launch U Startup Competition

Harrisburg University awarded the winners of its first startup competition where entrepreneurs pitched their ideas to investors during the online finale of the Shark-Tank style launch U Startup Competition.

Cred-Q, an alternative credit scoring platform founded by HU graduate student Kushagra Mishra, won first place and a  prize of $2,500.

A video game product development group made up of Lower Dauphin High School students calling themselves Fair Play took home the second-place prize of $1,500. Fair Play intends to develop a video game controller that has been adapted to create simplicity for all users, including those with disabilities.

And U&Miido Arts, consisting of a mother, Lawanda McCoy, and her three children, Kymeir Walker, Keyanu Walker, and Ne Walker won the third-place prize of $500. U&Miido Arts want to create a one-of-a-kind recycled trash can & recycling bin that communities could use to not only beautify their environment but can be used to educate community members and visitors on the advantages of sustainable recycling practices, was awarded a third-place prize of $500.

Each participant had eight minutes to pitch their idea, and two minutes after to field questions from judges. Seven finalists, honed from 25, competed in the event presented by HU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

What started as an experiment involving a few HU students grew into a full-fledged competition with the help of an incredible network from across the U.S.  The entrepreneurs hope to raise up to $10 million from investors including professional athletes.

The competition judges were:

• Reginald Grant, MSEd, Co-Founder, CEO, eSportsInstruction.com. A serial entrepreneur, former English teacher, and former professional football athlete, Grant consults with numerous companies in a wide range of industries including sports, education sports, and tech.
• John MacMillan, Deputy Secretary for IT and CIO, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. John MacMillan was appointed as deputy secretary for information technology and chief information officer for the commonwealth in March of 2015. John brings more than three decades of IT industry expertise to the CIO’s office.
• Jennifer O’Daniel, Investment Director, CIT GAP Funds & MACH37. Jennifer O’Daniel joined CIT GAP Funds in 2003, where she leads seed and early stage investments in tech companies with a concentration on cybersecurity and enterprise software. A key member of the investment team, O’Daniel has led over 50 investments in seed and early stage companies as well as investments for MACH37, a cybersecurity accelerator.

ABC27 news covered the competition. To view the story, follow this Link.

About Harrisburg University 

Accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, Harrisburg University is a private non-profit university offering bachelor and graduate degree programs in science, technology, and math fields to a diverse student body. For more information on the University’s affordable demand-driven undergraduate and graduate programs, call 717.901.5146 or email, Connect@HarrisburgU.edu.