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This past week at the Entrepreneurship Institute has been an epic adventure of learning and business ideation! The culmination of this year’s Institute featured the biggest Pitch Challenge held to date. Students formed teams and developed business products based on a prompt, and each team battled it out “Shark Tank” style to showcase the best idea, organization, finances, and presentational pitch elements.
To decide the victors in this challenge, we hosted a panel of judges who each brought professional and entrepreneurial expertise to weigh the presentations. We were honored to have guest judges such as Vermont State Treasurer Mike Pieciak, Hula owner and entrepreneur Russ Scully, Vermont Representative Shawn Sweeney, and several other esteemed members of the Vermont Small Business Association as judges!
Although every team offered an incredible idea and presentation, the grand prize went to Team Cue, who offered a product designed around wearable technology to support public speaking and calm nervous presenters. Members of Team Cue included Ella Kitts, Rex Wise, and Ginger Berg.
See more photos from the Entrepreneurship Institute here, as well as slide decks from each team’s presentation here!
The members of Team Cue came home to fanfare and celebration in their local news. Read more about their product and each students’ contribution in these local papers!
Manchester Journal July 9, 2026
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Institute, and congratulations to Team Cue for their win!
See the full video of each team’s pitch here.
