A capacity crowd was on hand to watch 17 Howard Community College (HCC) students pitch their innovative business ideas in a judged competition during the college’s Dec. 2 Entrepreneurial Celebration. The event was sponsored by HCC’s Center for Entrepreneurial & Business Excellence (CEBE), Pinnacle Advisory Group, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce, the Howard County Economic Development Authority and the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship.
In this bi-annual event, select students from HCC’s introductory entrepreneurship and creativity course have five minutes each to present their business ideas to a panel of entrepreneurial business professionals. The top scorers received the Pinnacle Entrepreneur Prize, with an award of $1,800 for first place, and $700 for placing second. In addition, the Howard County Chamber of Commerce hosts the top two student winners from the fall and spring competitions for an entrepreneurial showdown at the chamber’s annual meeting in May.
Pinnacle Advisory Group Inc. Director of Sales & Marketing John Riina awarded the following students: 1st place: Kayleigh Harkay, for her presentation of PerdidoFido, a multi-functional GPS and vital health tracking collar to keep pets safe and healthy. 2nd place: Sean Parler, for his presentation of Ride of Your Life, a web-based business for renting classic and dream cars. 3rd place: Hannah Brandon for her presentation of Club Mixer, a teen-only nightclub for Howard County, offering a safe location to hang out, chill with friends and dance the night away.