Skip to main content
University of Nebraska Omaha logo University of Nebraska Omaha
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY

University of Nebraska Omaha logo
College of Business Administration
APPLY MY UNO DIRECTORY
  • About Us Backback to Main menu
    • About Us
    • AACSB Accreditation
    • Dean's Message
    • News and Events
    • Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
    • Mammel Hall
    • A Global Alumni Network of 20,000+
    • Mission, Vision, and Social Responsibility
    • National Advisory Board
    • CBA Resources
    • Faculty and Staff Directory
    • Contact CBA
  • Academics Backback to Main menu
    • Undergraduate Programs
    • Graduate Programs
    • Undergraduate Academic Advising
    • CBA Prep Academy
    • CBA Scholars Academy
    • Executive and Professional Development Program
    • Scholarships
    • Tutoring
    • CBA Capstone Cup
    • Magazine and Newsletter
    • Collaborative Leadership Minor
    • CBA Internships
  • Admissions Backback to Main menu
    • Admissions
    • Why choose the UNO College of Business Administration?
    • Apply
    • Scholarships
    • Request Information
    • Graduate Assistantships
  • Student Involvement Backback to Main menu
    • Student Involvement
    • CBA Student Organizations
    • Student Resources
    • Financial Literacy Program
    • Capstone Cup Competition
    • Study Abroad
  • Outreach Backback to Main menu
    • Outreach
    • Genius of Buffett
    • High School Business Competition
    • Maverick Investment Camp
    • Maverick Young Entrepreneur Bootcamp
    • International Outreach
  • Centers and Programs Backback to Main menu
    • Centers and Programs
    • CBA Career Center
    • Center for Collaboration Science
    • Center for Economic Education
    • Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising
    • Center for International Business Initiatives
    • CBA Center for Real Estate and Asset Management
    • Center for Professional Sales
    • China Studies Program
    • Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Lab
    • Nebraska Business Development Center
  • Executive and Professional Development
  1. UNO
  2. College of Business Administration
  3. News
  4. 2019
  5. 11
  6. Emily Buettner Wins 2019 BigIdea! Pitch Contest

Emily Buettner Wins 2019 BigIdea! Pitch Contest

The BigIdea! Pitch Contest is hosted by CBA's Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising, and allows students to showcase their business ideas and receive funding for startups.

  • published: 2019/11/05
  • contact: Connor Berg, Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Franchising
  • email: cberg@unomaha.edu
  • search keywords:
  • bigidea
  • pitch
  • contest
  • entrepreneurship

Mammel Hall – The Center for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Franchising (CIEF) prides itself on offering real-world experiences to students and community members that have the ambition to innovate and be an entrepreneur. Additionally, CIEF provides the opportunity to fund these entrepreneurs and their endeavors. The BigIdea! Pitch Contest is one event CIEF puts on where students can showcase their business idea and receive funding for their business idea. This year’s BigIdea! Pitch Contest was sponsored by Fiserv, Suiter|Swantz, Aviture and Husch Blackwell.

On October 8 and 15, CIEF hosted its annual BigIdea! Pitch Contest in Mammel Hall. University of Nebraska at Omaha students representing colleges all across campus partook in the two-round contest. The preliminary round began on October 8 with over 40 UNO students pitching to a panel of three judges from the Greater Omaha community. Students were given 90 seconds to pitch their idea to the panel of judges followed by up to 5 minutes of question and answer. There were four rooms, each running its own pitch contest, with the top three students from each room advancing to the finals the following week.

The final round consisted of 12 UNO students and their business ideas. The top winner received $500 and a trip to the National Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) Pitch Competition in Tampa, Florida. The second place team received $250 and third place received $100. On the panel of judges for the final round was Mark Griffis from Aviture, Chad Swantz from Suiter|Swantz, Les Robbins from Robbins Consulting, Scott Anderson from Medical Solutions, and Ashley Pieper from Mutual of Omaha. After tough deliberation, Emily Buettner won this year’s BigIdea! Pitch Contest. Second place was awarded to William (Blake) Phillips and third place went to Patrick Grover. In fact, this year it was such a close contest, that CIEF is awarding two all-expense paid trips to Florida! Therefore, Emily and Blake will be representing the University of Nebraska at Omaha at the National CEO Pitch Competition in Tampa, Florida.

