Montclair State wins prize in statewide collegiate contest

Montclair State beat eight other New Jersey universities/colleges in the fourth annual UPitchNJ statewide collegiate entrepreneurship contest on April 26 at Seton Hall University. The Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship’s winning team was TacOp, featuring Jonathan Morgan, a senior finance major with a minor in entrepreneurship, and Brett Siegmeister, a junior visual communications design major. Morgan and Siegmeister created a 3D-printed device to hold hooks while fishing.

The 2019 UPitchNJ prizes were awarded to:

First – Stevens (game-based software to help autistic students)
Second – Rutgers (tech to power drones and rovers for deliveries)
Third – Montclair State (3D-printed device to hold hooks while fishing)
Best Early-Stage Startup – Princeton (a water filter being used in a pilot program in Flint, MI)

The other eight schools that competed were: Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, NJIT, Ramapo, Rider, Rowan, Seton Hall, William Paterson.

Montclair State remains the only school that has won a prize every year in the contest–a testament to the innovative and forward-looking curriculum designed by Dennis Bone that allows us to enter consistently high-quality and interdisciplinary teams every year. Prof. Ross Malaga taught and mentored Morgan and Siegmeister in ENTR 303, and Profs. Jason Frasca and Iain Kerr spent many hours working with the two students as they iterated on 3D print designs of their device in the MIX Lab (the MIX Lab is a resource for any student). Morgan’s and Siegmeister’s path to UPitchNJ glory began in Jason Frasca’s classroom when they took ENTR 201 “Entrepreneurial Mindset and Innovation,” which is open to any student of any major.

“To be chosen to represent Montclair State University was humbling,” said Morgan. “Placing third out of all the other schools was a true statement to us as a team that our product has great potential in the future. Outstanding competition at UPitchNJ, and the atmosphere was energizing.”

See photos of Morgan and Siegmeister at UPitchNJ.

Watch TacOp, and 13 other Montclair State teams, compete for $80,000 in prizes on May 8 in University Hall Conference Center during Montclair State’s sixth annual pitch contest, the BulbHead Inventors Day for Aspiring Entrepreneurs, generously funded by AJ Khubani, founder of TeleBrands and BulbHead.

How Montclair State has placed every year of the UPitchNJ contest:

2019:
First: Stevens
Second: Rutgers
Third: Montclair State (TacOp)
Best Early-Stage Startup: Princeton
Audience Choice Award: Seton Hall

2018:
First: Rutgers
Second: NJIT
Third: Montclair State (NeatSweeps)
Best Early-Stage Startup: Rider University
Audience Choice Award: Montclair State (NeatSweeps)

2017:
First: Rutgers
Second: Princeton
Third: Seton Hall
Best Early Stage Startup: Montclair State (Elaion)
Audience Choice: FDU

2016:
First: Princeton
Second: Seton Hall
Third: Montclair State (Karuda)