The University of Wisconsin-Platteville hosted the fourth annual Elevator Pitch competition, sponsored by PACCE, Feb. 18.

The competition required students to present a pitch to a panel of judges in an attempt to convince them that they have the most effective business idea.

An elevator pitch illustrates a situation where one is on an elevator with a potential business investor and has no more than two minutes to present an idea.

This year’s competition included 28 students, but only two students pitched two ideas.

At the competition’s venue, there were two rooms, each consisting of three judges, where students had two minutes to present their idea and respond to the judges’ questions.

Also, the event provided participants with snacks and a comfortable seating area while waiting to hear the top-six finalists.

In a separate room, coaches from the community and university were available to speak with students after their pitch for extra feedback about their pitches.

When the top-six students were chosen for the final rounds, the judges came together and the students used the acquired information from various coaches to revise their pitches.

From this point forward, only three people were chosen to progress throughout the competition.

This year, there were three winners: industrial engineering major Josh Terrill, who won the first-place prize of $200, general engineering major Josh Dust, who won the second-place prize of $175 and business administration major Sarah Schultz, who won the third-place prize of $150.

Schultz’s pitch was a handcrafted artisan jewelry business.

She has a history of handcrafting jewelry and truly values her work.

After hearing about the competition through her entrepreneurship class, Schultz was convinced that she wanted to compete in the event and express her love for handmade jewelry.

Schultz took roughly four hours to write her script, research more information about the art and practice the pitch, and she ultimately won third place in the competition.

Agricultural business major Joshua Joseph pitched on a cattle catching company after, through a summer internship, he saw how bad the restraints were for cattle.

Agricultural business and soil and crop science major Austin Underdahl performed a pitch about grain storage after having many conversations with his grandfather about the cost of drying and storing corn.

For students who are serious in enhancing their ideas, they have the opportunity to speak with judges, coaches or Pioneer Launch Lab Coordinator Brock Waterman in order to find information or assistance with their ideas.

Despite the end of the competition, students still have an opportunity to build a business model on March 4.

The workshop will begin at 5 p.m. in the University South Room in the Markee Pioneer Student Center.

For more information or to attend the event, register at www.uwplatt.edu/entrepreneurship.