Real students, real pitches, real funding. Watch the recap from Pitch For Ya Life! 2024 and hear what building a business with EOT means to the founders living it.
Pitch For Ya Life! 2024 — student founders pitch their ventures to a panel of judges and win funding for their businesses.
Seven student-founded businesses and nonprofits pitched at EOT pitch events — from AI interior design to a buy-one-give-one sleeping bag already on sale.
AI-assisted interior design: homeowners share their space, style, and budget and get a personalized room concept plus a furniture shopping list.
Customer interviews shaped pay-as-you-go pricing, with premium human designers and affiliate partnerships planned next.
A concentrated plant-based hair serum built on one idea — nourish, protect, and preserve the hair you already have.
Prototype tested at home, drawn from family hair-care traditions, with a ~63% margin mapped out before launch.
A sustainable hemp clothing brand where part of every sale funds rehab, scholarships, and job readiness for people hurt by cannabis criminalization.
Hand-drawn designs, locally sourced organic fibers, and a mission to stay hyper-local.
A modular sleeping bag rated to −10°C. Buy one, and one is donated to a person experiencing homelessness — “Sleep Warm, Give Warm.”
Already selling through a live online store, with pricing validated by focus groups.
A platform to stop students from dropping STEM: low-pressure exploration, real projects, easier recommendation letters, and early-warning data for universities.
Built from the founder's own experience of nearly quitting STEM.
A nonprofit with school chapters pairing teens with isolated seniors through storytelling circles, coffee chats, digital-skills workshops, and pen pals.
Launched with real community partners — student volunteer sign-ups exceeded senior capacity, with zero paid incentives.
Helps young creatives and high schoolers explore identity, purpose, and creativity through 1-on-1 sessions, workshops, templates, and eventually clothing.
Early stage with session and workshop pricing already defined.
Voices from Pitch For Ya Life! 2024 and Pitch Perfect 2026.
“Entrepreneurship will always be the fastest route to freedom. If you choose that path, you have the freedom to cultivate and create your future.”
“All the people that were here were support and motivation to continue. Everyone provided wise words, and it just leads to greater opportunities.”
“We got feedback from incredible judges — and we also won money towards our business. That's not something a lot of people get.”
“I could have won zero money and this event would have still been amazing. I made great connections with people that will definitely enhance my organization in the future.”
“One bag won't end homelessness, but it will make one cold night safer.”
“I built Curio as a way to stop this massive loss of talent before students give up.”
“Perfection is not what's going to make you successful at all. It is going to be consistency.”
“Don't be afraid to pivot. Don't be afraid to try things, break, fail and move. Business is a game — it's not a reflection on who you are.”
Join the next cohort of young founders, or help make these stories possible as a mentor, partner, or sponsor.
