Damian Tobias, a sophomore Finance and Global Business major from Elizabethtown, has successfully competed in various national competitions and is making a name for himself as an entrepreneur.
In these competitions, Tobias has always placed in the top 5 percent. He has represented Saint Francis in competitions against numerous schools, including Brown, Penn and Johns Hopkins.
In addition to his success in national business competitions, Tobias is a member of the Honors Program at the University.
Prior to recently exiting via cash settlement, he was also the co-founder of RaritiesMarket in Milwaukee and is currently completing an internship with Clark Associates in Lancaster.
RaritiesMarket is a business that provides collectors and vendors with inventory management software. The company is working toward introducing an online marketplace for collectors and vendors to transact.
“RaritiesMarket desires to give users the ability to fractionally invest in high-value commodities, democratizing rare collectible ownership for all,” said Tobias.
His team at this company includes co-founder Chad Tjugum and developer John Mertz.
“Thanks to an opportunity provided by the CEO Club, I met my co-founder at a global networking conference in Chicago,” said Tobias. “The foundation of RaritiesMarket originated while I was attending SFU.”
Tobias also owns a company called Premier Collectibles in his hometown of Elizabethtown.
One of the events that Tobias’ team has competed in is the Entrepreneur and Innovation Exchange e-Fest (EIX). This undergraduate competition is sponsored by EIX and the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis.
It is a three-day event showcasing business plans from 25 teams chosen from a national pool. Tobias said that a lot of work goes into preparing for this type of competition.
“One-hundred to one-hundred-fifty hours of preparation per competition is necessary to feel comfortable.”
Tobias’ team and the other competitors who advanced to the 2023 EIX finals presented their business plan to over 1,000 people. Following these presentations, judges, advisors, investors, other competitors and keynote speakers asked questions of the finalists.
The competing entrepreneurs were judged on opportunity, advantages, marketing and sales, competitive landscape, revenue model and the current status of their businesses, in addition to being scored on their presentations.
Tobias and his team won a $15,000 prize at this competition.
“While I certainly feel a sense of pride in our accomplishments and hard work, the success that we’ve seen is a testament to those around us who have given continued and unwavering support along the way.
“Everything we have achieved is a product of them and I could not be more thankful.”
RaritiesMarket has pitched at other schools around the country, including TCU and Wisconsin-Whitewater.
“My dad has been my greatest source of knowledge and motivation for me. He instilled values of perseverance, integrity and the importance of fulfilling my aspirations from a young age,” said Tobias.
“My parents’ belief in my potential has given me the confidence to be an entrepreneur.”
