The Shields School of Business’ 12th annual SF-U-Pitch competition brought student entrepreneurs together for a Shark Tank-style event on March 25.
Cash prizes were presented to the top three finishers, with the money to be used to grow the winners’ business ideas. Winners were selected by a panel of four judges.
The event was sponsored by the University’s Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization. Roughly 50 people attended the event.
This year there were 10 contest entries. Seven of the entries were selected to present five-minute pitches to the judges at last month’s event. A five-minute question-and-answer session followed each pitch.
Anthony Gengarella, a sophomore from Montgomery Village, Maryland, won first place at the competition, securing $1,000 in seed money for his business idea.
His business is named “Trap Disciple.” It is a brand that blends streetwear with digital content centered on the Christian faith and personal growth.
“It’s a brand that combines short-form content with streetwear to reach people who are searching for purpose,” said Gengarella.
The Marketing major said that his business idea was shaped by his upbringing. He saw people around him who lacked direction. Seeing some of these people’s bad outcomes influenced his perspective and the message behind his brand.
“I’ve been around people chasing things that don’t really fulfill you,” Gengarella said. “That made me realize how real it is and how easy it is to go down the wrong path.”
He said Trap Disciple is designed to go beyond clothing by offering a sense of identity and belonging through its message. The brand focuses on connecting with individuals searching for something deeper than surface-level fulfillment.
“The message behind Trap Disciple is giving people a real sense of purpose and showing them that they can belong before they believe,” Gengarella said.
“It’s about helping people find something deeper than what the environment tells them to chase.”
As he began sharing content online and growing his following, people began to respond to the brand’s message, reinforcing his determination and confirming his belief that his business could grow into something larger.
Gengarella said that he will use the prize money to purchase software and tools to further develop both the content and apparel sides of Trap Disciple.
Two teams tied for the second-place prize money at SF-U-Pitch, securing $500 each for their business ventures.
HeatMark was one of the runner-up finishers. It is a business concept developed by Seraphina Callaghan and Lauren Farabaugh.
Callaghan is a junior Environmental Engineering major from Beaver Falls. Farabaugh is a junior General Engineering major from Loretto.
Their product uses thermochromic dye designed to change color when exposed to heat, with applications aimed at improving safety for workers in industrial environments.
Farabaugh and Callaghan said their idea originated from an Engineering course they completed at SFU.
“Placing second in the SF-U-Pitch competition is both an honor and a strong validation of the work our team put into HeatMark,” Callaghan said.
Tying for second-place at the competition was Street2Elite, a basketball training program created by sisters Breann and Casey Kuhn.
Breann is an Occupational Therapy major and Casey majors in Marketing. They are from Fallentimber.
Their program offers mobile training sessions focused on basketball fundamentals such as ball-handling, shooting and defense. Their goal is to increase access to training opportunities for athletes in underserved areas.
“Since basketball gave so much to me, I would like to share my love for it with others,” said Breann.
“We want to give all players a chance to succeed, no matter where they are located,” said Casey.
For Gengarella, taking home the first-place prize money reinforced his confidence in his business.
“This means a lot to me,” Gengarella said. “It’s proof that I’m on the right path.”
