A pair of Grove City College entrepreneurs collected first place and a $10,000 prize last weekend at Allegheny College’s Zingale Big Idea Competition.
Max Muncy '25, a Business Analysis major from Knightstown, Ind., and Justin DeMild '24, a Management major from Douglassville, Pa., successfully pitched Athletes After, a sports recruitment platform designed to help give high school athletes the power and information they need to make the right choices for their college career, at the competition held April 26 and 27.
Athletes After is being developed within Grove City College’s Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation’s (E+I) ecosystem. Muncy and DeMild participated in E+I’s VentureLab and VentureLaunch programs, which help students gauge the viability of their business.
They competed – and won $3,650 – in the 2023 Wolverine Venture Battle and, under the E+I Fellows program, hired two student interns to further expand their business, which they plan to continue to grow after they graduate.
The Center for E+I’s Campus Director, Logan Hammerschmitt, stated, “ The team at the Center for E+I couldn’t be more proud of Justin and Max for representing us well at Allegheny College’s Zingale Big Idea Competition, and we can’t wait to see where this business carries them. I’m thrilled that these students, both of whom are former members of the GCC football team whose careers were cut short due to injury, have found a way to help others pursue their dream of participating in college athletics.”
The Zingale Big Idea Competition focuses on seed-level new business ideas and emulates the experiences seen on the show “Shark Tank,” but “with a heart,” organizers said. Unlike the TV show, judges provide constructive feedback and encouragement.
For more about the Center for Entrepreneurship + Innovation, visit gccentrepreneurship.com.