Zingale Big Idea Competition | Allegheny College | Business and Economics

The Zingale Big Idea Competition

The Zingale Big Idea Competition focuses on seed-level new business ideas. The Annual Competition will award a whopping total of $30,000 in prize money among the student winners. This contest emulates the experiences seen on the popular CNBC broadcast, Shark Tank, but with a heart. Unlike Shark Tank, the Zingale Big Idea distinguished panel of judges do more than evaluate business models – they offer constructive feedback, coaching and encouragement.

The next Big Idea Competition will be held on April 10-11, 2026

Here are the 2025 Winners!

2025 first place winner of the Zingale Big Idea Comeptition, Leslie Manson from the University of Chicago pictured here with Chris Allison and Lance Zingale.First Place ($10,000)
Leslie Manson, University of Chicago – Trottr, a personalized life compass startup helping people discover where they come alive.

Second Place ($7,500)
Joseph Shin & Liam Grossman, Grove City College – Thymely.ai, an AI-powered venture.

Third Place (tie – $4,000 each)
Piece of Sober – Joe Fugagli, Merrell Sheehan, Daniel Bekele & Hemani Alaparthi, Allegheny College
Gesturism – Jacklyn Pham, Allegheny College

Honorable Mentions ($2,000)
KRS Creations – Katie Rose Rankin, Westminster College
AFFIRRO – Arina Otbliesk, Allegheny College
GAItor – Oleksandra Shafran, Allegheny College

Next Big Idea Awards
AZ-Boost Digital Marketing – Davaka Namjilsuren, PennWest Clarion
Elytra Robotics – Rochan Kavulli & Christopher Luey, University of Southern California
Safe Horizon – Shayan Colbawalla & Miguel Orti Vila, Allegheny College

How can you participate?

Workshops are scheduled to help participants prepare for the competition. Those interested in competing in the Zingale Big Idea Competition and/or attend the workshops should contact Entrepreneur in Residence, Professor Chris Allison at callison@allegheny.edu.

Please note: Up-and-running small businesses with revenue are not eligible for the competition.

Workshop Slides

Download Week #1 Slides: Finding A Relevant Problem to Solve
Download Week #2 Slides: Creating A Big Idea To Solve The Problem
Download Week #3 Slides: Marketing Your Big Idea
Download Week #4 Slides: Developing Your Big Idea’s Financial Plan
Download Week #5 Slides: The Pitch

Working with your team, you’ll develop a presentation using the 10-20-30 Rule; that is, you’ll prepare 10 Powerpoint slides for a pitch that is 20 minutes long, using text no smaller than 30-point type on each slide. Here are the templates that you will need to complete prior to your presentation:

Zingale-Big-Idea-Competition-Executive-Summary-Template
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – 1 Year Financial Plan Template
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – 3 Year Financial Plan Template
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – Annual Revenue Worksheet
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – Monthly Expense Worksheet
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – Startup Cost Estimator
Zingale Big Idea Competition ’20 – Presentation Template

The Zingale Big Idea Competition has been made possible through the generous support of Lance & Karen Zingale.