An in-home healthcare service and a rental company for girls’ trips won the top prizes at Marietta College’s recent PioBiz Round 2 entrepreneurial competition.
Jared Farnsworth ’23 (Newport, Ohio), a Health Science graduate who will enroll in the College’s Physician Assistant program in June, earned $400 and first place for his Appalachian Mobile Health concept. The service would use specialized vehicles staffed by skilled providers to deliver in-home healthcare to patients facing access barriers.
Alexis Sommers ’25 (Nelsonville, Ohio), an Entrepreneurship major, finished second and won $350 with her Rallia Rentals idea. The business would deliver groceries, set up decorations, and organize hassle-free experiences for groups taking girls’ trips.
Entrepreneurship major Jacob Stern ’25 (Wheeling, West Virginia) claimed third place with his Para Bellum ankle brace design, which integrates into a sock for comfort and stability.
On April 18, the three students pitched their proof-of-concept business plans to a panel of judges and an audience. They had seven minutes each to outline the problem, customer, solution, market need, alternatives, value proposition, prototypes, resources, costs, revenue model, and next steps.
The competitors were evaluated by four judges and over 40 audience members. Each judge could award up to 110 points per pitch across 11 criteria, such as problem, solution, and revenue model. Audience members had one vote, which was equivalent to a single point.
Tres Ross '97 of The Ross Foundation, Suzanne Schultz of Canvas Fine Arts, Tom Perry of Marietta College, and Mike Workman of CONTRAXX Furniture served as judges.
PioBiz is a three-round startup business plan competition open to all Marietta College students and sponsored in part by the school’s entrepreneurship program.