“I was so grateful to hear my name as the winner of The Pitch,” Stout said. “It means a lot to know that an idea that is deeply personal to me also resonated with others. Winning helped turn this business idea into a reality.”
Stout said this is more than a product — it’s a tool born from watching students struggle with abstract concepts that traditional methods failed to explain. She created BrightPond Designs to help address difficulties students and teachers face related to fractions, and hopes the tools will help them feel build understanding and feel more confident when doing fractions.
As for what’s next, Stout plans to expand her product beyond middle school math to other subject areas such as music and science.
“Winning The Pitch opened doors I could only dream of before ... The prize money will allow me to pursue provisional patents, fund initial 3D-printed sets and attend homeschooling conventions and co-ops,” she said. “More importantly, the relationships formed through this process are already helping guide the next steps for my business.”
The Pitch is a “Shark Tank”-style entrepreneurial event, hosted by the university’s Robert W. Plaster School of Business, that provides students with the opportunity to present startup ideas, receive professional feedback and compete for cash prizes.
Five finalists, who progressed through multiple rounds of judging, presented their faith-driven business concepts such as a restaurant rewards app aimed at supporting small-town businesses and a smoothie company geared toward the Cedarville community, to a panel of business leaders during the live event.
Second place ($500) went to Twin Sentries, a cybersecurity venture designed to help churches and nonprofits protect digital assets against online attacks, created by twin brothers John and Josiah Hardway, senior information technology majors from Atoka, Tenn.
Third place ($250) was awarded to Twin World, a recycling solution aimed at reducing fast-fashion waste, by Rhoda Roby, senior computer science major from Raleigh, N. C.
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