Bulldog B.I.T.E. Pitch Competition Finals

Friday, April 9, 2021
4-6 p.m. (CST)
Watch Event Live

Go to live stream site

Doug and Diane Villhard and previous winners of a Bulldog BITE competition

Created through the vision and philanthropy of Doug (’94) and Diane (’95) Villhard, this annual competition allows Truman students to compete in an elevator pitch competition.

The finals for the Bulldog B.I.T.E Pitch Competition will allow six Truman students an opportunity to present their concept to a panel of alumni judges. The top three finalists receive cash rewards:

  • First Place (Cody Sumter Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award):
    $3,000
  • Second Place (Amanda Gioia Entrepreneurship Award):
    $2,000
  • Third Place:
    $1,000
Charles HunsakerHosted by Charles Hunsaker
Executive Director for University Advancement
Truman State University
SueWelcome by Dr. Sue Thomas
President
Truman State University

Meet the Finalists:

Mitchell Kronsbein
Senior, Business Administration: Finance and Management
St. Louis, MO

Esther Lee
Sophomore, Business Administration: Marketing
Overland Park, KS

Mackenzie Miller
Senior, Business Administration: Management and Marketing
Wentzville, MO

Victor Wei
Sophomore, Computer Science and Statistics
Columbia, MO

Brandon Winston
Sophomore, Business
Kansas City, MO

Logan Yardley
Senior, Accounting
Kirksville, MO

Meet the Judges:

Judges: Final Round

Amanda GioiaAmanda Gioia (’93)
V.P/Chief of Staff, Technology Risk Management, Mastercard

Michael HeckmanMike Heckman (’99)
CEO and Co-Founder, Rockcreek Way

Marco IlardiMarco Ilardi (’99)
Managing Partner, V2 Ventures

Paul McCainPaul J. McCain (’12)
Founder and CEO, Diode Dynamics

Cody SumterCody Sumter (’10)
Product Manager, Facebook

Judges: Practice Round

Stephanie MillsStephanie Mills (’07, ’10)
Co-Owner of Northeast Missouri Properties and Realtor for Century 21 Lifetime Realty

Rashmi PrasadDr. Rashmi Prasad
Dean – School of Business, Truman State University

Anastasia TiedemannAnastasia Tiedemann
Business Counselor, Small Business Development Center/Missouri Rural Enterprise & Innovation Center

Eric WangEric Wang (’19)
Owner, Evolve Midwest

Judges: Qualifying Round

Dan SchmidtDan Schmidt (’02)
President and Founder, EBCFO

Dane StanglerDane Stangler (’01)
Director of Strategic Initiatives at the Bipartisan Policy Center and Senior Advisor at the Global Entrepreneurship Network

Go to live stream site

Learn more about the Bulldog BITE Competition

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