Emerson College Entrepreneurship Expo Announces 2021 Winners
Olivia Strauss of Wayland, MA Named Second Place Winner in Emerson College Entrepreneurship Expo
Year Long Entrepreneurship Immersion Program’s Annual Expo
Nineteen Emerson College student entrepreneurs recently competed in a virtual entrepreneurship exposition to win cash prizes to launch their ventures. Ashley Blanco of Boston, MA took first place in the competition for her business venture ARK (Anxiety Relief Kit). Ashley was awarded $5000 to launch her company. Olivia Strauss of Wayland was awarded $3000 for her venture, Liv Sweetly, a subscription baking kit service.
[Read more about some of the competitors, including Liv Sweetly online here]
The Emerson Entrepreneurial Experience (E3) is a year long experiential journey where students learn how to build and launch a new business venture. The program typically culminates each year with a day long exposition where the Emerson community, family and friends all gather to watch the students present their business pitches to a panel of external judges. This year the event was conducted as a virtual exposition.
“This year our students presented amazing new business ideas, many addressing issues that have arisen due to the pandemic,” says Lu Ann Reeb, Assistant Dean and Director of Entrepreneurial Studies and Business Studies at Emerson College. “These students demonstrated their creativity and resilience, developing ideas into viable business ventures ranging from mobile APPS, e-commerce retailers, digital media companies, subscription-based services, a new skateboard company and even a food truck,” she adds.
First Place – $5,000
Ashley Blanco, The Anxiety Relief Kit (ARK)
ARK is for anxiety sufferers who want to relieve anxiety naturally, quickly, and effectively. The Anxiety Relief Kit is a customizable mental health subscription box providing all-natural relief for anxiety, based on each subscriber’s needs, and targets all five senses. The kit integrates integrative health, color therapy, aromatherapy, sensory, and sound therapy.
Second Place – $3,000
Olivia Strauss, Liv Sweetly
Liv Sweetly is the first subscription baking kit service that teaches adults how to improve their stress and health through baking. This new and exciting business was founded by Olivia Strauss in 2020. The goal of Liv Sweetly is to help people discover baking is a resource they can use to manage their daily lives, reduce personal stress and anxiety, and address any other health concerns to ultimately live sweetly.
Third place – $2,000
Alannys Milano, Our Journey
Our Journey is a multicultural online magazine dedicated to empowering international college students worldwide. Our Journey’s main goal is to become the number one media community for global and diverse students to have meaningful conversations across the globe. Customers include college students and alumni interested in inclusion, diversity, advocacy, pro-social issues, healthcare for all, racial justice, ending gender-based discrimination, and economic justice.
Karl Baehr Memorial Scholarship Award
Magenta Thomas, Igi
Igi is a service that prepares tailormade houseplant arrangements for the budding plant parent. Through Igi clients are able to empower small, local nurseries and farms while connecting to nature.
Entrepreneurial Spirit Award
Juanma Suárez Teissonniere, Divino
Divino is a mobile APP that pairs high-end self-care services with people in a geographic radius.
About the Emerson College Entrepreneurship Experience (E3)
The Emerson College Entrepreneurship Experience (E3) is an immersive program for students from all majors in the School of the Arts and School of Communication. Students experience ideation, test for market sustainability, craft business plans and pitches, engage with mentors and collaborate as a cohort for a year.. Professor Lu Ann Reeb, an entrepreneur herself, leads Emerson College’s E3 program.Lu Ann Reeb, Director of Business and Entrepreneurship StudiesLu Ann Reeb, Director of Business and Entrepreneurship Studies The E3 Program was launched fifteen years ago at Emerson College; more than 200 ventures have been created and nearly 30% of those have been realized into businesses. For more information visit
https://www.emerson.edu/academics/academic-departments/marketing-communication/entrepreneurship .
