Entrepreneurship Speaker Series The Entrepreneurship Speaker Series is designed to provide community and initiate meaningful discussions around some of the most innovative industries and technologies in the world today. Entrepreneurs and innovators share their career advice, startup tips, and entrepreneurial journeys as well as where the most exciting opportunities are currently within their respective industries.
Fast Pitch New Venture Competition Held virtually in the Fall semester, CSUN Fast Pitch is an "elevator pitch" competition where 5 teams of CSUN students, selected as finalists from a competitive field, have three minutes & three slides to pitch their new venture idea to a panel of judges and audience. Each of the student presentations is followed by a 3-5 minute Q&A period from our distinguished panel of judges. The "Fast Pitch" Competition is meant to be a prelude, or training ground, for teams to prepare for the Jeff Marine Bull Ring Competition in the Spring semester. More Info
Spring Semester
Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition The Bull Ring serves as a launchpad for new business ideas from CSUN students across campus. At its core, this competition has been created to promote an “action bias” in our students, a concept of experiential learning that involves building assumptions, testing those assumptions in the market, defining product requirements based on validated assumptions, and adjusting requirements dynamically as the first customers emerge. The competition provides direct mentoring as well as workshops covering the fundamentals of launching and growing a new venture. The inaugural event was Spring 2016. More Info
Archives
Fall 2023: 9th Annual Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
The 9th annual CSUN Fast Pitch New Venture Competition concluded on Nov. 16th, 2023. Congrats to our winners!
PRIZES Grand Prize: $2,000 Vallesita Laci Sanchez Vallesita is a Latina-owned jewelry brand that wants to venture into creating custom pieces that are Latino based/empowering.
2nd Place: $1,000 StreamOne Bianca Alvarez, Elizabeth Arellano, Chris Delling, & Muthu Perumal StreamOne unifies the content from all of your streaming services into a single easy-to-navigate interface, so you spend less time scrolling and more time enjoying the movies and TV shows you love.
3rd Place: $500 Attack TD Dominic Carlson, Payton Moreno, & Oscar Lambert Attack TD is a competitive battle arena tower defense game that reinvents modern tower defense, by having players use towers to create mazes to defend their lives, while unleashing troops to their opponents to defeat them.
Audience Choice: $500 CollapsiCube Janice Kim, Donald Palomino, & Anna Olson CollapsiCube is a customizable food storage container that can adjust to store any amount of food without wasting space to help college students with roommates maximize their limited fridge space and reduce dirty dishes.
Special Guests from Village Christian High School: Shower Saver Sasha Ovalle & Lola Ololade Shower Saver is a voice-controlled shower head that enables users to seamlessly pause and resume water flow without compromising shower time or experience.
ABOUT THE COMPETITION Held virtually in the Fall semester, CSUN Fast Pitch is an "elevator pitch" competition where 5 teams of CSUN students, selected as finalists from a competitive field, have three minutes & three slides to pitch their new venture idea to a panel of judges and audience. Each of the student presentations is followed by a 3-5 minute Q&A period from our distinguished panel of judges. Please see below for more information on our distinguished judging panel and additional info!
KEN FLOYD | Entrepreneur, Artissimo Designs Serving as CEO, Ken led the development and growth of Artissimo Designs into one of the largest wall décor manufacturers in the US, supplying major retailers such as Target, Wal-Mart, Kohl’s, and Homegoods. He was responsible for developing and defining the company’s overall product, marketing, and sales strategies. Ken holds an MBA from UCLA and a B.S. in Business Admin from CSUN.
KSENIA YUDINA | Founder & CEO, UNest Ksenia Yudina is a founder and CEO of UNest, the first mobile app that makes it easier than ever for parents to open a simple and affordable tax-advantaged investment account for their kids. Ksenia has been recognized as 40 Under 40 by Fortune & received a Rising Star Award from the LA Business Journal. She holds an MBA from UCLA and a B.A. in Finance from CSUN.
