Three winners, and three fantastic entrepreneurial ideas, emerged from the 5^th annual Fox Trap Pitch Event recently held at Fox Valley Technical College.

Organized by the FVTC Business division with support from American National Bank Fox Cities and the Fox Valley Technical College Foundation, six competitors were given the chance to pitch their business ideas in front of a panel of judges for a chance at cash prizes and the ability to advance to a regional competition.

The top three winners are:

• First Place: Brittany Eiken ($250)
• Program: Accounting and Small Business Entrepreneurship
• Pitch: Dog Gonnit Pet Taxi is a full-service pet taxi company that alleviates the stress of pet ownership by providing reliable care and transportation. The pet taxi offers one-way and round-trip rides to pets for grooming appointments, doggy daycare and vet visits.  

• Second Place: Samantha Nigbor ($150)
• Program: Agribusiness Science and Technology – Animal Science
• Pitch: Antler Skies Ranch is a deer ranch that hosts both hunting and tourism opportunities. Hunting options would include whitetail, elk and caribou hunting plus hunting their antler shed. Tourism opportunities would include a small petting zoo, reindeer sleigh rides and cabin vacation homes.   

• Third Place: Mluleki Dlamini ($100)
• Program: Agriculture
• Pitch: Agronomy Consulting guides farmers by writing nutrient management and soil fertility plans, plus performs soil tests and performs crop scouting for diseases and pests. Farmers in Mluleki’s home country of South Africa know how and when to plant crops but would benefit from these additional services.

Judges this year included entrepreneur Tasha Banks, Chris Nissen from American National Bank Fox Cities and Sarah Knutson from McCarty Law for judging the competition.

As the top two finishers, Brittany and Samantha will move forward to compete at the NEW Ideas Pitch Challenge Event held at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College on April 28. This second annual event will bring together participants from FVTC, Lakeshore Technical College, Moraine Park Technical College, Nicolet Technical College, Northcentral Technical College and Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.