Winners of Lipscomb's Kittrell Pitch Competition named finalists in LaunchTN Statewide Venture Challenge
Lacey Klotz |
Two Lipscomb student-run businesses, Ed. Pack Global and The Little Cottage Bakery, were named finalists earlier this month in Launch Tennessee’s Statewide Venture Challenge, an entrepreneurial pitch competition seeking to create a more connected entrepreneurial community by engaging existing university programs. 
Ed. Pack Global and The Little Cottage Bakery were the top winners of Lipscomb’s second annual Kittrell Pitch Competition, one of Lipscomb’s premiere programs to develop the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs, in April. Ed. Pack Global received the first place cash prize of $10,000 to use towards future business endeavors and The Little Cottage Bakery won the second place prize of $3,000.
Created by Lipscomb students Luke Benda, Macy Cottrell, Ben Siebold and Kayla Ford, Ed. Pack Global is a backpack company that makes a donation for female education in both developing countries and in the United States, for every backpack that it sells.
LaunchTN’s Statewide Venture Challenge has four categories including commercializable technology, lifestyle business, social enterprise and tech-enabled. Ed. Pack Global entered the social enterprise category and placed in the top three overall and received a complimentary ticket to the Statewide Venture Challenge’s 36/86 conference, an annual networking event at the Schermerhorn Center in Nashville, June 6 and 7.
The Little Cottage Bakery, created by Lipscomb student Lillian Fisher, is a neighborhood bakery that fills a market niche in Nolensville, Tennessee. The Little Cottage Bakery entered the lifestyle business category and 
placed second overall. Fisher received a ticket to the two-day conference and is also helping to cater several events.
Earlier this spring, LaunchTN, a public-private partnership focused on supporting the development of high-growth companies in Tennessee, awarded Lipscomb University’s Kittrell Pitch Competition one of 17 grants awarded to 10 universities, and the chance for Lipscomb teams to enter into the Statewide Venture Challenge.
“The Center for Entrepreneurship within the College of Business works tirelessly to give students opportunities to expand their entrepreneurial spirits, and we look forward to what this new relationship with LaunchTN will provide in terms of stretching our students creatively,” said Ray Eldridge, dean of Lipscomb’s College of Business.
The Kittrell Pitch Competition gives current students the chance to create their own business models and gain experience pitching their ideas to judges who represent future investors. The competition is funded by Marty Kittrell, an alumnus and member of Lipscomb University’s Board of Trustees. He provided $20,000 for the 2015-16 event in honor of his father, William, who was a 1941 graduate of Lipscomb.
“The LaunchTN grant money is being used to increase prize money and marketing efforts to ultimately expand the reach of the Kittrell Pitch Competition,” said Joe Ivey, executive director of Lipscomb’s Center for Entrepreneurship housed in the College of Business. “We are grateful for this opportunity to not only receive funding but also outside opportunities for our students to take their business models to the next level.”