KURT MARSDEN | EVP, Group Head, Wells Fargo Capital Finance Kurt Marsden is the EVP and Head of Wells Fargo Capital Finance which provides traditional asset-based lending (ABL) and specialized junior and senior secured lending to companies across a wide range of industries in the US, UK, and Canada. Under Kurt’s leadership, Capital Finance has consistently been named one of the top ABL lenders by transaction volume. He holds a B.S. in Business Admin from CSUN.
NADIA MESHKOVA | VP, Treasurer, Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals Nadia is VP, Treasurer at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, which develops medicines that treat intractable diseases by silencing the genes that cause them. Previously, she held leadership positions in finance and treasury at The Walt Disney Company as well as Amgen and served as an Adjunct Professor at CSUN. She holds an MBA from UCLA and a B.S. in Information Systems from CSUN.
Spring 2023: 8th Annual Jeff Marine Bull Ring Competition
The 8th Annual Jeff Marine Bull Ring New Venture Competition concluded on April 20th, 2023. Congratulations to our student teams! Please see below for photo gallery, event recap, and full competition details.
1ST PLACE Steal the Look Talin Aivazian, Elizabeth Hernandez, Minette Coye, & Fernando Vargas Steal the Look is a social media and shopping app that lets you browse for outfit inspiration and shop looks put together by other people. We aim to revolutionize the long, fragmented path to making a purchase for avid online shoppers who like to explore new styles.
2ND PLACE NOC Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, & Rayyan Ashraf Network On Campus (NOC) helps campus administrators increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.
3RD PLACE DuraPill Aidan Jasanis, Milca Oliva, & Nadia Nateghi The DuraPill Bracelet is a waterproof smart bracelet that connects to your mobile device and helps users to remember to take their medication while on the go.
SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD The Cafecito Journal Kena Kapri Huete & Amanda Valadez The Cafecito Journal was created with community and environment in mind. Our goal is to create a space where locals have access to sustainable practices and can up-cycle old items, giving them a new purpose.
BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY FromNature Donald Palomino & RunRun Chen FromNature is developing next-generation exoskeletons using nature-inspired artificial muscles for enhanced mobility and prolonged uptime to maximize the efficacy and survivability of our firefighters and soldiers.
AUDIENCE CHOICE NOC Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, & Rayyan Ashraf Network On Campus (NOC) helps campus administrators increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.
Meet the Judges
Christy Vega is the owner of Casa Vega, the Los Angeles landmark recently celebrating its 65th anniversary. Considered an icon in the San Fernando Valley, Casa Vega serves traditional Mexican cuisine crafted from recipes passed down through several generations of the Vega family. Christy has worked every aspect and position of the restaurant, and to this day enjoys jumping in the kitchen to ensure the careful recreation of her family’s recipes.
Jang Lee ’97 has over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting and currently serves as CFO at Flow Finance. Under Lee’s financial stewardship, the company provides a best-in-class, personalized financial platform that redefines what founders should expect from their accountants. Previously, Jang held leadership roles at numerous venture-backed companies including Hollar, Joymode, and Western Office.
Steven Sarfati '84, MS '91 is a business development and sales leader with over 20 years experience in homeland security, public safety and video systems with specialties including robotics and semiconductors. As a member of the board at Tech Coast Angels, Steven mentors and advises startups and enjoys inspiring the teams he works with to achieve the next level in their business.
Tim Gaspar ‘06 is owner and principal at Gaspar Insurance Services, which has over 60 team members and is one of the largest independent insurance firms in the San Fernando Valley. Gaspar Insurance was recently ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc. magazine. Tim also supports a number of non-profit organizations focused on youth and public safety and serves on a number of boards.
Keynote Speaker
Paul Jennings '85, Hon.D. '22 has owned and operated various successful businesses within the telecommunications and real estate industries and currently spends a significant portion of his time in renewable energy as the founder and CEO of PCS Energy. Paul is an active investor in renewable energy startups and also philanthropically supports a wide array of projects and organizations.
Master of Ceremonies
Bill Griffeth joined CNBC in 1991 and has anchored several top-rated programs including Power Lunch, receiving six CableACE nominations for his outstanding work over the years. During his 38 years in business television, he has become one of the most respected financial journalists in the country. Prior to CNBC, Bill was part of the production team that started FNN, the first cable channel devoted to business news.
