High Point University students proposed their business ideas to a panel of judges and earned a combined $20,000 in start-up funds during HPU’s 15th annual Elevator Pitch Competition. Pictured from left were second-place winner Eva Thorn, a junior finance major; first-place winner Mason Wolford, a junior entrepreneurship major; third-place winner Rose Ariyan, a junior sales major; and Rock Star Rookie Award winner Liam Carney, a senior entrepreneurship major.
HIGH POINT, N.C., Dec. 1, 2025 – High Point University students proposed their business ideas to a panel of judges and earned a combined $20,000 in start-up funds during HPU’s 15th annual Elevator Pitch Competition.
The competition was hosted by the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship as part of HPU’s Global Entrepreneurship Week, an international initiative that introduces entrepreneurship to young people across the globe.
HPU students made 14 presentations on Nov. 12 as they competed for funding to launch or continue developing their business plans. They will present those business plans during another competition in April that will include approximately $30,000 as start-up funds.
HPU Lacrosse Player Earns First Place
Mason Wolford, a junior entrepreneurship major and an HPU lacrosse player, was awarded $10,000 for his business, PlayFast.
PlayFast is a small motion device attached to a lacrosse stick that can track the speed of shots and provide real-time feedback for players. Wolford said lacrosse is the fastest-growing college sport and that his product also was a finalist in the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s elevator pitch competition in Tampa, Florida.
The judges at HPU described PlayFast as an interesting idea that could be used for other activities outside its target market. Wolford said the start-up funds will help his product become a reality.
“There are so many things I can use it for to get marketing and brand awareness. It will be great,” said Wolford, who is from Columbus, Ohio, about the start-up funds. “It will be tremendous to develop my product further, my prototype, and get closer to going to the market.”
Student Takes Second Place with Dry Shampoo Product
Eva Thorn, a junior finance major, was awarded $6,000 to develop her business, Oh Sheet! Her product is a dry shampoo in sheet form that removes oil and provides an instant hair refresh without residue or build-up.
While researching the market, Thorn said she saw a clear demand for an on-the-go solution for busy people and that she has a patent pending.
“This is going to help me get my patent, finalize my product and my formula so I can actually start my initial production run,” said Thorn, who is from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Flower Delivery Product Wins Third Place
Rose Ariyan, a junior sales major, won third place and $3,000 to develop her business, LiroTech. Her product is a disposable filter designed to maintain the freshness of flowers while they are being delivered. Poorly delivered flowers lead to lost time and sales for florists, she said.
“Definitely the support and guidance from High Point University’s Entrepreneurship Center will help me keep going,” said Ariyan, who is from Warren, New Jersey.
Basketball Player Receives Rock Star Rookie Award
Liam Carney, a senior entrepreneurship major and a member of the HPU men’s basketball team, won the Rock Star Rookie Award and $1,000 to develop his business, HyGuard. The wearable mouth guard features built-in microsensors that measure more than 20 key metrics for athletes.
“It’s a pretty new idea so this will help me have some funding to kickstart my business and finalize prototyping,” said Carney, who is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. “Once prototyping is done, I will begin running field tests on my own team and then other athletic teams across the whole campus. The funding is going to be used toward that. It will be a good kickstart for sure.”
Judges’ Comments
The five-judge panel had a hard time deciding the winners of the competition, which included a variety of businesses ranging from mobile IVs for marathon runners and smart collar monitors for pet health to products designed to make boat docking easier or to prevent children from overheating in cars.
“I’ve done a lot of these competitions, judged things over the years, and this probably is the most competitive one I’ve had to do,” said Nathan Powell, founder of First Launch Capital and co-founder of CareFi Capital in Greensboro, North Carolina. “These are some awesome ideas. In fact, we really want to help you guys out – that’s one of the things that we do in the entrepreneur community. We see folks who are trying to build something, and we want to reach out and give you guys some recommendations.”
The other four judges were Leah Hazelwood, CEO of Go Forth Marketing and Carolina Core Professional Center; Matt McKenna, an automotive advertising industry veteran who co-founded the consulting firm Dealer Roadmap with his daughter, HPU alumna Grace McKenna; Clint Walker, an HPU alumnus who is a financial advisor at Edward Jones and co-founder of Freedom Academy; and C.J. Meenan, co-founder of XP Startup Labs.
The elevator pitch sponsors were Steve and Jackie Bell/The Bell Foundation, Truist Financial Corporation, The Bailey and Trey McKee Entrepreneurship Fund, Simon Jewelers by Gary Simon, Jennifer and Christopher Meenan and an anonymous donor.