Cedar Rapids Today

It’s a pretty intense Friday night in the ARC. Teams have formed, winning strategies are being debated and everyone’s gearing up to compete to win. The thing is — all the passion and energy is unfurling in a classroom, not Kohawk Arena. 

Such is the reality of Kohawk Startup, a 24-hour entrepreneurial and innovation event. Business ideas are pitched, debated, defined and refined amongst student teams alongside mentors. It can seem like a frenzy, but when all is said and done, the event continues to prove to Coe students that when you put yourself through the ringer, you’re coming out better because of it.

Students involved adhere to a breakneck schedule designed to simulate the steps to successful entrepreneurship. First, there’s a pitch fire where participants pitch and listen to business ideas, which leads to teams forming around a central idea for a start-up business. Next, the team gets right to work with customer discovery, problem identification and solutions brainstorming.

This is all before a short night’s sleep, and those involved confirm it’s stressful, fun and revealing all at the same time.

“I was terrified to say what I had to say when we had to pitch ideas, but I’m so glad I did. We had a great time. It’s so important to remember that sometimes you need to voice your opinion,” said Tyler Van Atta ’26, a computer science and physics major.

Contestants can sleep soundly before the second half of the competition because they have mentors working closely with them. Sixteen mentors, along with Coe’s Entrepreneur-in-Residence David Tominsky ’98, work directly with the teams to build out business plans. A mixture of Corridor community members and Coe alumni, the mentors bring experience, entrepreneurial knowledge and a reassuring attitude to the table.

“Mentors are genuinely one of the best parts of the experience. They keep me coming back again and again, getting to talk to people from so many different disciplines. It really goes to show that success can come in many different shapes and forms,” said Maria Cargille ’23, an environmental studies and creative writing major. This is the third time she has participated in Kohawk Startup.

After resting for the night, the teams and mentors reconvene at 8 a.m. to continue sharpening their business ideas and to conduct customer interviews. It’s a full day’s work, which culminates in the final pitch presentations and judging.

Regardless of the outcome of their pitch, participants gush about the experience:

“I’m going to be able to apply the building blocks of a start up. I’ve had many ideas before, but this event helped me develop a system to use to put the ideas to the test.” — Cameron Lay ’24, a business administration major with marketing focus

“I realized how effective I can be and what I can bring to the table.” — Destini Robertson ’24, a psychology and social & criminal justice major with a minor in health and society

“It’s a lot of real life application, especially with soft skills. There’s plenty you learn in your formal education, but the real life experience the mentors are bringing is another kind of learning.”— Abhigya Amatya ’23, an interdisciplinary health and society studies major

“I’ve learned business is not always rainbows and butterflies. You might think you know something, but until you put an idea out there you won’t be fully aware of the challenges.”— Joey Williams ’24, a business administration major

“It’s the most practical test of my leadership and team building abilities I’ve ever encountered because of the time crunch and the nature of having a random team. You never know what you can do until you’re put in a situation where you’re tested.”— Maria Cargille ’23, an environmental studies and creative writing major

Original source can be found here.