Thank you to our Mentors
Alan Sugano Andi Mysza Avetis Antaplyan Bandhana Katoch Cesar Montoya Danny Stein Dorian Quispe Elsa Burton Emily Serebryany Hector Garcia John Ko Kevin McVearry Lewis Dvorkin Loren West Marty Stark Nishit Rathod Paul Mazbanian Sylvia Martini Tom Regev Victor Benoun
Thank you to our Sponsors & Partners
Spring 2023: Candid Conversations - Journeys of CSUN Women Entrepreneurs
Fall 2022: 8th Annual Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
November 15th, 2022: 8th Annual CSUN Fast Pitch Competition Finals
-- PRIZES Grand Prize: $2,000 DuraPill Aidan Jasanis, Milca Oliva, Skyler Frias, & Nadia Nateghi The DuraPill Bracelet is a waterproof smart bracelet that connects to mobile devices and helps users to remember to take their medication while on the go.
2nd Place: $1,000 Atra Funeral Services Bianca Betdashtoo & Fiorella Betdashtoo Atra Funeral Services supports grieving families by delivering a cost-effective, customizable, and timely-delivered alternative to standard headstone markers that perform as well as traditional materials.
3rd Place: $500 Lightwheel Antoine Schweitz Lightwheel aims to upcycle skateboard decks into a functional lamp, giving them a second life with sentimental value.
Audience Choice: $500 Project Ponics Juan Alcala & Shreya Celes Project Ponix is developing an Aquaponics System to help innovative home gardeners grow plants and fish reliably and efficiently without having to endure all the research and headache involved with starting aquaponics.
-- DISTINGUISHED JUDGES Catherine Grooms Director | SBDC at College of the Canyons Catherine manages a team of 21, including 18 professional Business Advisors and directs all services of the SBDC including delivering results, marketing, managing finance and budgets, sponsor and partnership relationship management, developing events and managing grants.
Steven Sarfati Startup Mentor, Advisor, and Angel Investor Steven is a business development and sales leader with over 20 years experience in homeland security, public safety and video systems with specialties including robotics and semiconductors. As a member of the board at Tech Coast Angels, Steven mentors and advises startups and enjoys inspiring the teams he works with to achieve the next level in their business.
Tom Regev Chief Operating Officer | Menchie's Tom joined Menchie's Frozen Yogurt in 2009 and has served as its COO since 2015, overseeing a period of rapid expansion. Prior to Menchie’s, Regev served as the Controller for the Israeli Economic Mission to the United States. Prior to that Tom served as an Economist and Deputy Manager of the Loans and Deposit Department for the General Accountant Department of the Israeli Ministry of Finance.
-- ABOUT THE COMPETITION Hosted by CSUN's Nazarian College, Fast Pitch is an "elevator pitch" competition where students have three minutes to pitch their startup ideas to a panel of judges and audience.
Grand Prize: $5,000 Octobit Ryan Moradpour & An An Chang Octobit is an online training platform with AI conversational partners created to help users develop and improve professional skills.
2nd Place: $2,500 SubmitIt Mark Ajina, Mickey Obispo & Jesus Garcia SubmitIt provides a service for instructors that checks for potential plagiarism and saves time by grading students’ code.
3rd Place: $1,500 Canmove Ifeanyi Nnaji & Amira Judah Canmove is developing a platform to connect apartment tenants and homeowners to independent drivers and moving companies.
Audience Choice: $1,000 Vanzari Daniel Garcia & Vini Bjazevich Vanzari is a resource for music industry fans and professionals that displays history's biggest selling artist's album sales centrally, beautifully, simply, and free of charge.
2022 Judging Panel
Rick Friedman is the CEO and Founder of NovusGC, a boutique law firm providing business-oriented General Counsel services to startups, innovators and early-stage investors. Rick’s expertise spans venture financing, licensing, commercial transactions and general corporate matters.
Allen Lin is currently the founder of the blockchain startup NeonBase, a provider of Web3 domain names and tools. He is also a seasoned eCommerce entrepreneur, investor, and technology sales and marketing executive.
