University of Montana students had the opportunity to present their business ideas in a 60-second format during the recent Griz Pitch competition. The event, held earlier this month, was organized by the College of Business and funded through a grant from the Folley Foundation, which is led by UM alumnus and entrepreneur Conner Folley.
Erik Guzik, assistant clinical professor of management and entrepreneurship at UM, started Griz Pitch last year as part of the UM Innovation and Entrepreneurship Symposium. The competition is designed to give students an initial platform for feedback on their entrepreneurial ideas and prepare them for more advanced contests such as the Ruffatto Startup Challenge in the spring.
“Griz Pitch is meant to be much less demanding and give students an opportunity to get some feedback on their ideas and take that first step into entrepreneurship,” Guzik said. “The whole point is to create more of a culture of entrepreneurship on campus and better support our students who are interested in launching their own ideas.”
Fourteen students participated in this year’s contest, presenting business concepts that included a thrifting bridal shop, 3D land mapping services, health tracking apps, and motorsports maintenance tools. Each participant outlined a problem, proposed a solution, and explained how their idea differed from current businesses. A total of $5,000 in prize money was awarded, with $2,000 going to the winner.
Braeden Nissen, a sophomore majoring in marketing and management from Stevens, Washington, won first place for her pitch about Little B’s—a sparkling apple juice product for children featuring simple ingredients and reduced sugar content. Nissen’s family owns a beverage production facility; she has been considering this business concept for several years.
“I’m so passionate about this idea,” she said. “It’s something I’ve thought about for years.”
Nissen explained that summarizing her proposal within 60 seconds was challenging but required focusing on key points. “You have to stick with what you think is most important,” she said. “There’s a lot of aspects I would have loved to talk about, but you don’t have the time.”
She also described feeling nervous before presenting: “If you hear a thudding, that’s just my heart beat,” Nissen said before starting her pitch.
To prepare for Griz Pitch and future competitions like the Ruffatto Startup Challenge—which will award $50,000 to UM students in the spring—Nissen worked with other entrepreneurial students in Guzik’s Startup Studio classroom space. She appreciated receiving advice from both peers and Guzik regarding market research strategies and responding to investor interest.
“He just gives well-rounded advice,” Nissen said. “He gives really good advice on what market research to do and where I should be looking.”
Guzik emphasized that these entrepreneurial opportunities are available to all majors at UM: “The bigger picture is to provide our students with more than their normal academic experience,” he said. “We can introduce them to creative problem solving and this idea of entrepreneurship if they are interested in launching their own venture.”
Students interested in participating or learning more can contact Guzik directly via email.
