Cash, Competition, Connection: AACC Awards $75,000 to Student Entrepreneurs

May 7, 2024

Anne Arundel Community College awarded student business owner Gaetano Ailiff $25,000 in funds for his business, MD Junk and Moving, during the annual Business Pitch Competition on April 30. The other seven finalists received amounts between $3,000 and $20,000 for their businesses. 

• $25,000 to MD Junk and Moving presented by Gaetano Ailiff  
• $20,000 to Grandma's Southern Pies presented by N'Kobe Turner
• $10,000 to The Arenda presented by Amber Trainer
• $6,000 to Common Goal/Ball at the Mall presented by Jeremiah Batucan 
• $5,000 to Wvndr Studios presented by Tyler Loh
• $3,000 to Breaking Waves presented by Patti Kuhlman
• $3,000 to Mycelium Loving presented by Grady Cole and Matthew Wallace
• $3,000 to Soundglide presented by David Pollak

“2024 marked the 20th Business Pitch Competition. Entrepreneurial Studies has awarded $503,000 to student businesses over the past 20 years,” Entrepreneurial Studies Institute Academic Chair and Associate Professor Stephanie Goldenberg said. “Students accelerate their business growth and make important connections by participating in this competition.” 

Similar to the network show “Shark Tank,” finalists presented a two-minute pitch for their business ideas and addressed questions from a panel of judges. They also provided a business plan and financial projections in their application. The competition was open to all students who took classes between July 1, 2023, and April 1, 2024.

The eight judges included representatives from financial management groups, the Anne Arundel Economic Development Corp., Naptown Scoop, the University of Baltimore, SCORE and the Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation. The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Foundation provided the funds to make this competition possible.