HPU Student Entrepreneurs Earn $30,000 in Start-Up Funds in Business Plan Competition
High Point University students presented their business ideas to a panel of judges and earned a combined $30,000 in start-up funds during the 15th annual HPU Business Plan Competition. Pictured from left were Brian Namnoum, a senior business administration major from West Hartford, Connecticut; Jackson Tuomey, a senior entrepreneurship major from Frederick, Maryland; Reeve Fatuova, a junior entrepreneurship major from Ramsey, New Jersey; Christopher Hedbavny, a junior business administration major from Robesonia, Pennsylvania; Michael Russo, a senior business administration major from Hanover, Massachusetts; Logan Sykes, a freshman sales major from Owings Mills, Maryland; and Liam Carney, a sophomore entrepreneurship and business administration major from Excelsior, Minnesota.
HIGH POINT, N.C., April 16, 2025 – High Point University students presented their business plans to a panel of judges and earned a combined $30,000 in start-up funds during the 15th annual HPU Business Plan Competition.
Students pitched their ideas as they competed on April 9 at the Callicutt Life Skills Theater for funding to launch or continue developing their businesses. They were each given five minutes to explain their business plans, then answered questions from the judges for another five minutes during their presentations.
First-Place Winner for $20,000
Reeve Fatuova, a junior entrepreneurship major, was awarded $20,000 for her business, BUSTZ. She shared her experience as the first female wrestler on her high school team, which led her to create the first sports bra specifically designed to provide modesty, support and mobility for women wrestlers in high school, college and the Olympics. In addition to wrestling, BUSTZ apparel has attracted interest from athletes in other markets, including karate and jiu-jitsu. Her business also won first place and earned $10,000 at HPU’s Elevator Pitch Competition last fall.
“This sets us up for the next stage and phase in my company, BUSTZ,” said Fatuova, who is from Ramsey, New Jersey. “Right now, it’s just taking the time to see what we can accomplish with these funds and then allocating to make the most out of it. I was very surprised, but I always say if you work hard when people are watching and aren’t watching, it will come to you when the time is right, and you need it the most. Anything is possible if you set your mind to it and never give up.”
Second-Place Winner for $7,000
Jackson Tuomey, a senior entrepreneurship major, was awarded $7,000 for his business, ModMenu. The community-driven platform is designed to streamline the process of modifying cars. He plans to use the funds for web development that furthers the business
“I’ve been using a lot of my own resources, but we will hire somebody who is an expert in AI integration to implement the website because that’s one of the main functionalities of my business,” said Tuomey, who is from Frederick, Maryland. “If we can get that done, we can get it launched in no time.”
Third-Place Winner for $2,000
Third place and $2,000 was awarded to Brian Namnoum, a senior business administration major from West Hartford, Connecticut. His business, Attorney Alert, is a high-end client acquisition platform designed to connect attorneys with clients and prevent wasted marketing costs.
Additional Awards
The judges awarded $600 to Liam Carney, a sophomore entrepreneurship and business administration major from Excelsior, Minnesota. He presented Panther Packs, a student-run business designed to provide HPU students with care packages for those who are homesick, celebrating their birthdays or receiving holiday gifts. Carney’s working partner, Karsen MacDougal, a junior entrepreneurship and business administration major, was unable to attend the competition.
SmartPath, a direct-to-consumer home security system, received $400. Michael Russo, a senior business administration major from Hanover, Massachusetts, presented the business plan with Christopher Hedbavny, a junior business administration major from Robesonia, Pennsylvania, and Logan Sykes, a freshman sales major from Owings Mills, Maryland. The trio said they partnered with Lowe’s Home Improvement and VITL to sell their security camera systems in South Carolina and Arizona.
The panel of judges included three HPU alumni — Seth Gold, a real estate broker at Bold Real Estate who competed in HPU’s first Business Plan Competition in 2011; Logan Jones, an entrepreneur, attorney and founder of the social marketing app ticker; and Megan Oglesby, senior advisor of The Earl & Kathryn Congdon Family Foundation and the principal investor of Carolina Core FC, a professional men’s soccer team.
“The competition really starts as a conduit for our student entrepreneurs to connect with investors and has been a launching pad for entrepreneurs and companies over these last 15 years,” said Lou Anne Flanders-Stec, founding dean of the David S. Congdon School of Entrepreneurship. “We’ve identified ways to put students in scenarios where they get to practice what they learn in the classroom. This is the launching place, the starting opportunity and the chance to put classroom learning into real-world experience — and it pays off.”
Support for the competition was provided by Truist Financial Corporation, The Bell Foundation and Simon Jewelers. HPU Class of 2022 alumni Addison Antico and Jordan Rubin, co-founders of SHIMI, served as hosts of the Business Plan Competition. Will Hedrick, a Class of 2021 alumnus and founder of MyCharity, was credited with mentoring students weekly and sharing his entrepreneurial experience with them as they prepared their presentations.