Duncan Van Dorn pitches his business idea to faculty member Mr. Tim Weaver. Photo provided.
A couple of weeks ago, Northwood’s Entrepreneurship class held a speed pitch contest. Mr. Broderick is the teacher of this class, and he offers a lot of advice and connections. Everyone in the class has been working on their own business throughout the year, bringing their vision closer to reality. For most of the class, this was their first time presenting their business, and everyone had to pitch it to 14 different people individually. To make things harder, each pitch was on a strict 2-minute timer.
The contest winner was awarded $1,200, which will be given to them by check at graduation this year. Some students did not prepare enough, waiting until the last minute to get their pitch together, while others started the day they heard about the contest. The judges gave students feedback, so everyone received advice from wise adults.
The first-place winner was Sasha Luhur ’27. She is working on a hearing solutions company. The idea came from her experience as a half-deaf figure skater who cannot wear her hearing aid. Sasha cannot attend the entrepreneurship class during the school day because she has another class at that time. Instead, she does all her work outside of class in her own free time. This shows the dedication to her hearing solutions company and the challenging work she puts into it. Her dedication, hard work, and story inspired the judges, students, and teachers during the contest.
Sasha Luhur ’27. Photo by Mr. Michael Aldridge.
“I wish I had more time to prepare, of course, but I think I’m always going to feel that way no matter how much time we’re given,” Luhur said. “Part of it was that I didn’t fully know what to expect, which was a challenge. I kept adding and trimming my pitch right up until 10 minutes before the bus left for the Hub, just because I kept thinking of more details to add while trying to conserve time. It really shows that this was a project where you had to be flexible, think on your feet, and really know your way around it,” she added.
Luhur’s product focuses on the needs of people with hearing impairments, especially athletes. “I’m creating products for hearing-impaired athletes, as well as for the many people who need hearing aids but choose not to wear them,” she said. “There were so many details, challenges, stories, and facts I needed to cover during the pitches, and I kept changing my pitch throughout the 14 2-minute rounds. I got feedback on areas of research I needed to expand, as well as general pitch presentation tips. It was challenging but fun, and I came away from it feeling much more confident in my business and its potential. There is something about presenting the business that makes it feel more real and motivates you before you even know the competition results,” added Luhur.
Luhur hopes to invest the prize money in her business idea. “I want to use it to finance more advanced prototypes, better 3-D modeling, and hopefully work towards acquiring a patent,” Luhur said. “I am excited to get the idea moving faster—it matters to me because my hearing is central to my life, and I know I can help people with similar struggles. That’s my biggest goal.”