Raychel Espiritu has over 13 years of experience in media, startups, business development, and digital marketing. Her current role as Venture Outreach Manager at The Alliance for Southern California Innovation has her helping match Seed and Series-A-ready startups with institutional investors.
Cole Christie is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte specializing in the technology industry. He is also a Co-Founder of Silicon Beach Investment Group, a democratized investment fund focused on providing capital and expertise to early-stage startups in Southern California.
Thank you to our 2022 Mentors
Andi Mysza Avetis Antaplyan Cesar Montoya Charles Yacoobian Danny Stein Emily Serebryany John Ko Kevin Herzberg Lewis D'Vorkin Loren West Marty Stark Nishit Rathod Steven Sarfati Sylvia Martini Tania Mulry Tom Regev
Fall 2021: 7th Annual Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
The 7th annual CSUN Fast Pitch New Venture Competition concluded on Nov. 18th, 2021. Congrats to our winners!
PRIZES Grand Prize: $2,000 Octobit Ryan Moradpour & An An Chang Developed by clinicians for clinicians, Octobit’s individualized virtual training establishes professional interpersonal skills and improves confidence, bit by bit, with real-life practice scenarios and AI-delivered expert feedback.
2nd Place: $1,000 + Audience Choice $500 Green Leather Co. Van Zellers, Annie Donaldson, Lukas Zelada, & Tanner Sommer Green Leather Co. is developing a more sustainable handcrafted leather business to combat short lived plastic based leather alternatives by creating high quality products from industry refuse.
3rd Place: $500 TONEY Eduardo Macias TONEY, the original full body toner, helps individuals with limited time and gym accessibility strengthen and tone their body by offering training portability by way of a multifunctional resistance band vest.
Spring 2021: 6th Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
The 2020 CSUN Fast Pitch New Venture Competition (Virtual Edition) concluded on November 19th. Congrats to our teams!
1ST PLACE (2,000) Corgi Butt Caroline Hartley & Christopher Meredith Don’t let the name fool you - Corgi Butt is an intense tabletop strategy game perfect for new players and veterans alike. Play with family, friends, and friends-to-be!
2ND PLACE ($1,000) PowerHealth Vanessa Sanchez & Erika Giroux PowerHealth is a bilingual nutrition app to help young families and individuals obtain nutrition education, recipes, cooking demonstrations, and personalized one-on-one counseling with a registered dietitian.
3RD PLACE ($500) Inclusive Beauty Rutha Shah, Nicole Galdamez, Lily Tatevosian, & Kristina Serrano Inclusive Beauty utilizes an intake quiz and algorithm to provide a clean and allergen-free custom cosmetic foundation to those with skin sensitivities and conditions.
AUDIENCE CHOICE ($500) House of Coffee Alondra Ortega, Loliepop Mena, Nicole Fregozo, & Christian Rodriguez Our House of Coffee will provide personalized, hand-crafted beverages by utilizing an adaptive software that helps identify customer preferences and increase loyalty.
Spring 2020: 5th Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
1ST PLACE-TIE Nourish | Leanna Merza, Magdah Al Sinaidi, Anh Nguyen, & Christopher Moreno Nourish is a food waste management company focused on reducing food waste and inequality by helping food establishments deliver their excess food supply to non-profits.
Beegan Bites | Melissa Schwarz, Maya Sparadeo, Devin Dean, & Melissa Padilla Beegan Bites is an environmentally-friendly snack food brand that uses organic, simple ingredients; it is perfect for those who need a healthy snack on the run or for those who want something sweet without feeling guilty.
3RD PLACE Van Robotics | Sean Van Duser, Kyle Keislar, Calvin Castanares, Thomas Parashos, & Shahnam Mirzaei Van Robotics is developing a biomechatronic exoskeleton to help first responders, police and military reduce stresses on the body by decreasing the metabolic cost for mobility using a smart actuator.
AUDIENCE CHOICE-TIE Nourish | Leanna Merza, Magdah Al Sinaidi, Anh Nguyen, & Christopher Moreno Nourish is a food waste management company focused on reducing food waste and inequality by helping food establishments deliver their excess food supply to non-profits.
