{"id":48735,"date":"2018-01-09T16:26:26","date_gmt":"2018-01-09T21:26:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=48735"},"modified":"2018-01-10T10:33:33","modified_gmt":"2018-01-10T15:33:33","slug":"brock-student-ethan-foy-wins-monster-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2018\/01\/brock-student-ethan-foy-wins-monster-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"Perseverance pays off as Ethan Foy wins Goodman’s Monster Pitch"},"content":{"rendered":"

Monday proved to be a dream come true for Ethan Foy.<\/p>\n

The fifth-year neuroscience student from Oakville won a $14,000 prize package at Monster Pitch, an entrepreneurial pitch competition hosted by the Brock Innovation Group in partnership with the Goodman School of Business and BioLinc and sponsored by Spark Power Corp.<\/p>\n

More than a year ago, Foy began working on his business called LifePoints. He envisioned a mobile application that would offer monetary rewards to its users based on the time they spent at fitness facilities.<\/p>\n

He first applied for Monster Pitch last year and although he was not selected to present at the competition, he had started on a journey toward his vision.<\/p>\n

There was no turning back.<\/p>\n

With his eye on his goal, he also applied for \u2014 and received \u2014 the Deborah E. Rosati Entrepreneurship Award, which provided him with funding, space and mentorship to help him launch his business. Since receiving the award at last year\u2019s Monster Pitch event, he has worked tirelessly to build his business, including spending the summer working on the company full time thanks to the funding provided by the award.<\/p>\n

This year, he returned to Monster Pitch armed with a year of experience and with his mind set on winning.<\/p>\n

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Brock student Ethan Foy is presented with a $14,000 prize package by Monster Pitch judges David Chilton, Bruce Croxon, Deborah Rosati and Jason Sparaga.<\/p><\/div>\n

The $14,000 prize is comprised of cash, as well as in-kind legal, marketing and accounting services. Foy says he\u2019s planning on using the prize to solidify the success he\u2019s enjoyed so far and add credibility to his business.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy success can be attributed to having the experience from the Deborah E. Rosati Entrepreneurship Award and the success that I had today was because of practice, hard work and a vision,\u201d he said, adding that he practiced his pitch around 15 times each day in the weeks leading up to the competition.<\/p>\n

But Foy says he walked away from Monster Pitch with much more than the $14,000 prize package.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest thing I was looking to get out of Monster Pitch was being able to present in front of a world-class group of judges. I wanted to know where LifePoints stands in the eyes of the them and to get feedback from individuals who have seen a multitude of businesses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The judging panel included David Chilton, author of\u00a0The Wealthy Barber<\/em>\u00a0series, and returning judges Bruce Croxon, co-host of BNN\u2019s\u00a0The Disruptors<\/em>\u00a0and CEO of Round 13, Deborah Rosati, corporate director and co-founder of Women Get On Board, and Jason Sparaga, co-founder and co-CEO of Spark Power Corp. and founder of Spara Capital Partners.<\/p>\n

Chilton, who attended the event for the first time, was impressed by the quality of the shortlisted presentations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEthan was polished beyond belief and has done a good job with the software, coding and everything,\u201d he said. \u201cAll the presenters were good. We had a lot of discussion to come to this decision and the students should all be very proud of themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Acknowledging that it\u2019s not an easy feat to speak in front of a large crowd, Chilton said it\u2019s also a valuable experience for students to move out of their comfort zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s healthy for student entrepreneurs to see other student entrepreneurs so they can see the trials and travails they\u2019re going through, think laterally and listen to the judges\u2019 critiques. But there\u2019s also an esprit de corps that develops when they see that they\u2019re in this together,\u201d he said. \u201cEveryone struggles as an entrepreneur.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sparaga returned for the sixth year to judge the competition, where he noted the passion that each of the participants had for their idea.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese business ideas are coming from a personal, passionate place, and that\u2019s where some of the best businesses come from. The ideas you presented today are solving real problems,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI give a lot of credit to people who stand up in front of these kinds of audiences and present their business ideas and subject themselves to criticism and really intelligent comments from people like David and Bruce \u2014 it\u2019s risky.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodman School of Business Dean Andrew Gaudes sees the value Monster Pitch offers the many student entrepreneurs across the University.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t underscore being put into a position where you have to promote something that is basically out of your own creation,\u201d he said. \u201cIt takes an incredible amount of effective communication, a passion for your dream, and the ability to get other people excited about it and those aren\u2019t easy things to do at the best of times.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t