Chickpea Candy Bar Among Winners at Panther Pitch

Kay Bailey

She/Her

Editor-in-Chief

12/1/24

The 10th anniversary of the Panther Pitch, Plymouth State’s “Shark Tank”-style professional pitching competition, brought alumni, business owners, students and $12,000 in prize money to the stage at The Flying Monkey November 20th.. 

The panther pitch has just a few rules. Each pitch must be original. Presentations are constrained to a 2-minute time frame, with a 3-minute follow up Q&A with the judges. There are strictly no powerpoint presentations allowed, though handcrafted poster board and handout pamphlets are acceptable.

Split into two sections, community-based pitches and product pitches, 12 finalist groups took to the stage with their big ideas for PSU and beyond. Dylan Rasmussen ‘26, winner of the 3rd place prize in community, spoke out against technological dependency. His idea for a non-profit organization, called unprocessed.org, would work to inform people about the dangers of phone addiction and offer solutions for support. Kieryn Hewitt ‘25 and Sophia Tobin ‘27 championed health advocacy training, a program designed to give younger people a larger, more informed voice in the medical office. Hewitt and Tobin won the most creative pitch award, and 2nd place in the community section.

The first place prize in the community section went to Cara LaPlante ’24, a senior who created the Collegiate Recovery Program. Informing the audience about her own past with substance abuse, LaPlante said her peer-based program would offer a structured environment for recovery. The Collegiate Recovery Program already has plans to partner with Archways, a program prioritising family and peer recovery support services, providing training and education to peer mentors. The program would uplift the community and its members, as well as work to create young leaders. LaPlante also won Best Overall Pitch and People’s Choice awards.

In the product division, Grace Georges ‘25 developed an app devoted to tracking a person’s emotional wellbeing. Her app would connect to Apple Watches, Fitbits, and other similar products. In addition to the Best Overall Pitch award, Georges placed 3rd place overall in the product category. The second place winner, Andrew McAllister ‘25, strived to address the drug problem facing the U.S.. His product, the Panther Guardian Kit, is an emergency style bag for anyone suffering from an overdose. The kit would include Narcan and instructions on how to administer it safely, and could be placed in any building, classroom, or storefront.

Undeniably the most memorable competitor of the night, Joe Zuber ‘25 swept the competition with his unique product concept. As a victim of both gluten and peanut allergies, Zuber designed a candy bar safe from common allergens. With the only food-based pitch of the night, Zuber started off his two minutes a little uneasy, but finished strong with an impassioned Q+A with the judges. Zuber said he has always had a love for cooking and baking, and his maple and chickpea chocolate covered morsel caught the judges’ attention. Zuber took home the Most Creative Pitch and People’s Choice awards, and claimed 1st place in the product section.

The event’s host, Encatus, also presented the first annual Hall of Fame Award for Business Entrepreneurship. Winners of this first time honor were Alex Ray and Todd Angilly. Known for his Common Man restaurants, hospitality, and venues across New Hampshire, Ray was honored for his continued success in both industry and philanthropy. The award recognized Ray’s aid relief fund for Ukraine. Angilly, a PSU alumnus, is the resident Boston Bruins national anthem singer. He acted as Panther Pitch MC for the night as well, gracing the audience with a hasty version of the anthem before introducing the competitors.