Team “Good Deed Beads” Wins $10,000 at 2019 Pitch Contest

Lauren Elwell, 2018 alumna in Family and Child Studies, and Marketing student Jacqueline Lynch won 3rd place in the 2019 annual student pitch contest, “BulbHead.com Inventors Day for Aspiring Entrepreneurs.” The award consists of $10,000 for their business idea, with 20 percent of the prize going directly to the team members and the remaining 80 percent must be invested in the startup venture under the coaching of the Feliciano Center for Entrepreneurship. This is the first year the competition was open to alumni, as students have only been able to participate in the previous competitions.

Good Deed Bead is a necklace company that aspires to inspire good people to spread their sunshine through good deeds both big and small. They believe that one single act, represented by one single bead, can help make the world a better place. The company states, “With each necklace purchase comes a special deed for you to spread your sunshine.” The necklaces are made of sterling silver and a solitary bed representing acts of positivity, packaged on cards with the phrase, “Doing good looks good on you.” Examples of the good deeds include cleaning up your local beach or park for 20 minutes, donating to your local food pantry, letting someone cut in front of you, donating to a local animal shelter, delivering flowers to someone affected by cancer, and picking up a stranger’s coffee tab.

In addition to the necklace, Good Deed Bead has a thriving social media presence on Instagram with approximately 900 followers, where the good deeds of its clients are shared. The brand promotes kindness and delight to combat discouraging events.

The competition started in the morning on May 8, 2019, with 13 teams pitching their ideas to panel judges in the Semi-final round. After a lunch break where free pizza was served to all, the top seven finalist teams repeated their pitches to the final judges. These judges included  Andrew Gatto, Principal of Andrew Gatto Consulting; Arline Wall, Vice President, New Product Development & Procurement of Telebrands; and AJ Khubani, President & Founder of Telebrands & BulbHead.com. Anthony “Sully” Sullivan, known as the “OxiClean guy” acted as the Master of Ceremonies for the event. $50,000 was awarded to first place winners, team Mavo Care. Mavo Care is an all-natural and organic line of feminine care products using the super herb Calendula Officinalis as the main active ingredient. Team Hypeman, a mobile app of lyrics to go, placed second and won $20,000.

The College of Education and Human Services has a history of placing in the event, as team Wheatpaste won $50,000 in the 2018 Pitch Contest. Team Wheatpaste consisted of Matthew Szot, a senior Applied Nutrition major student, along with fellow Montclair State students George Garcia and Jacob Gilbert.

For more information about the contest, please visit: https://www.montclair.edu/entrepreneur/2019-pitch-contest