Emily Buettner’s business idea, Plug, is a social recruitment platform that democratizes the recruiting process for athletes and recruiters. Plug uses necessary recruitment features like geolocation and advanced search filters, so that athletes and recruiters can connect with recruitment opportunities. Users on Plug can upload videos that showcase their skills, highlights, or training, along with representing their training facilities so that other users can interact. Plug has integrated unique features like a user player card, built in direct messaging, and offers recruiting events near the user that make the recruitment process efficient and compliant with NCAA regulations.

Blake Phillip’s business idea, PostMyProject, is a free project estimator for over 160 types of home improvement projects and an online community for service providers. Blake’s service allows the average homeowner to develop a professional grade estimate and renovation item list by using just a few simple measurements, and then connects them with verified service providers.
SHARE

News Sections

  • University of Nebraska Omaha News Center
  • UNO News Center
  • Maverick Daily
  • The Bullseye
  • Campus Events

Featured

  • Danyell Price and Joscelyn Vincent Awarded the Prestigious National Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Scholarship
  • Omar Al Mulki Speaks the Language of Business
  • Graduate Assistants Receive Real-World Business Consulting Experience at the Nebraska Business Development Center
  • UNO Collegiate Entrepreneurs' Organization Wins Global Chapter of the Year

Most Viewed

  • The UNO EMBA Program Is Different – And Gets Results
  • UNO CBA’s Dr. Yanhui Zhao Quoted by BBC News
  • The Capstone Cup: UNO CBA’s Unparalleled Senior Experience

Contact Us

If you have a story idea, news tip or inquiry, please contact:

College of Business Administration
unocbainfo@unomaha.edu • 402.554.2303


About the College of Business Administration

College of Business Administration

  • Address
  • College of Business Administration
  • 300 Mammel Hall
  • 6708 Pine Street
  • Omaha, NE 68182  map this location
  • unocbainfo@unomaha.edu
  • Contact Us
  • Dean's Office: 402.554.2303
  • Academic Advising: 402.554.3419
  • AACSB Accreditation
  • Nebraska Business Development Center
  • Next Steps
  • Visit UNO
  • Request Information
  • Apply for Admission
  • The UNO Advantage
  • Our City (Omaha)
  • Just For You
  • Future Students
  • Current Students
  • Work at UNO
  • Faculty and Staff
  • A-Z List
  • Popular Services and Resources
  • my.unomaha.edu
  • Academic Calendar
  • Campus Buildings & Maps
  • Library
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Course Catalogs
  • Internships & Career Development
  • Bookstore
  • MavCARD Services
  • Military-Connected Resource Center
  • Speech Center
  • Writing Center
  • Human Resources
  • Center for Faculty Excellence
  • Affiliates
  • University of Nebraska System
  • NU Foundation
  • Buffett Early Childhood Institute
  • Daugherty Water for Food Institute
  • National Strategic Research Institute
  • Peter Kiewit Institute
  • Rural Prosperity Nebraska
  1. University Policies
  2. Privacy Statement
  3. Accessibility
  1. 402.554.2800

University of Nebraska Omaha
University of Nebraska Omaha, 6001 Dodge Street, Omaha, NE, 68182
  • © 2023  
  • Emergency Information Alert
  • Report an Incident or Concern

Omaha Skyline

Our Campus. Otherwise Known as Omaha.

The University of Nebraska does not discriminate based on race, color, ethnicity, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, and/or political affiliation in its education programs or activities, including admissions and employment. The University prohibits any form of retaliation taken against anyone for reporting discrimination, harassment, or retaliation for otherwise engaging in protected activity. Read the full statement.

scroll to top of page