By DAVID DUPONT
BG Independent News
A pandemic couldn’t stop the enterprising participants in The Hatch from tackling the world’s problems, big and small.
Bowling Green State University’s version of “The Shark Tank” gives student entrepreneurs a chance to pitch their products to a panel of alumni investors.
The members of the panel can decide to invest in the product, pay for it to get further development through incubation, or pass on it altogether.
Kirk Kern, who directs the programs, emphasized that “it’s not personal, it’s business.”
It’s business with show biz flare – pun-filled catch phrases and flashy graphics. That aspect was toned down this year as the event went virtual – no live band nor cheering crowd. The event did have the advantage of being staged in the brand-new Maurer Center, which offered the technological capabilities needed to pull off this virtual edition.
That kept the spotlight on the eight participants. Two others, Rachel Hannah and Zach Miller, who would have participated in spring when the program was originally scheduled, opted out, though they did make brief appearances. Hannah encouraged other students to participate. Even if she was not pitching her Fisherman’s Ice Pick, she said going through the Hatch process offered great benefits.
The Hatchlings, as they’re called, also compete for the Eggy, a people’s choice award. The voting takes place online.
This year’s winners were the team of Sean O’Donnell and Jake Stucker, who pitched the most ambitious project, two filtration products to keep nutrients from running from fields into the watershed and into Lake Erie where they feed harmful algae blooms.
The friends have been working on the project since they were in the DECA class at Bowling Green High School. Back then they took top honors at the DECA international competition.
On Thursday night, they presented two products. One is a filter that fits on the end of the drainage pipes on tiled farm fields. The second was a filtration system placed in drainage ditches.
The first is aimed at farmers, while the second would be marketed to government entities. The second also has the advantage of filtering out nutrients from non-agricultural sources as well.
Stucker and O’Donnell said the nutrients trapped in filters can be easily removed and reused.
The pair are also working on a deal with researchers at BGSU to incorporate filtration material they have developed into the product.
The investors kicked in $5,000 and a 5 percent stake in the project allowing the AALTO to go into incubation.
Other Hatchlings were:
- Marissa Brubaker presenting the Forever Evolving sports bra.
The bra is intended to make exercising more comfortable for women with large breasts. Now, she said, women experience discomfort, to the extent that some do not exercise.
The bra uses elastic bands which form the cup and wrap around the body. Brubaker has already been working with the Columbus Apparel Studio. The all-male panel of investors drew on advice from female family members and co-workers to determine that there’s a demand for the product, and that it was at the correct price point.
They ended up investing $10,000 with a 10 percent stake plus a $5 a bra royalty to be paid until they recoup their investment.
- Brandon Bayes pitched a can stand and waste weight.
Both are intended to prevent trash cans from tipping over. That’s both unsightly and an environmental problem. The can stand would be sold, Bayes said, to consumers while the waste weight would be sold to municipalities. He’s already worked with Bowling Green, and has had five tests so far. He said he plans to try to do a pilot project with the city in the first year and expand to other cities in subsequent years.
One of the investors, Matthew Yourkvitch, said that in researching the need for the product, he read about Baltimore developing a rat infestation linked to trash on the street from overturned cans.
The panel invested $5,000 with a 5 percent stake.
- Katie Linger pitched CircleU, a personalized mobile network platform.
The idea was spawned by her work involvement on campus, including being a resident advisor. The platform is intended to facilitate connections among students, faculty, and staff to promote mentoring relationships and friendships. Colleges would subscribe to the service.
This is needed in a time when universities are seeking new ways to connect to and retain students. Linger said she hopes to pilot the app at BGSU. She received a $5,000 investment with a 5 percent stake so she could further refine CircleU.
- Jacob Clark, an avid hunter, presented Save A Shot ammo box.
This was Clark’s second Hatch appearance. In 2019 he got help with developing his DecoyL, which he is now in the process of licensing.
Save A Shot stores ammunition in a way that’s easily accessible and keeps it dry. The panel gave him a $5,000 investment with a 5 percent stake. Clark agreed to the deal as long as he could return to them later and ask for further assistance.
Two of the Hatchlings did not secure any investments.
- Ashton Johnson pitched Zip-A-Dee-Shoe-Dah, a shoe with a zipper that was easy to slip on.
The product was aimed at the elderly and people with Parkinson’s and other conditions.
The investors had concerns about how competitive the shoe market was and whether it was distinct enough from what else is on the market.
Investor Mark Fox, however, noted that the shoes are constructed to make them easier to fit over braces. He urged Johnson to focus on this if she wants to further develop the product.
- T.J. Daunch pitched Cordination, a device to help keep cords neatly wrapped.
It could work, he said, with everything from earbud cords to extension cords. The user wraps the cord around Cordination and then is able to slip it off without tangles.
Though the investors agreed there was a need, the product was “not unique enough” in the words of investor George Heath, so they passed.
Also, on the investor panel were Emanuele “Manny” Conti and Joseph Fisch Jr.
Doing the presentation, they honored Brian Sokol, who was on the investor panel since the Hatch was launched nine years ago. He also served until his death from brain cancer as the associate director of the Paul J. Hooker Entrepreneur Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership.
Money for a scholarship in his name was raised during the program.
