Forty-five aspiring entrepreneurs presented their early-stage business ideas in a low-stress pitch competition at Horton-Hardgrave Hall on Oct. 1 and 10 walked away with $1,000 in prize money to pursue their dreams. 

The third-annual Auburn Ideas Jam gave ambitious Auburn students and community competitors three minutes to pitch a business idea followed by five minutes of question and answer from the judges.  

“We continue to see strong student and community interest in the Auburn Ideas Jam,” said Joshua Sahib, director of the Lowder Center for Family Business and Entrepreneurship, which hosted the event. “A key goal of the program is to get entrepreneurs off the sidelines and to start acting on their business ideas. It’s always exciting to see folks taking that initial leap on what will hopefully be a long and winding entrepreneurial journey.” 

According to Jennifer Babl, Lowder Center program manager, the participants were divided into 10 pitch booths each with a handful of competitors and a panel of judges. 

Isabella Barreiro, freshman in pre-interior design, was one of the 10 winners of Auburn Ideas Jam.

Barriero pitched her business idea Chifforo, a cost-efficient clothing rental app that centers on a community of borrowers and lenders.  

Unlike existing clothing rental services, Chifforo will connect users to others from their own community. Barreiro formulated the idea for Chifforo while reflecting on the struggle to find affordable outfits for college events, such as football games, interviews and sorority events. 

Alongside the monetary prize, Barreiro was rewarded with the connections she made with other participants.  

“It was just altogether a really creative and professionally driving experience, just to be around all of these talented people,” said Barreiro. “I know that every other person who pitched is going to go amazing places.” 

Barreiro hopes to participate in another pitch competition in her future, encouraged by her positive experience at Auburn Ideas Jam. 

 “I plead to everyone who is remotely interested in pitching to give it a shot next year. It’s a one-day event that will completely transform your entire month at Auburn.” Barreiro said. 

The event brought a wide array of business pitches from a diverse set of participants.  

Samuel Ginn College of Engineering alumni Kazybek Mizam (‘23) pitched his business idea, Sake, a virtual assistant chatbot for international students.  

Mizam, who graduated with a degree from Auburn University in software engineering, currently works as a software developer. With his expertise in the field, Mizam wants to create an online chatbot to help international students navigate issues such as taxes and housing, which differ in the U.S. compared to other countries.  

“We want to make it personalized based on the student’s background, like where they came from,” said Mizam. 

The Auburn Ideas Jam was a great way to complete his first pitch and network with others, said Mizam.  

Dakota Bowden, a sophomore in business management and entrepreneurship, also pitched at Ideas Jam.  

Bowden’s business idea focuses on solving the issues that come with interior design. Movers for interior design companies can spend multiple hours assembling furniture only for the customer to not like how it looks, said Bowden. 

To combat this issue, Bowden wants to create virtual reality software that allows customers to see the items in their space prior to purchasing.  

For Bowden, the Auburn Ideas Jam was a way to meet others and network.  

“[Auburn Ideas Jam helped with] breaking that nervous factor and getting more used to this environment,” said Bowden. 

Congratulations to all the Auburn Ideas Jam winners: 

Reginald Martin	New Challenger Esports
Dominique Treadwell	Spoonlight Ice Cream
Luke Dixon	PALS
Wells Renkens	OperaTech
Isabella Barreiro	Chifforo
Moises Gonzalez	Farmhub
Hayden Hassell	Reelvo
Philip Strate	Poster Tubes
Simon Worley	BandIt Duck Calls
Cody Fuller	Apex Baitworks

During his closing remarks, Joshua Sahib encouraged participants that this was just one step in their journey and there were other opportunities ahead. For student participants, he encouraged them to consider registering for upcoming pitch competitions, such as the New Venture Accelerator’s Halloween Pitch Competition and the Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition, both of which have deadlines in the weeks immediately following the Ideas Jam.  

These competitions provide winners with some of the seed capital necessary to pursue their business ideas in earnest. 

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