisors and friends can further help the entrepreneur clearly articulate their venture idea in a persuasive manner and let their passion shine through. 

The feedback before and during the competition fuels the refinement process so the pitch gets better and better with practice and iteration. The audience can also play a key networking role in advancement of the venture through encouragement and interest, along with facilitating connectivity to mentors, investors, and partners.  

The pitch competition is a chance for the entrepreneur to build confidence, validate their ideas and approaches, gain supporters, meet other entrepreneurs, and enhance their business models for the future.  

To all the students who competed on April 11, congratulations from the EEC Ohio team! We wish you ongoing success as you move forward with your ventures and education. 

It’s never too early for entrepreneurs to start preparing for ideaLabs 2025!  

Kind regards,
Deborah Hoover 
CEO, Entrepreneurship Education Consortium Ohio 

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ideaLabs 2024 Recap​

ideaLabs 2024 was hosted at Eaton Corporation's awe-inspiring Eaton Center in Beachwood on April 11th. EEC Member School Ashland University served as the presenting school for this annual event, helping to lead the organizing efforts.

Leading up to the competition, each Member School held its own on-campus competition to determine who would be competing on their behalf at ideaLabs. Selected students pre-registered to compete in one of two tracks:
 

• The Big Idea Track: Participants in this category presented a business idea that has never earned revenue, and hadn't been pitched at ideaLabs before. 
• The Money Maker Track: Participants in this category presented a business venture that has earned revenue and had never won a prize at a past ideaLabs competition before

The competition was fierce! We offer congratulations following teams that won at this year’s event --
 
The Big Idea Track:

• 1st – Additiv; Founders: Ashwin Menon, Andrew Shereshevsky, and Amos Langsner, Case Western Reserve University
• 2nd – Equicounting; Founder: Hannah Belich, Lake Erie College
• 3rd – American Milled Putters; Founders: Grace Grant and Matthew Scheid, Ashland University

 
Honorable Mentions –

• OsteoSonic Stim; Founder: Eleanor Ramos, Lake Erie College
• B2M; Founders: Ritwik Jha and Elizabeth Jha, The College of Wooster

 
The Money Maker Track:

• 1st – Dorm Dudes Break; Founders: Zach Balo, Joe Beck, and Shane Rue, Ashland University
• 2nd – Cocoa Potash; Founders: Ithabeleng Makhetha and Ibrahim Quagraine, Case Western Reserve University
• 3rd – Rolling Refreshments; Founders: Audrey Ernst and Vaunden Brunn, Kent State University

 
Honorable Mentions –

• Maven N.I.L.; Founders: Gabriel Delgado, Santino Jacobozzi, and Spencer Poindexter, Cleveland State University
• Cleveland PretZZel Co; Founder: Zachariasz Zoladz, John Carroll University

 
Cash prizes totaling $9000 were generously supported by Fred A. Lennon Charitable Trust and Burton D. Morgan Foundation, and ideaLabs event sponsors included:
Changemaker Sponsor: Eaton Corporation
Generator Sponsor: JumpStart Inc.
Starter Sponsors:

• BudgetEase
• Hardesty Imaging
• smartBARK!
• North Water Productions
• Magnet

 
Thanks to all of our valued supporters for your contributions!
 
EEC also expresses appreciation to our team of expert judges:

• Carrie Aguilar, Innov8 Growth Partners, Founder
• David Croft, Meyers, Roman, Friedberg & Lewis, Partner
• Eric Diamond, Central Kitchen Cleveland, Founder
• Tyler Gould, Eaton Corporation, University Relations
• Lisa Lewis, Prime Time Delivery, Founder
  
• Angelique Wong, Artuza, Founder

                                                           
Students were judged on their ability to answer a series of questions critical to the startup process including the problem they are solving,  the value proposition, the nature of customers and competitors, size of market, distribution channels, projected costs, and what else they need to move forward.
 
Faculty advisors to the students play an important role in preparing students to define and deliver their pitches.  EEC believes in the power of the idea competition to support undergraduate students in the development and articulation of innovative ideas. We structure the opportunity as an immersive learning experience that will deliver benefits far beyond the competition itself.  ​