Keyream | Timothy Greenfield Keyream is developing a physical cryptocurrency wallet to help new and current users reduce transactional friction and show off their interest in crypto with a minimalist, customizable keychain tailored to each user’s public address.
Spring 2019: 4th Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
1ST PLACE ($2,000) HORIZON COVERS | Maja Slopiecka Horizon Covers specializes in producing tough, high-quality, and reusable covers that keep your luggage safe from scratches, dirt, and water during travel.
2ND PLACE ($1,000) + AUDIENCE CHOICE ($500) MATADOR SOL SAUCE | Eirenel Eclevia, Madeleine Hoeks, Rise Morisato, & Caroline Pak Matador Sol Sauce aims to increase awareness about high sodium intake in the US and has developed a flavorful, low sodium hot sauce.
3RD PLACE ($500) BOOKMARK | Tyler Valentine Bookmark is an app that improves retention and graduation rates among college communities by helping students succeed through greater social connections.
Fall 2018: 5th Annual Art of Innovation Conference
The 5th Annual Art of Innovation Conference concluded on November 2nd, 2018. Photo Gallery Media Release
Spring 2018: 3rd Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
2018 PRIZE WINNERS Grand Prize ($20,000) Wheelchair Assist Mechanical engineering students Steven Meza, Quinn Darrach, Nichta Harabedian, Bashir Tirmizi, Sutichai Savathasuk, et al. Wheelchair Assist has designed a new type of patient lift device for hospital and rehab center use. This new device combines the functionality of standard patient lifts with the mobility of a wheelchair.
Second Place ($10,000) Moontalk Dushan Perera (Master’s Computer Science) & Olen Andoni (University of Nantes, France) Moontalk is a cryptocurrency community built for enthusiasts, by enthusiasts - exchange market insights, track and share your portfolio, and get the latest news, articles, and coin prices.
Third Place ($5,000) Campus Runner Sarah Shapov (Graphic Design), James Tam (Computer Science), Joey Ramirez (Marketing), & Yvette Ravaee (Marketing) Campus Runner is a community-based platform, where students and faculty can get their food and supplies delivered directly to them. With Campus Runner, students can save time and earn money.
Fall 2017: 3rd Annual Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
The 3rd annual CSUN Fast Pitch Competition concluded on November 14th, 2017.
GRAND PRIZE ($2,000) Moontalk Dushan Perera (MS Computer Science, CSUN) & Olen Andoni (MS Computer Science, University of Science & Tech - Nantes, France) Moontalk, a social platform for the cryptocurrency community, enables users to chat live with other investors, exchange market insights, and manage their portfolios.
2ND PLACE ($1,000) Spicy Matador Tiffany Eng (MS Nutrition and Dietetics), Alejandra Perez (MS Human Nutrition), & Stephanie Ng (MS Human Nutrition) Spicy Matador is a delicious salt-free spice blend formulated at CSUN, created for use on all foods, for retail distribution.
3RD PLACE-TIE ($250) Stashpak Nikolay Filichkin (Business Law/Marketing) & Zachary Gilman Stashpak is developing a smell-proof and water-resistant pack with sleek Italian design for the fast-growing cannabis industry.
3RD PLACE-TIE ($250) Deaf Connect Akshay Nande (MS Software Engineering), Pratik Ghive (MS Electrical Engineering), & Rahul Rokade (MS Electrical Engineering) Deaf Connect helps the 300M deaf people across the globe who cannot hear the spoken language, understand and communicate with those who don't know Sign Language.
Spring 2017: 2nd Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
Bull Ring Semi-Finals Event Concluded 4/4/17 Photo Gallery
Grand Prize ($20,000) Sleepyhead Team Members: Steven Van Alen (Business Management) & Martyna Skrodzka Sleepyhead is an e-commerce sleep startup that sells a memory foam mattress and topper that’s shipped in a box to your door anywhere in the USA. One mattress donated for every ten sold.
2nd Place ($10,000) MyGymPals Team Members: Muris Mulalic (Psychology) & Wan Song MyGymPals mobile app and website enables exercise enthusiasts at large to connect with fitness communities for on-demand activities, challenges, and workout buddies.
