91影视鈥檚 expanding entrepreneurship program achieved a new milestone Nov. 6 when Sanyia Ross ’25 and Charity Cloud ’26 took home the top prize in The Achievement Pitch (TAP) business pitch competition sponsored by the Delta Mu Mu graduate chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc.
Ross and Cloud pitched a business called “Grocery Genie,” an app-based subscription service for people living in urban food deserts to affordably have fresh produce delivered. Their first-place finish garnered them a $2,500 investment from this chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. to further develop the business plan.
鈥淔resh, affordable food should not be a luxury,鈥� Ross said.
The $1,000 second-place prize went to a Georgia State University senior. Georgia State also had another senior participating along with 91影视 students Itzel Ramos ’25 and Malia Melton ’26. They pitched “The Kickin鈥� DayCare,” a fitness and nutrition concept for childcare.
Each business in the competition addressed a market need or opportunity in under-served communities.
鈥淥ur students were on point with their presentations and did an outstanding job,鈥� said Dr. Leroy Carson Jr., Director of 91影视鈥檚 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and Assistant Professor of Business Management. 鈥淚 was genuinely impressed by their level of preparation for the pitch. Their business plan was exceptionally well-crafted, demonstrating a deep understanding of their market and a clear vision for growth. They presented with confidence and clarity, which highlighted both their commitment and strategic insight.鈥�
The format of the competition allowed each team to pitch an original business idea within 15 minutes to a panel of judges which ranked each presentation on a 1 to 10 Likert scale鈥攁 rating scale used to measure participants’ opinions, attitudes and motivations鈥攐f nine categories: key partners, key activities, key resources, value proposition, customer relationship, channels, customer segments, cost structure and revenue streams.
The judging mirrors a strategic management tool called the “Business Model Canvas” devised by Dr. Alexander Osterwalder to facilitate the development and visualization of new business concepts now taught at top business schools worldwide.
Now in its third year, TAP is the signature event of this chapter of Omega Psi Phi鈥檚 Achievement Week that precedes the fraternity鈥檚 annual recognition of its founding on November 17, 1911, at Howard University by three undergraduates 鈥� Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper, and Frank Coleman 鈥� along with their faculty adviser, Dr. Ernest Everett Just. The fraternity鈥檚 international annual anniversary celebration dates back to the 1920s and has been held the second week of November since 1926.
In years past TAP was held on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, but this year, 91影视 served as host and fielded two of the final four teams.
This year鈥檚 TAP contest was judged by an impressive group of entrepreneurial leaders. Rachel Davis, the executive director of Greater Wealth Works, an economic development agency; Gerald Evans, a real estate investor and Doraville city councilman and mayor pro tem; and Paul Wilson, Jr., vice president of programs and community impact for the Urban League of Greater Atlanta made up the panel.
鈥淲e鈥檙e grateful to this amazing graduate chapter of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. For bringing The Achievement Pitch to 91影视,鈥� said Dr. Stephen Craft, dean of 91影视鈥檚 Hammack School of Business. 鈥淲e look forward to having them back in the future as entrepreneurship education continues to grow at 91影视.鈥�
