Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Fall 2023 Pop-up pitch competitions
SFA students, give it your best shot in 30 seconds! Pitch your idea for a problem you want to solve or a business you want to start or have started.
The competition is open to all majors. You can join us at a pop-up pitch event in your college or stop by the Baker Pattillo Student Center Spirit Lounge on a Wednesday that works best for you. View the pop-up pitch dates for more details.
Fall 2023 prizes
The top six finalists from these competitions will pitch at a Lumberjacks basketball game at the beginning of the spring semester. The winner will advance to the annual Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition in April 2024 for a chance to win more prizes.
- First place each college: a $1,000 scholarship and automatic entry in the overall SFA pitch competition
- First place overall: $2,000 in additional scholarships
- Second place overall: $1,000 in additional scholarships
- Third place overall: $500 in additional scholarships
Pop-up pitch dates
Open pitches
Wednesday, Oct. 18-Nov. 29 (except Thanksgiving week)
Noon-1 p.m., Baker Pattillo Student Center Spirit Lounge
Pitches within each college
Thursdays, Oct. 19-Nov. 30 (except Thanksgiving)
Locate your college in the list below for dates and location details.
- Business, Rusche College of
- Oct. 19, Noon-1 p.m., Location TBA
- Education, James I. Perkins College of
- Nov. 16, Noon-1 p.m., Location TBA
- Fine Arts, Micky Elliott College of
- Nov. 30, Noon-1 p.m., Location TBA
- Forestry and Agriculture, Arthur Temple College of
- Oct. 26, Noon-1 p.m., Agriculture Building
- Oct. 30, Noon-1 p.m., Forestry Building
- Liberal and Applied Arts, College of
- Nov. 2, Noon-1 p.m., Location TBA
- Sciences and Mathematics, College of
- Nov. 9, Noon-1 p.m., Location TBA
Campuswide annual "Shark Tank"-style competition
Open to all students regardless of major, the Lumberjack Entrepreneurship Competition judges evaluate contestants on:
- the market opportunities for their businesses
- and their situational awareness, pitches, business models and go-to-market strategies.
2024 competition information will be announced late October
We're working hard to finalize the competition details and will post information as soon as everything is ready!
2023 competition recap
First place
The first-place prize of $5,000 went to Clarity Vape Filters, a one-size-fits-all filter for electronic cigarettes by Walker Ridgeway, a senior in entrepreneurship from The Woodlands.
Second place
Management exchange student Bacem Ben Daly from Tunisia earned the $3,000 second-place prize with Salve, a social networking app that matches locations and similar interests.
Third place
The $1,500 third-place prize went to Abbi Williams, a business junior from Nacogdoches, for Conceal What Matters, a line of modest, conceal-carry athletic wear.
2022 competition recap
First place
The first-place prize of $5,000 went to Reefvita, a sea moss smoothie business developed by Stephan McLawrence, a graduate student in finance from Carriacou, Grenada.
Second place
General business sophomore Quinton Williams of Dallas earned the $3,000 second-place prize with his apparel business event QC B5 Beauty Pageant.
Third place
The $1,500 third-place prize went to entrepreneurship major and senior Ryan Waugh of Austin for his educational video game Play Gov.
