March Madness is Here: The Tiger Cage Finals.
Ten outstanding student-led teams, representing the Harbert College of Business, the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the College of Agriculture, the College of Liberal Arts, and the College of Veterinary Medicine, pitched their business ideas before industry professional judges on Friday February 24, at the Harbert College of Business. The Final Four teams selected to advance to the March 31st Tiger Cage finals round, listed in alphabetical order, are shown below:
Archangel Defense
A provider of customized equipment for any combat situation imaginable, designed for peak mission performance, and above all to make sure everyone who defends our country makes it home.
(Shay Pilcher; Samuel Ginn College of Engineering)
Dropllel
Accurate, rapid, and cost-effective detection of viruses successfully lowering the possibility of large-scale spread.
(Parvin Fathi-Hafshejani; Samuel Ginn College of Engineering)
OMNIS
A peer-to-peer social platform that allows individuals to borrow money through the community with short-term, micro-loans that meet their immediate needs.
(Zakariya Veasey, Evan Henley, Nnamdi Ikenna-Obi; Samuel Ginn College of Engineering)
Rodopto
An agricultural company dedicated to sustainable crop production utilizing advancements in drone technology.
(Scott Rowe; Harbert College of Business)
In its eighth year, the Tiger Cage business pitch competition discovers and rewards early-stage products, services, or business concepts that emerge from Auburn University students. Recent success stories include Vulcan Line Tools, Room2Room Movers, SwiftSKU, Flashtract, Yellow Card, and Tennibot.
The Tiger Cage “Final Four” will be held on March 31 in the Broadway Event Space and Theater located in Horton-Hardgrave Hall. There, teams will compete for $54,000 in early-stage startup capital.
Special recognition and appreciation go to the judges who supported the semifinal round:
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- Jessie Channon, Chief Growth Officer, Columbia Care
- Kristen Cooper, Solutions Architect, SHL
- Tim Denison, President, GDI LLC.
- Parker Duffey, CEO, Chptr, Founder and CEO Tailgate Guys
- Sam Eskildsen, Mainstreet Family Care
- Ben Finley, Managing Partner, The Finley Firm, P.C.
- Matt Kemph, InQtel
- Ralph Runge, RSquare Consulting, Inc.
- Ron Schirer, Owner, Yet Another Broken Egg
- Mark Waisele, Managing Partner, Ninety10 Partners
- Jason Wilson, CEO, Coldwater Mountain Brewpub
Please contact Lou Bifano to learn more about the Tiger Cage business pitch competition as well as the broad array of services provided by the New Venture Accelerator that are available to those who may need help starting a new business or growing an existing one.