3rd Place ($5,000) Germ 3 Solutions Team Members: Josh Halem (Business Management Major & Entrepreneurship Minor), Deborah Kazel Sipos (Graduate Music Therapy), Jacob Sipos, & Noah Sipos Germ 3 Solutions’ first product, the Body Substance Isolation (BSI) Sleeve, helps reduce the spread of infectious diseases in medical settings.
Fall 2016: 2nd Annual Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
1st PLACE - $2,000 WEBAPES | Edgar Limon, Arvin Flores, & Jasmine Beeman WebApes is developing a Smart Script that can be embedded within webpages, considered to be inaccessible, to identify and organize page content allowing the visually impaired to easily navigate through websites.
2nd PLACE - $1,000 SLEEPYHEAD | Steven Van Alen, Martyna Skrodzka, & Jean-Que M Sleepyhead is an e-commerce sleep startup that sells a memory foam mattress and topper shipped in a large box to your door anywhere in the USA; for every ten we sell, we’ll help a person in need sleep well.
3rd PLACE - $500 FIT US | Carrie Huang, Denise De Sequera, Luis Turcios, & Luke Rimando Fit Us is developing a free mobile app to help users find workout partners at local fitness centers and or get trained by our affordable personal trainers.
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD - $500 WE-GO | Ferny Arana, Andrew Cohen, Melanie Gordon, & Austin Veal We-Go is connecting event creators with event participants through a mobile event marketplace to build awareness of on-campus events and conveniently let students be a click-away from attending.
Fall 2016: 4th Annual Art of Innovation Conference
The inaugural Bull Ring New Venture Competition kicked off in Spring 2016 with $50K in prize money awarded to student startups. Of the 58 initial applications, 20 were selected to present their ideas at the trade-show style Semi-Finals on April 7th. The field was then narrowed to just five teams, who then competed at the "Shark Tank Meets Matadors" Finals on April 26th. The esteemed panel of judges included David Nazarian (Founder, Nimes Capital), Jeff Marine (CEO, JEM Sportswear & generous prize donor), Zack Schuler (Founder, Cal Net), William Wang (Founder, VIZIO), & Suzi Weiss-Fischmann (Founder, OPI).
2016 WINNERS 1st Place ($25K): Vibe Probiotics 2nd Place ($15K): Take Sessions 3rd Place ($5K): EduCode
Fall 2015: Inaugural Fast Pitch New Venture Competition
On November 20th, 2015, 6 teams of finalists competed in the Inaugural FastPitch New Venture Competition. The event opened with remarks from Dean of the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, Dr. Kenneth Lord, as well as Entrepreneur-in-Residence of LACI, Kevin Randolph, and was followed by each finalist delivering their 2-minute "Fast Pitch" and judge Q&A's. The event was judged by Kevin Randolph (LACI), Laurelle Johnson (CSUN Alum), and Richard Koffler (CSUN Alum). Ideas ran the gamut from mobile apps, to food and beverage, to social endeavors. It was a historic event, as the first-ever New Venture Competition from the Nazarian College and an exciting indication of things to come.
Finalists of the Inaugural 2015 Fast Pitch Competition
Fall 2015: Inaugural Startup Workshop Series
Every Tuesday of October 2015, we held a “Startup Workshop” to support and encourage our aspiring student entrepreneurs. The four workshops were collectively meant to prepare students to compete in the Fast Pitch event in November 2015, where students have 2 minutes to pitch their idea live in front of judges for recognition and prize money. The 4th and final installment of the workshop series was held on Tuesday, Oct 27th, with CSUN alum and professional startup coach Laurelle Johnson leading the session. We had 45 students in attendance, and it was a very dynamic event with a short lecture, team breakouts, then about 5 students gave their “Fast Pitch” and received constructive feedback from Laurelle.
Pictures below!
Startup Workshop Series, October 2015
Fall 2015: 3rd Annual Art of Innovation Conference
Spring 2022: 7th Annual Bull Ring New Venture Competition
April 7, 2016: Inaugural Bull Ring New Venture Competition Semi-Finals - Twenty teams were narrowed down to just five through the course of the event.
Finalists of the Inaugural 2015 Fast Pitch Competition
