PioBiz Competition Round 1: Problem/Solution
Thursday, March 11: 4:30 p.m.
A glance at Session 9
Pictured above, Austin McCleary, the first place award winner, presenting his non-profit service.
In this session ten teams of Marietta College students competed in Round 1 of the PioBiz Competition entitled “Problem/Solution”. Each team used up to 3 minutes to introduce their product or service and describe how it solves a problem better than other products or services in the market place. Upon the conclusion of a team’s presentation, the competition judges asked questions for 3 minutes. After the final team's presentation, attendees were given a chance to vote for their favorite product or service. The top ten products or services were determined by combining the attendees’ votes with the judges’ votes.
PioBiz Competition Round 2: Proof of Concept
Thursday, April 22: 4:30 p.m.
In this session, six teams of Marietta College students competed in Round 2 of the PioBiz Competition entitled “Proof of Concept”. Each team used up to 7 minutes to prove that their business idea is likely to succeed. Upon the conclusion of a team’s presentation, the competition judges asked questions for 5 minutes. After the last team's presentation, attendees were given a chance to vote for their favorite product or service. The top five business ideas were then determined by combining the attendees’ votes with the judges’ votes. In this round of the Competition, the top 5 business ideas won $200 to $400 each.
The table below includes information on the top five award winners and their products or services.
| Place | Award | Product/Service | Competitor(s) | Major(s) | Class(s) |
| First | $400 | The Car Library | Austin McCleary | Actuarial Science | 2022 |
| Second | $350 | Muddy Hands Clay Studio | Sydney Stek | Psychology | 2023 |
| Second | Muddy Hands Clay Studio | Lily Karjewski | Psychology | 2023 | |
| Third | $300 | Shower Sleeve | Devin McFarland | Biology | 2023 |
| Fourth | $250 | Art on the Move | Allison Barnes | Entrepreneurship | 2022 |
| Fifth | $200 | Putnam's Palace | Amadeus Perry | International Business | 2024 |
Round 3 of the PioBiz Competition: Business Plan
Thursday, December 2, 2021
On Thursday, December 2, 2021, five Marietta College students pitched three business ideas in Round 3 of the PioBiz Competition: Business Plan. PioBiz is a 3-Round Business Start-Up Competition open to all Marietta College students and their partners. Round 3 of the PioBiz Competition consists of submitting and presenting a fully developed business plan. The competitors were given up to 20 minutes to present their business plans, followed by a 15-minute Q&A with four judges. Upon the conclusion of the last presentation each member of the audience voted electronically for their favorite business.
The key components of the presentations are listed below.
- A clear description of the problem that the proposed product or service will solve and the reason this problem is worth solving. Who is this product or service for?
- What qualifies the applicant to produce the proposed product or service? What are the resources/expertise that the applicant already has, and what are the resources that the applicant needs?
- The nature of similar products or services that are currently available on the market, and the reasons the applicant’s proposed product or service is better.
- How do the applicants know that their business idea is feasible?
- How did the applicants arrive at their financial plan? Specifically, where did the cost and revenue numbers come from? When do they expect to make a profit or cover their total cost?
- A description of their next steps: What The table below includes information on the award winners and their services. will happen if they don’t win the PioBiz award? What will they do if they win the award?
- The judges were instructed to allocate up to (but not necessarily equal to) $10,000 among the top 3 business ideas. Awards exceeding $1000 will be distributed over time depending on the progress the winners make implementing their business plan.
The competition judges were:
- Bret Allphin '01, Director of Community Development, Sixmo Architects + Engineers
- Michael Fleak, Vice President Business Development, Williamstown Bank
- Wendy Keenan Myers ’92 (Head Judge), Founder and Owner of Mitcham Group Apartments and Superior Rent-to-Own
- Mike Williams, President/Owner at iTech/Advance Alarm Tech
Pictured Above: First Place Winner of $6.000. Allison Barnes '22 Major: Entrepreneurship for Art on the Move. Judges: Bret Allphin, Wendy Myers, Michael Fleak, and Mike Williams.
Pictured Above: Second Place Winners of $3.000. Caleb Bradford '22, Major: Petroleum Engineering, Jacob Parsil '22 Major: Petroleum Engineering & Orv Taylor '22 Major: Finance/Petroleum Engineering for BTP Environmental. Judges: Bret Allphin, Wendy Myers, Michael Fleak, and Mike Williams.
Pictured Above: Third Place Winner of $1.000. Haylee Mott '23 Major: Entrepreneurship/Marketing for Mott's CrossFit. Judges: Bret Allphin, Wendy Myers, Michael Fleak, and Mike Williams.