Top 10 Big Idea Blog Posts of 2021

With another year in the books, we at the Big Idea Center would like to take a look back and reflect upon the incredible memories and stories that 2021 has brought us as we highlight our 10 most popular Big Idea Blog posts of 2021! We hope that as you browse these insightful articles written by Pitt alum, current Pitt students, our entrepreneurs in residence, local business owners, and more, that you gain inspiration from their points of view as well as additional knowledge to further equip you on your entrepreneurial journey as you head into 2022!

Making Magic: What My Disney Internship Has Taught Me About Innovation

by Spencer Zacher '20, University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering Alum

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

For Pitt alum Spencer Zacher (SSOE '20), this quote couldn't be any more accurate as he got to live out his dream of working at Walt Disney World as an Industrial Engineering Intern! Follow along as Spencer shares his magical experience of what it was like working at the happiest place on Earth, what Disney has taught him about innovation, and what advice he has for those interested in pursuing innovation and entrepreneurship!

Get to Know Our RFBIC 2021 Grand Prize Team, ReSolution!

Big Idea Center's Q&A with ReSolution team members Evan Kerin, Lia Franco, Brendan Mostek, and Maggie Daluga

How did four engineering students become entrepreneurs? What was the inspiration behind their big idea of an automatic, self-cleaning portable case for eye contacts? How did they become involved with the Randall Family Big Idea Competition and what did they learn from participating in it this year?

ReSolution, the RFBIC 2021 grand prize winning team consisting of engineering students Evan Kerin, Lia Franco, Brendan Mostek, and Maggie Daluga (pictured above from left to right), answers all of these questions and more about their Randall journey and what their next steps are after winning the $25,000 grand prize in this blog article!

Women Investing in Women: A Future of Possibilities

by Margot Matouk, Treasurer and Investment Committee Co-Chair at Next Act Fund

"Women receive as little as 3% of all venture capital funding. The number goes as high as 10% if she has a male co-founder. With a disparate reality so profound, my passion around pursuing financial equity for women entrepreneurs has always felt like a moral imperative."

In this blog post, Margot Matouk, Treasurer and Investment Committee Co-Chair of Next Act Fund, addresses gender inequity in the venture capital world, what unique challenges women entrepreneurs face when raising capital for their business, and why supporting women entrepreneurs is a good investment.

8 Ways to Nail Your Business Pitch on Zoom

by Don Morrison, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Big Idea Center

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on virtually every aspect of our lives. This is especially true of how we communicate with others. For the foreseeable future, much of our communications will happen over Zoom or other virtual platforms. So, as an entrepreneur, this is obviously going to change how you go about pitching your idea/company to others, whether that be investors, judges... you name it! In this blog article, Don Morrison, one of our entrepreneurs in residence, shares some tips to help you optimize (and nail) your virtual Zoom pitch.

The Recipe to Building "Sweet" Partnerships

by Lauren Townsend, Co-Founder of Millie's Homemade Ice Cream

We have a pretty *sweet* treat for our blog readers! A great way to expand your reach and further your business's impact on the community is to develop partnerships with other organizations -- but what exactly are the key ingredients that actually go into whipping up a successful collaboration?

Well, we know of one beloved Pittsburgh business who has really been nailing the collab game lately! 

In this blog post, Lauren Townsend, Co-Founder of Millie's Homemade Ice Cream, gives the inside scoop on how to build sweet partnerships as she shares the details of recent Millie's collaborations, why they worked, and how you can ✨sprinkle✨ aspects of this recipe into your own idea's marketing strategy! 🍨

Innovating All the Way to the Bank: My Experience as a PNC Technology & Innovation Intern

by Heather Dillman '22, University of Pittsburgh School of Computing and Information Student

Pitt senior Heather Dillman (SCI '22) recently completed her experience as a Technology and Innovation intern for banking giant PNC Bank! Follow along as Heather reflects on her internship, what PNC has taught her about innovation, and what advice she has for those interested in pursuing innovation and entrepreneurship!

The Joy (and Power) of 3D Printing: The Basics of 3D Printing & What it Means for Entrepreneurs

by Joe Slomowitz '23, University of Pittsburgh College of Business Administration Student

One of the latest technologies that's changing the innovation game is 3D printing. But what exactly can 3D printing do? Is it something that entrepreneurs can realistically use in their startup's operations? Do you have to understand computer programming to use it?

In this blog post, Joe Slomowitz '23 (pictured above), Pitt Business student and creator of slomo's, answers all these questions and more as he goes over:

🖨️ the basics of 3D printing
🖨️ what key opportunities and benefits it provides entrepreneurs and startups
🖨️ how he got involved with 3D printing
🖨️ & areas for innovation within the 3D printing industry

Resources for Black Entrepreneurs

by the Big Idea Center

Here at the Big Idea Center, we believe that entrepreneurship is for everyone. In this blog post, we've provided a helpful list of resources for Black entrepreneurs as a way to help connect them to organizations and programs that are known to support minority-owned businesses throughout the region!

Why I Bet on the Goodwill of the Crowd

by Leah Lizarondo, Co-Founder and CEO of 412 Food Rescue

"Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, 'What are you doing for others?'" - Martin Luther King Jr.

Entrepreneurs are no stranger to this question -- in fact, they probably think about this question every day. After all, a truly good business is supposed fulfill others' needs through the products and services that they offer. But are there some untapped resources out there that could provide even more value to a business's mission in helping others?

This holiday season, we wanted to highlight a particular small business within the Pittsburgh region that has fully embraced the giving spirit. In this blog post, Leah Lizarondo shares how 412 Food Rescue is revolutionizing the way communities address food waste and food insecurity and how her organization is harnessing the collective power of giving to impact others.

Closing the Food-Loop: How Pittsburgh Startup Ecotone Renewables is Addressing the Issue of Food Waste

by Kyle Wyche '19, Chief Operations Officer at Ecotone Renewables and University of Pittsburgh Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences Alum

Earlier this year, our Big Idea Blog went green during the month of March as we featured sustainable startups. In this blog article, we're featuring Ecotone Renewables, a sustainable, Pittsburgh-based startup focused on recycling food waste.

In this blog post, Ecotone Renewables' Chief Operations Officer and Pitt alum Kyle Wyche '19 addresses how the issue of food waste is impacting our planet and how his company is closing the food-loop through the use of their greenhouse containers (pictured above) to recapture lost nutrients, create hyper-local energy production, and produce nutrient-rich fertilizer among other community efforts. 🌱