Students pitch business concepts at Clovis Community College’s inaugural Demo Day

For Clovis Community College student Mary Ward, staying fit and healthy is a priority. But because the business and nursing double-major works seven days a week, she doesn’t have a lot of extra time to research workouts and browse for nutritious recipes.

Last Monday, Ward pitched an online fitness and meal plan product as part of the college’s Introduction to Entrepreneurship course.

Clovis Community College students enrolled in the business administration class had the opportunity Dec. 7 to pitch their business concepts to local business owners at the school’s inaugural Demo Day.

The business owners were then asked to judge the students based on their booth design and presentation, dress and professionalism and business feasibility.

The business concepts included a mobile printing kiosk, a cupcake bakery and a textbook exchange service, among others.

Ward’s idea was a success, she said, as a couple of business owners told her they were interested in investing in the product or giving her an additional opportunity to pitch the business plan.

“Sensor Fit is an online product that provides fitness plans and diet plans customized for you,” she explained. “When we were given the assignment to come up with a business idea that we could pitch, I thought, ‘I need something like this.’”

Customers would pay $15 per month to have access to step-by-step workout videos personalized for their body types and goals by a personal trainer, along with nutritious meal plans and recipes customized by a dietician for their needs and health ailments, Ward explained.

She enjoyed the college’s inaugural Demo Day, although she found it stressful to make sure everything was perfect for that day, including her brochures, business cards, website mockup and smoothie samples.

“It was costly, but it was worth it because I got to see what my potential was,” Ward said. “I would have never done this on my own. I would have never said, ‘ok, let me make a business and pitch it to people and see what they say.’ But after this, I saw that people like my idea and would actually use it.”

First-year student Carlos Galindo pitched his business idea that he came up with toward the end of the semester after noticing that another student who often missed class due to health issues would have difficulty catching up with lessons.

“With ProfView, professors upload their intellectual property, like lectures, onto an easy-to-use platform on which students pay a monthly fee to be able to view them,” Galindo said. “Let’s say as a student you miss class because of an emergency or family problem ... you get onto the site to view the lecture you missed.”

Galindo enjoyed Demo Day because it gave him a real opportunity to become an entrepreneur, he said.

“It’s really beneficial because it’s a real-world experience,” he said.

This story was originally published December 7, 2015 at 3:45 PM with the headline "Students pitch business concepts at Clovis Community College’s inaugural Demo Day."