Senior David Emanuel took the top spot in the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition’s 2012 Elevator Pitch Contest, held Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012, at Johnson and Wales University. Emanuel, a mechnical engineering concentrator, pitched Lock’d, a device that enables travelers to attach their backpacks to stationary objects such as hostel beds and train seats. Contestants each had 90 seconds to present a business idea to a panel of expert judges from the Rhode Island business community, who provided constructive feedback, telling presenters what they did well and how they could improve their pitch. A total of $1,000 in cash prizes was awarded to the top 10 presenters. Five other Brown students also made the top 10. Cory Abbe, a senior business major, pitched Sonacatch 3D Complete Trawl Sonar System, an all-inclusive trawl sonar system that keeps underwater fishing nets safe from harm. Tim Kwak pitched SEVA, software that will allow mariners to indicate their preferred content to be broadcast on a satellite network. Isha Gulati, a senior English major, pitched Resolute Racing Shells, a power output meter that delivers key readings of the power output of rowers. Cliff Weitzman, a freshman studying economics and renewable energy, pitched BoardBrake, an attachable brake for longboards to make skateboarding safer. Sidney Kushner, a senior studying applied mathematics, presented CCChampions, a nonprofit corporation he established to build a national network that links children with cancer to professional athletes.
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