The University of Memphis Fogelman College of Business and Economics hosted the Made by Tigers Expo on Friday afternoon at the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship to wrap up Entrepreneurship Week. The expo featured booths set up with clothing, creations, and food made by UofM students.
To go along with the entrepreneurial theme, there was an elevator pitch competition, and two $500 prizes for best booth and most innovative idea. The event finished off with musical performance by Upward Light Community Cypher.
Whitney Hardy, director of the Crews Center for Entrepreneurship, helped lead the event. She hopes programs like this continue to build students’ entrepreneurial spirit.
“We wanted to showcase a lot of the ideas and businesses that our students here at the University of Memphis have,” Hardy said. “This is their opportunity to shine.”
The event opened with elevator pitches, where three students had one minute to sell their idea to a panel of judges and the audience. After the pitches, the judges deliberated and selected a winner.
The winner of the elevator pitch contest was William Davis, a freshman business management major and creator of Find your Light clothing.
“Find Your Light came to be because of my rough starts, my rough patches in my own life,” Davis said. “I used to try to find value in things, when we should find value in our story. So why not put our own story on the things we value?”
Davis said he wants to not just focus on the clothing aspect of his brand, but also the community he hopes to bring together from it.
“It first started with the clothes as a way to reach people, but it’s not just about clothes; clothes are the most tangible thing out there,” he said. “It’s more about the people, about the relationship and the community that I try to build with Find Your Light.”
Throughout the expo, booths were set up around the room showcasing students’ products, ideas and creations. Two won $500 prizes: Gospel of Peace Kicks for Most Innovative Product/Idea, and student band Degenerate Breakfast for Best Booth.
Bridger Whitter and Liam Wilde of Degenerate Breakfast sit at their booth at the Made by Tigers Expo.
Gospel of Peace Kicks displays their shoes at the Made by Tigers Expo.
Joshua Oldham, a senior business management major and creator of Gospel of Peace Kicks, shared the inspiration behind his inventive shoe and clothing brand.
“It started with me needing something, and I needed to have a strong connection with God,” Oldham said. “I needed something that helped me stay rooted in what I believed in. I’ve got my own style, I’ve done all the artwork myself and just made it happen.”
The event concluded with a musical set from Upward Light Community Cypher, which included two cyphers, a performance from local artist Jason Da Hater and DJing from Memphis’s own DJ Superman.
Students interested in pitching ideas or pursuing their entrepreneurial interests will have more opportunities next semester. The College of Business and Economics plans to host another Made by Tigers Expo as well as “Tiger Tank,” a pitch competition open to all majors.
“I think entrepreneurship is for everybody,” said Dean Bobby Garrett of the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. “Entrepreneurship really provides the skills of creativity and launching a new business, no matter your major and no matter what direction life may call you in. Having an entrepreneurial mindset is useful not only for business startups, but also for being successful in your career.”
Sam Trigg can be contacted at sctrigg@memphis.edu.
Dr. Robert Garrett, Dean of the Fogelman College of Business & Economics, announces winners of elevator pitches at the Made by Tigers Expo.
