Spelpreneur hosted its annual Pitch Night of the 10-day Startup Competition this past February. Eleven student teams gathered in the Camille Olivia Hanks Cosby, Ed.D., Auditorium to participate in an exciting Shark Tank-style pitch night where they presented bold business ideas, aimed at solving real-world problems. Teams competed for a chance to win $8,000 in stipends.
The first-place winner, Akyn, was presented by Alexandria Howard, Aubrey Patton, and Kennedy Sharperson. Second place winner, Unda, was presented by Makaila Parks, Zarah Vrooman, and Qari Headley. Third place winner, Med Meets Mind, was presented by Kyra Wagner and Raven Downing. The Viewer’s Choice Award Winner, Med Meets Mind, was presented by Kyra Wagner and Raven Downing.
“Spelprenuer started in the fall of 2014. Dr. (Jane E.) Smith envisioned providing Spelman students with an opportunity to learn about being an entrepreneur. Spelpreneur introduces students to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. By participating in Spelpreneur, students will start to develop an entrepreneurship mindset. They will have a basic understanding of how to take an idea and make it into a business, as well as start developing networking opportunities through the mentors and presenters with whom they come in contact,” said Sonya Rush, director of Spelpreneur.
Dr. Jane E. Smith's Legacy: Fostering Entrepreneurship at SpelmanRush presented a special video and announced that "In 2026, the 10-Day Startup Competition will be renamed to 'Spelpreneur Presents: Jane E. Smith 10-day Startup Competition,' after the late Dr. Smith, C'68."
“The landscape of entrepreneurship on Spelman's campus has grown beyond Spelpreneur. We have the Innovation Lab, the Center for Black Entrepreneurship, an entrepreneurship minor, and the Spelman Entrepreneurship Club. We’re seeing the growth of entrepreneurship at Spelman, and this is a testament to Dr. Smith planting the seed," said Rush.
Sharperson, part of the first-place team, plans to put their winning money into growing their business. “To be a part of Spelpreneur and the 10-day competition showed me how I can twerk my ideas and problems that I see in my daily life and make it into an actual product, and people can relate to it, and I can solve that problem. It’s refreshing to see that. We’re so excited. We’re going to use the money to grow our business, and we want to take our product far,” said Sharperson, a sociology major from Morristown, New Jersey.
“The Spelpreneur program is housed within the Innovation Lab, and it’s the next logical step for some of the activities that happen in the lab. The lab encourages students to explore new ideas, create new products, investigate new entrepreneurial adventures, and materialize those ideas. The next step is to take it to market and the Spelpreneur program prepares students to do just that. It’s a really important part of the innovation ecosystem, and we are really fortunate to have this program,” said Jerry Volcy, co-director of the Innovation Lab.
“The students put in so much work in 10 days just to bring their business to life. Sonya was like, "We need to increase the awards, one because the students deserve it.” They go through so many trials and obstacles in such a condensed time. It’s truly fascinating that they’re able to put in all of that effort so quickly,” said Ernest Holmes, Spelpreneur’s producer.
Spelpreneur event sponsors included The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Center for Black Entrepreneurship, and Fiserv.
Dr. Jane E. Smith, C'68, ties to Spelman began when her parents placed her in the college nursery school and continued in 1964 when she returned as a sociology major - immediately following the sit-in era of the Civil Rights Movement. Her life and career took her to many places and positions, ranging from the chief executive of the National Council of Negro Women to leadership positions at The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change and the Carter Center, according to a remembrance shared by Spelman. But her life would remain tied to the college that had been so influential for her and where she would herself be so influential. Part of that tenure included four years as the vice president for College Relations where she remained until her retirement in 2019.
Spelpreneur is a co-curricular education initiative that fosters entrepreneurship and innovation at Spelman College. Spelpreneur educates, inspires, and empowers students. It is open to all current Spelman students. In 2024-2025, Spelpreneur will offer two (2) programs: The Spelpreneur Program and the HBCU Founders Initiative (HBCUFI) Pre-Accelerator Program. The Spelpreneur Program introduces students to the fundamentals necessary to advance their knowledge and practice of entrepreneurship. Programming is organized into three categories: EDUCATE, INSPIRE, AND EMPOWER.
All Spelman students are invited to apply for the Spelpreneur program. Those selected will have the opportunity to participate in weekly programming and receive benefits during the semester. All Spelman students will also be invited to apply for the 10-Day Startup Competition. Those who complete the Competition will have the opportunity to receive benefits.