Congratulations to Emily Kestyn ’21 on receiving the second-place prize at the 2021 Connecticut Business Pitch Competition!
The Connecticut statewide Collegiate Business Plan Competition, organized by the Entrepreneurship Foundation, was held on Friday, April 23. The annual event included a business plan competition as well as an Elevator Pitch Olympics event where 14 schools across the state were represented.
Emily Kestyn ‘21, an accounting major minoring in entrepreneurial studies from the Barney School of Business, was awarded second place and a $1,000 prize for her pitch of 5thYear Furnishings, a college campus recycling and reusing program for dorm goods. Kestyn was one of the winners of the UHart Hawk Hunt Pitch Competition in December 2020.
Milena Erwin, who is a Barney School faculty member and Women’s Business Center program manager, was Kestyn’s coach for the competition. Erwin is excited about Kestyn’s accomplishment and says “Emily had a creative relatable idea and a strong well-practiced pitch. It was wonderful to see the tradition of University of Hartford students successfully competing statewide. Way to go, Emily!”
About UHart's Hawk Hunt Pitch Competition
The Hawk Hunt Competition is a pitch competition organized by the Barney School of Business since 2019. The competition gives students from across the campus a chance to pitch their business ideas, no matter what majors they are in. Students are asked to deliver a one-minute pitch of their innovative business idea and the winners are awarded cash prizes while receiving valuable feedback from the judges. In the spring 2021 Hawk Hunt Pitch Competition, three members of the Barney School of Business Board of Visitors also provided coaching sessions to help the winners polish their ideas. Learn more.
About the Entrepreneurial Studies Program at Barney School:
The Barney School of Business has been ranked as one of the top business schools in the country by both Bloomberg Business and The Princeton Review and our accreditation by AACSB places the Barney School among the top five percent of business schools in the world. Our Entrepreneurial Studies is one of the most sought-after programs by students. This interdisciplinary major gives a holistic approach to learning various aspects of business like finance, marketing, law, and accounting. Through this program, students will be well equipped to start their own ventures. Learn more.
About Entrepreneurship Foundation
The Foundation's mission is to provide effective resources for Educators and Entrepreneurs. Learn more about statewide entrepreneurial events here.