Eagle entrepreneurs prove they can swim with the sharks
- Laurie Dionne Babcock
- School of Entrepreneurship
- Contributors: Hannah Smith, Photos
6 – minute read
They stood tall in crisp suits or branded shirts, elevator pitches rehearsed to perfection, heartbeats quickening with every name called. The brightest entrepreneurial minds at Florida Gulf Coast University waited in the wings to take center stage April 17 at the final pitch competition of the inaugural Azul’s Innovation Challenge. Hosted by the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship, the high-stakes event was the culmination of months of hard work, where students and recent alumni pitched their business ventures to a panel of judges for a chance to win a share of $33,000 in cash and other prizes.
In a showdown worthy of “Shark Tank,” the popular and long-running business reality television series, it was sink or swim at the final round of Azul’s Innovation Challenge.
The competition is the bright idea of William McDowell, dean of the Daveler & Kauanui School of Entrepreneurship. The goal: to connect multiple academic disciplines and foster entrepreneurship across campus. With the challenge open to all majors, students with diverse academic backgrounds could experience the journey from idea to pitch to business.
“This guiding philosophy of bridging academic backgrounds was instrumental in creating the program,” said Ross Tsakas, entrepreneur-in-residence at the Rist Family Foundation Institute for Entrepreneurship.
Swimming with the sharks
In the first round, 107 applicants submitted two-page business summaries. From there, 46 advanced to the March 25 trade show and elevator pitch competition, where 34 of the teams presented. Judges acting as “secret shoppers” alongside audience members determined the top six finalists, who received four training sessions to refine their pitches.
Now, those teams faced their biggest test: make it to the top by delivering polished, investor-ready pitches. Each delivered a 10-minute presentation with five slides, followed by a five-minute Q&A with the judges.
And the winner is …
Entrepreneurship major Dillon Rosenthal aims to clean up in the fastest-growing sport in America — one ball at a time. His business concept, Bounceback Pickle, involves recycling used pickleballs into high-quality, eco-friendly replacements. Judges considered it an ace on the contest court worthy of the $15,000 top prize.
According to Rosenthal’s research, 500 million pickleballs are manufactured every year for play on over 70,000 courts, generating more than 770,000 pounds of plastic waste annually. With the sport growing 223% since 2020, Rosenthal saw a problem and an opportunity.
His solution: collect cracked and worn-out balls in branded recycling bins placed courtside (with permission). The gathered balls will be transformed into new ones using injection molding technology he has acquired.
“The pickleball industry is a $2.2 billion market, and the ball industry is over $40 million,” Rosenthal said during his presentation to the judges. His ambitious business plan is to go after 3% of that market, or $1.2 million annually. His revenue model includes sponsorship advertising on his recycling receptacles, direct sales of the recycled pickleballs he manufactures and merchandise featuring his Bounceback Pickle logo.
“I sold out of the first merch drop in less than an hour,” he told the judges, pointing to a photo of a table piled high with Bounceback Pickle ball caps.
Rosenthal is testing his recycling receptacles at two Southwest Florida locations and hopes to expand in the next six months. Within a year, he expects he’ll have recycled the first batch of balls.
A veteran’s pet project
Entrepreneurship major Jamie Mammarelli served 16 years in the U.S. Army. Over the years, her dogs have been her constant — both family and joy through deployments and transitions. So it was natural for her to combine her love for her dogs with her dream of fostering community when she developed The Barkyard & Tap. Her idea for a bar with a fenced-in dog play space will allow pet lovers like her to enjoy a night out with friends without leaving their furry companions at home.
“People shouldn’t have to choose between a social life and their pets,” Mammarelli told the judges.
Mammarelli incubated this idea as part of FGCU’s Veterans Florida Entrepreneurship Program, which offers a comprehensive, tuition-free training experience designed for military veterans and their families. Through hands-on workshops, cohort-based training and networking events, veteran entrepreneurs are equipped with the skills, resources and confidence to succeed.
Bartending while she builds her brand, Mammarelli has a logo, a business license and tax documents in place. She plans to secure a location in Southwest Florida in the next six months, start building within a year and open for business within 18 months.
Pitch perfect
Five judges listened to each of the presentations: Kena Yoke, vice president of Island Piling Inc. and managing member of Island Piling Manufacturing LLC; Mark Ain, founder and retired CEO of Kronos Inc.; Jim Mazarakis, chief operating officer at OnSystem Logic LLC; Randall Blanton, COO of Biotechnology Research and Development Corp.; and John Lack, the creator of MTV, Nickelodeon and The Movie Channel.
The judges weren’t just looking for a flashy pitch — they wanted business plans with real bite and the ability to make waves. Besides Rosenthal, winners were:
· Second place ($10,000): Ahren Reistad, who with his brother, Ethan Reistad (’23, entrepreneurship), co-founded Boats & Buyers, an auction-style online marketplace for boats.
· Third place ($5,000): Cooper Aiello, founder of Bizzy, a savings app that connects students with exclusive deals and discounts at local businesses.
· Fourth place ($500): Ozzy Shank, inventor of Table Pac, a portable and durable table designed for on-the-go entertainment.
· Fifth place ($500): Jamie Mammarelli, The Backyard & Tap.
· Sixth place ($500): Abraham Joseph, creator of Boombox, an app that integrates music streaming services, allowing users to create and share collaborative playlists.
