Three student entrepreneurs are competing Thursday in the final round of the annual State System Startup Challenge, including a PennWest freshman who hails from Westmoreland County.
The trio, selected from a field of 60 individuals and teams from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education’s campuses across the commonwealth, will pitch their original business plans to a panel of judges for a chance to win capital to support or expand their business.
The top prize is $10,000, and second- and third-place finishers will receive prizes of $5,000 and $2,500, respectively.
“Thank you to the students and universities that competed in this year’s State System Startup Challenge,” PASSHE Chancellor Dan Greenstein said in a prepared statement. “The ingenuity and energy of these finalists speaks volumes about the spirit of innovation that is thriving at our universities. Several past winners of this competition have launched their own businesses from the ideas born of this real-life experience, and I look forward to the new businesses that may emerge from this year’s competition.”
Victoria Heffelfinger, a PennWest special education student from North Huntingdon, will pitch her company, Wildlife Water School LLC, an aquatic instruction school that provides swimming lessons for people ages 6 months and older. Offering an inclusive environment for people of all abilities and backgrounds, the school provides basic skills, infant swimming resources and advanced instruction. Specialized lessons for people with disabilities or other challenges are also available. Wildlife Water School plans to offer aquatic therapy in the future.
Pennsylvania Western University, created through the combination last year of three PASSHE universities — California, Clarion and Edinboro — is the second-largest university in the 10-county Pittsburgh metro as ranked by full-time undergraduate enrollment in fall 2022.
The other finalists are Stelios Melekos, an East Stroudsburg University junior whose Blitz Performance LLC provides anglers with lures and apparel, and Jake Henry, a West Chester University senior whose Lectra Technologies LLC helps people navigate their rehabilitation process and complete physical therapy.
“These student entrepreneurs have innovative and exciting startups that combine business, health care and education, which are three fields in high demand in Pennsylvania,” Cynthia Shapira, the Pittsburgher who chairs PASSHE’s board of governors, said in a prepared statement. “State System universities are preparing thousands of students for success as entrepreneurs, and I commend the supportive faculty and the remarkable ingenuity and energy of the students.”
