Two Teams Tie for First Place in Annual Zingale Big Idea Competition

2019 Zingale Big Idea Competition winners
2019 Zingale Big Competition Winners (from left) Christopher Miller, Natalia Buczek, and Christian Walker with Entrepreneur in Residence and Center for Business and Economics Co-director Chris Allison

Two teams of Allegheny College students tied for first place at the Annual Zingale Big Idea Competition, a funding presentation contest sponsored by the college’s Center for Business and Economics. On April 26–27, student teams from Allegheny, Grove City College, James Madison University and Westminster College presented concepts in three areas: for-profit business, non-profit business and hybrid social venture.

This year’s winners are:

First Place (Tie)
$6,000 for each team

Natalia Buczek and Christopher Miller (Allegheny College)
Aid Memoir, a communication app and website for patients with verbal and memory impairments and their caregivers.

Christian Walker (Allegheny College)
animatr, a streetwear company that changes the negative narrative surrounding fans of Japanese art/animation.


Second Place
$3,500

Daniella Clarke (Allegheny College)
Fit Me, a food truck and home delivery service dedicated to providing healthier meal options.


Third Place
$1,500

Mark Sotomayor and Ethan Harvey (Grove City College)
Acceptum, an app that automatically collects and stores receipts in a digital database to alleviate the need for paper receipts.


Honorable Mentions
$500

Abraham Duncan (Allegheny College)
Never Go Hungry, created to bring awareness the glaring issue of hungry kids living on college campuses as well as promote individual achievements and helping the community as a whole.

Doug Salah
MSH, a brand/lifestyle that celebrates each person’s individuality.


The Zingale Big Idea Competition is supported by Lance Zingale ’77 and Burton D. Morgan Foundation. Read more about this year’s competition in this Meadville Tribune article, App, clothing proposals win Big Idea Competition.