Last October, the Lubar Entrepreneurship Center in partnership with the Black Student Cultural Center hosted the third annual “Panther Pitch,” a pitch competition that invites student startups to pitch their idea to a panel of judges. For the third year in a row, the Panther Pitch brought out four distinct startups for a chance to compete to win resources and materials that will help them with their entrepreneurial endeavors, as well as a cash prize!
LaFonte Brown, Marissa Camacho, Sierra Lee and Delicia Morris all delivered two-minute pitches as judges provided constructive feedback on their ideas and performance. Judges from areas across Milwaukee came together to provide the students with constructive feedback. Ranell Washington of American Family Insurance, Serah Washington of Riverworks Development Corporation, Marcia Taylor of Lush Popcorn and Mark Peterson of Ambition Center MKE all lent their time and resources to guide the students with their business ideas. After deliberation, Marissa Camacho and her startup “La Gente Art Gallery” were chosen as the winner for the night. Judges cited her passion and detailed explanation throughout the pitch as to why Camacho took home the 1st place prize.
Programming like the Panther Pitch allows us to meet students where they are and help them along their way. By giving them the platform to advocate for themselves and the connections to gather resources, students are able to actualize how to accomplish their goals. One of the first (and hardest) steps is showing up, to which all of them came ready and prepared. Our programming would not be possible without the Black Student Cultural Center and our community partners. We are grateful to be able to build these connections on campus and within the greater Milwaukee community. They allow us to serve our student population in a way that best fits their needs. Stay tuned for our next Panther Pitch event, coming in Fall 2023!
Interested in getting involved? Contact us below!