The Center for Entrepreneurship & Outreach is looking for the best business propositions that Mississippi State University students can imagine. The Startup Summit allows students to pitch their ideas for a chance to win prize money.
The summit begins on March 28, runs through April 1 and features eight events, including the BankTEL Grand Finale. Students can enter any or all of these events and could win money from each. It is possible to win up to $8,000 for a start-up business.
The money for the competition was privately donated, with most of it coming from three alumni: Boyce Adams Sr., who started BankTEL Systems; Shawn Hunter with Industry Services Co. and R.J. Reed of Reed Food Technology.
Entries for the summit are low this year, but program coordinator Brooke Lammert is optimistic about the number of contestants.
“Right now, I want to say we are right below 30, which isn’t bad,” Lammert said. “Pre-pandemic, we would get about 60, but with students just now getting back to doing things in person, 30’s a great number to have for that.”
Lammert explained the purpose of the summit. 
“We love just to get students typically involved in entrepreneurship— just getting people to realize that we’re here, and we offer it. It’s a great way to get money for your startup … We don’t take any ownership in their business, but the ultimate goal for us is that they continue on and enjoy our program and can earn even more money by pitching to our boards as well,” Lammert said.
Sophomore music education major Garrison Walker is a student partner for the entrepreneurship center. He is entering his business called Hushpuppies into the competition.
Hushpuppies are an attachment for cowbells to keep them quiet between appropriate ringing situations. Walker admitted there is only a market for this at MSU, but he and his business partner have been working on the idea since 2020. 
Walker said the E-Center would help any student who comes in with an idea.
“What they’ve helped me do a lot is prepare my business, prepare myself and my team for being successful and receiving that gracious grant money that helps you get off the ground and get your product up and going,” Walker said.
“Oftentimes, we have students come in who have an idea they wrote on a napkin during lunch, you know? It’s very basic, very minimum, and we help them step-by-step from beginning to end with their business plan, their pitch decks— everything they could possibly need to know about their market … If they were to pitch to an angel network, by the time they finish our program, they will have all of that ready to go,” Lammert said. 
Timothy Wunrow, a senior industrial engineering major, is another student entering his design called unTriggered.
“It’s an (artificial intelligence) algorithm that can identify and remove specific noises from audio like a podcast … and make them available so that people can listen without being triggered,” Wunrow said.
Wunrow created unTriggered to help people who have misophonia, a condition in which certain noises, such as eating, humming, breathing or joint popping, trigger a fight or flight response. This can cause anger or panic for those with misophonia. 
Business startup Rocketing Systems won the Grand Finale in 2019. The brand started as a clothing business, but the three students who created it ran into a problem with tracking social media influencers. They then made a system that helps merchants track payments and commissions for the influencers.  
Lammert added words of encouragement for students.
“Do not be afraid to come in and try. We’re here to help; we’re not going to throw you to the wolves,” Lammert said. “We want to help you be successful. So, it’s a great way to get your feet wet and just figure out if it is something you want to do and if your idea works.”