Purpose Pitch Competition

Student Category

• First Place: Claoe Louis (BUS ’07), DePaul MBA student | Miranda is a mobile app that aims to create a safe experience for individuals when encountering police during routine traffic stops. Miranda instantaneously connects individuals seeking legal advice and mediation, with legal professionals able to provide that support in real-time.
• Second Place: Christopher Williams | Black Saturday School, a signature program created by Spheres of Influence, an educational consulting firm. Black Saturday School is a series of self-paced or group-based online learning modules designed to inspire Black children to achieve greatness by building core skills in math, reading and critical thinking within the context of the rich history of Black Americans.
• Third Place: Kellstadt Graduate School of Business student Teagen Andrews, MBA graduate and current master’s student Virginia Head | ReusaBowl, an app that enables restaurants to utilize and maintain an inventory of reusable containers, made from recycled plastic, for off-premise dining.
• Fourth Place: Adan Soriano, Kellstadt Graduate School of Business master's student | Sustenance Truck aims to alleviate the effects of food insecurity via the creation and provision of nutrition-centric meals and connecting beneficiaries with additional locally available resources to prosper generational health and success.

Alumni Category

• First Place: Ruthie Moore (LAS ’10) and Chanettia Nelson (BA ’09, MPA ’13) | Six Degrees Events, Inc. is a virtual events company that offers customized planning and consulting services to individuals, nonprofits and corporations.
• Second Place: Nathan Parkins (BUS ’13) | FlameFi, a budget and collaboration tool for consumers and financial coaches and advisors to set and achieve financial aims.
• Second Place: Syeda Ahmed (BS) | Tutors Loop is an innovative freelancing platform matching qualified tutors and students around the globe.
• Fourth Place: Caroline Kurdej (BA ’19) | Go For Gold prepares student-athletes to excel throughout their collegiate careers, and well after.

Student Category

• First place: Victoria Martin del Campo Cano, undergraduate honors student studying entrepreneurship at the Driehaus College of Business. | Let’s Link, an app for student commuters to connect and ride together to decrease the risk of public transit.
• Second place: Edward Sanchez, undergraduate honors student studying management and finance at the Driehaus College of Business. | PagoPay, a project designed to facilitate the transfer of money between the U.S. and Ecuador.
• Third place: Tom Leamon, an undergraduate student studying computer science at DePaul. | AVsync.LIVE, an app program to enhance music and video experiences.

Alumni Category

• First place: Rocco Guarino (BUS '18) | Meals from the Heart, which has supported frontline health care workers with more than 750 individually packaged, donor-signed homemade meals.
• Second place | All Together, a design studio focused on community branding, engagement and placemaking. All Together takes big picture ideas through a participatory process and turn them into community-backed realities.
• Third place: Jessie Amga (BUS '18) | EcoSolves, a company designed to help people take a direct part in decreasing the plastic and micro-plastic pollution in the world by providing single-use bathroom products without the plastic packaging.

• Bevon Joseph (MS '19) | Greenwood Project, a nonprofit that builds a diversity pipeline for minority students to get into the financial services industry.
• Dianna Harris (MFA '15, MS '18) | The Corner, a small business incubator and collaborative space for Southside Chicagoans.
• Badar Al Lawati (MS '11) | BridgeLink, which mediates the process of fair-employment through a platform designed specifically for refugees and employers.
• Kevin Sofen (MBA '16) | Wristponsible, a startup that raises awareness and funds for grassroots water projects by creating a community of action.
• Ari Carter and Peyton Pritikin | Cloche, an online investment platform developed by millennial women for millennial women.
• Evan Mahoney (BA '07) | Profile Peace, a social media closure and memorialization service that helps social media users lay online profiles to rest.

• Ann Foley (LAS ’99) | 10th Avenue Tea, which delivers instant matcha tea powder in a patent-pending eco-friendly shaker bottle.
• Esteban Perez (BUS '18) | Universala Esports, a community-centered business with the goal of providing e-sports centers for young people throughout Chicago and beyond.
• Savy Leiser (MA '19) | The Furever Home Friends, a series of children’s books that tell the stories of real shelter dogs and teaches kids about social issues.
• Adero Knott (BA '13) | AK Prosthetics, tech-driven prosthetic limb company that empowers people and builds confidence through customized and easily accessible prosthetics.

• Elizabeth (MBA '15) and Melissa Ames | EarlyVention, a subscription services company that designs comprehensive activity boxes with visual, sensory and interactive components for children with autism and special needs.