Jackson Price ’26, left, was named the winner of the Rinker Paladin Pitch Competition held in the Watkins Room of the Trone Student Center on Thursday, April 10. Photo by Nathan Gray, Furman University.
By Damian Dominguez, Senior Writer | Furman University
Wen Jackson Price ’26 tore his ACL and meniscus in October during a Furman University Men’s Soccer game, he had nothing but time to think. He’d been considering the synthetic carbohydrates and fillers in so many of the energy packets that he and other athletes eat for hydration and muscle recovery. This idea would land Price a $10,000 check and the chance to launch his own venture, GoldRush: “an energy gel powered by nature,” he said.
Price ran on stage Thursday afternoon – amid a shower of pyrotechnics and cheers from the crowd – to claim an oversized check for the $10,000 Johnny Flynn Award at the sixth-annual Furman University Hill Institute for Innovation and EntrepreneurshipRinker Paladin Pitch Competition. He wasn’t the only award winner – two other students won prizes for their pitches, and a trio of new awards for this year’s competition went to Greenville-based business leaders.
“My recovery and physical therapy let me put all my energy into developing GoldRush,” said Price, a junior business administration major. “One of my teammates gave me a journal, and I wrote in it ‘I want to develop this idea and take it to the Paladin Pitch Competition.’”
The cash prizes give students startup seed funding to go toward launching their ventures.
In second place, senior physics major Andrew Farrell ’25 took home a $2,000 prize for LKRM – pronounced “Locker Room” – a high school sports team management platform. Pauline Bailey ’27 took third place and won $500 for her educational toy idea Sprout Club, which equips children with entrepreneurial skills and hands-on business kits to turn their own ideas into reality. First-year student Nuzat Tabassum Tuba ’28 won the Crowd Favorite award and $1,000 for her business Green Crunch, which makes crispy, tasty snacks from broccoli stems.
Mentorship and Business Experience
Though the competition lasted only a couple of hours, a lot of work goes into getting a coveted spot on the Paladin Pitch stage. Students go through weeks of interviews and video submissions before the applications are vetted down to four finalists. The finalists then refine their ideas and develop their pitches by researching their competition and market share and learning what their potential customers want out of the product or service they offer.
“What you don’t see behind the scenes is that this is more than just a pitch; you’re launching a venture,” said Bryan Davis, executive director of the Hill Institute.
For Furman President Elizabeth Davis, that’s what this competition is all about. “Students have brilliant ideas, and they’re willing to step into the arena and share their ideas with a room full of people,” she said. “That takes courage, and it takes months of hard work and preparation.”
Four judges listened intently while the contestants pitched their ventures. The panel included Furman Trustee Emeritus Ron Malone; Jeanette Brewster, a facilitator with financial technology company Finsync; Parker Baxter, managing director of Michelin Innovation Lab venture GreenerFleets; and 2024 Paladin Pitch second-place winner Alice Tyszka ’25, whose company Alice’s Authoring Agency provides editing, marketing and peer support for writers.
Paladin Pitch Endowment and New Additions
As the judges deliberated, Davis presented the 2025 Entrepreneurship, Free Enterprise and Innovation Award. These awards, new in the 2025 Paladin Pitch, recognize innovation and leadership driving significant social and economic impact.
Lindsey Calcutt, CEO and co-founder of medical tech firm Incora Health, received the Trailblazer Award for pioneering female-focused wearable technologies. The Vanguard Award went to Shane Grivich, CSO and co-founder of chronic care management provider Chartspan. Heather and Shannon Hudson, co-founders of the fitness franchise 9Round, were given the Global Impact Award for their worldwide acclaim, with nearly 700 locations in 18 countries.
These awards and other additions to the competition are possible in part thanks to a $1 million gift by Trustee Emeritus Leighan Rinker and husband Dave Rinker to endow the Paladin Pitch. This year also added an award dinner for the student finalists and other honorees following the competition, so students have the chance to network and connect with these mentors. Bridging the gap between young entrepreneurs and experienced business leaders “serves as an inspiration for the students,” Davis said.
Finalists also get automatic entry into the community accelerator program GVL Starts and are eligible for fellowships within the Hill Institute. These young entrepreneurs also have access to the Furman Innovation Lab, giving them workspace and resources for their new ventures even after they graduate.
Since the beginning, the Paladin Pitch and the Hill institute have helped launch more than 50 new student ventures, many of which debuted at the competition. But they’ve also helped build an environment fit for innovation, President Davis said. She applauded the contestants’ determination and said, “I encourage other students to follow their dreams and take risks with their good ideas.”