by Halle Johnson, Student Public Relations Writer
Cedarville University’s Robert W. Plaster School of Business will host The Pitch competition on Saturday, Feb. 4, at 6 p.m. in the Jeremiah Chapel in the Dixon Ministry Center. 
The Pitch, similar to the nationally televised program Shark Tank, gives students the opportunity to present their business or product ideas to earn cash prizes up to $1,000. The student entrepreneurs are given the chance to pitch their idea to a panel of judges from the Christian Business Fellowship, including film producer Earl Seals. The judges will award the cash prizes based on the students’ presentations.
“Students have the chance to present a slide deck or prototype of their idea,” said Annie Alexander, a sophomore accounting accounting major from Rochester, New York. “We encourage contestants to really make their ideas come to life, to talk about marketing and financing and really sell their vision as if they were presenting to investors.”
Alexander, and Eve Welhener, a freshman finance finance major from Vandalia, Ohio, and Christian Eppich, a junior computer science major from Ijamsville, Maryland, are serving as student organizers for the event.
Beginning in January, the Christian Business Fellowship is the official sponsor of Pitch. The Chicago-based organization is partnering with Cedarville’s Plaster School of Business to create a new business “start-up” club that focuses on advising and encouraging student-run businesses.
The “start-up” club and The Pitch are advised by Dr. Jeffrey Haymond, dean of the Robert W. Plaster School of Business, and Dr. Daryl Smith, associate professor of management.
“Entrepreneurship is all about creative problem-solving,” said Haymond. “Ever since the garden, we can see God’s creativity bringing increasing order out of chaos, so too when entrepreneurs solve problems of the world, we are reflecting the image of God. That is why we promote entrepreneurship so heavily at Cedarville University.”
Located in southwest Ohio, Cedarville University is an accredited, Christ-centered, Baptist institution with an enrollment of 5,082 undergraduate, graduate and high school dual-enrolled students in more than 175 areas of study. Founded in 1887, Cedarville is recognized nationally for its authentic Christian community, rigorous academic programs, including the entrepreneurship minor and a Master of Business Administration degree, high graduation and retention rates, accredited professional and health science offerings, and high student engagement rankings. For more information about the University, visit www.cedarville.edu.