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Eleven student groups, representing 35 Augsburg students, had a rare opportunity on April 24 to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to a panel of judges in the spring 鈥淏aby Shark鈥� contest.

Modeled after the reality TV series 鈥淪hark Tank,鈥� the competition gives students from Augsburg鈥檚 School of Business the chance to present business ideas, make the case for investment, and compete for prize money.

鈥淓ach of the presentations was very good,鈥� said Kyle Wheaton 鈥�99, one of the judges. 鈥淭he students are doing a nice job. From an investment standpoint, the ideas were strong opportunities, but investors are also looking for a broader market that can support long-term success.鈥�

The second-place team composed of all seniors鈥擲ena Dangul 鈥�26, Samia Ahmed 鈥�26, Hodan Huran 鈥�26, and Sumeya Mahamed 鈥�26鈥攕hared a $2,000 prize for their pitch of K-Mall, a digital app designed for Karmel Mall in Minneapolis. The mall serves diverse communities and includes a wide range of retail businesses, but lacks wayfinding. Dangul said the competition format helped the team to narrow their focus on the business opportunity. In fact, they have already spoken with the mall owner about putting the idea into action. Judges offered advice on pricing, customer acquisition, and how to strengthen the business model.

Like K-Mall, the first-place concept, Pardon Our Produce, aims to solve a community problem. Developed by Max Milbrandt 鈥�26, the idea addresses what happens to misshapen or expired produce that grocery stores can no longer sell.

Milbrandt, who has worked at Aldi for the past few years, said the experience led him to ask what more could be done with food that might otherwise go to landfills. His proposal would use two refrigerated vans to collect unsold produce and deliver it to nearby food shelves in the Seward, Powderhorn, and Riverside communities.

Milbrandt said he was thrilled to receive the first-place prize of $3,000.

Learn more about how the Augsburg School of Business cultivates entrepreneurship.