From organizing cheerleading competitions to creating weighted beanies to implementing innovative networking methods, Illinois State University students have creative ideas for addressing challenges and filling business gaps. 

Students presented their unique entrepreneurial plans to a panel of four judges during the annual Startup Showcase, hosted by Illinois State University’s George R. and Martha Means Center for Entrepreneurial Studies on November 8 in the Aaron Leetch Stadium Club. 

The Shark Tank-inspired competition, open to all majors, enables students to pitch their business ideas for a chance to win up to $10,000 in funding.

This year, seven finalists shared a total prize pool of $24,000. Jillian Sutkay, a junior business administration major, was the first-place, $10,000 winner for her business idea, Illinois Spirit Company, which “aims to revolutionize high school cheerleading by organizing a variety of cheerleading competitions in Illinois.” 

Sutkay aims to transform high school cheerleading by elevating its status and giving it the same level of credibility and recognition as other high school sports. 

“My goal is to have these competitions be at a high scale and, hopefully, make it a bigger sport and taken more seriously as a sport for future generations,” Sutkay said. 

By 2025, Sutkay hopes to host her first competition and expand the number of competitions in the coming years with support from the Startup Showcase funding. 

“I hope that if this year goes well and my competition is successful, I can expand to four or five competitions next season and make it a full season,” Sutkay said. “In the future, I’d love to include middle school divisions, create apparel like uniforms and bows, and even run summer camps. There’s so much potential for growth, including expanding to other states.” 

Blue Oasis, a business offering both weighted and unweighted beanies designed to support individuals with Autism, pledges to donate 15% of its profits to an organization dedicated to benefiting the Autism community. Presented by Nick Macchione, his business earned second place and a $6,000 prize. 

OVAL Networking is a high-tech wristband and keychain that functions like a tap-and-pay device. It connects to an app to facilitate quick sharing of contact information for seamless networking between individuals. Presented by Wendell Miller, it secured third place and a $4,000 prize. The remaining four finalists each received $1,000 to support their businesses. 

Terry Lowe ’72, MBA ’77, an instructional assistant professor in the College of Business and the Startup Showcase coordinator and student coach, said this year’s submissions were focused on solving societal problems and concerns, and he credited the student entrepreneurs for being “tuned in” to products and services that people want. 

“All of the ideas serve a good purpose,” Lowe said. “They’re creative, and they have done good research, so they all have a lot of potential.” 

All three winners shared their feelings of surprise and gratitude for rising to the top of the Startup Showcase. 

“It’s an amazing feeling. Being a finalist in general was a really great experience. Knowing how far I’ve come to get to this position is incredible,” Miller said. 

The panel of judges included Paul Kelson, an accounting instructional assistant professor at Illinois State; Charles Lesser, a wealth manager at Performance Health; Michael Mance, vice president of financial operations at Dialysis Care Center; and Steve Romanelli, the current chairman and CEO of Core Pipe Products, Inc.

Past Startup Showcase winners include Packback (featured on ABC’s Shark Tank), Open Source Classroom, BizzBaits, and First Hand Museum. 

“We have students go out and do much better than they would have if they had no funding at all, and they don’t have to rely on investors, who are sometimes difficult to find,” Lowe said. “So, this really does give them a little push and a startup opportunity.”