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 9, 10 and 11, 2026

Here are the 2025 Winners!

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.