On Tuesday, Dec. 5, students in Professor of Sociology Elizabeth Osborn’s entrepreneurship class presented their product pitches to a panel of judges in the 12th annual Hawk’s Nest Competition, a “Shark Tank”-style competition to decide which product pitch is most well developed and likely to succeed.
The competition’s judges were Peg Duchesne ’77, Kirk Forrest, Kate Harris, Gary Jobson, Lisa Kelly, Jane Margaret O’Brien, Tucker Grube O’Brien ’07.
The class formed four teams that worked together throughout the semester on their product development and their pitch.
- River Center Urgent Clinic (Ian Adams ’23, Ashley Berrol ’23, Stacie Lally ’24, Isaac Smoker ’26) proposed after-hour medical care to the student body with basic medical supplies and over-the-counter medicines during hours when the Wellness Center Is closed.
- Hawktown Market (Lucy Cangelosi ’25, Ashlyn Conley ’26, Santiago Duran ’25, Bana Ghezai ’25) pitched a monthly campus farmer’s market to offer fresh produce, artisanal baked goods and handmade crafts and art.
- Waterfront Washers (Austin Borns ’24, Ryan Frick ’25, Mark LoPresto ’24, Haley Towne ’25) proposed a student-run laundry service for on-campus students.
- Clean Hawks Crew (Matthew Kopsidas ’24, Ben Robertson ’24, Brett Weiner ’25) pitched a focused, tailored on-campus cleaning service, customizable for cleaning jobs large and small.
This year’s competition was bittersweet for Osborn as it was her final time teaching the class that culminates in the competition. Osborn retires this month, having joined the faculty in 1999. The judges awarded the River Center Urgent Clinic proposal the top score.
