The Phoenix College Bear's Den Pitch Competition supported six student entrepreneurs in presenting their business ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win funding. Supported by a grant from the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE), the competition aligns with the college's Everyday Entrepreneur Program. The competition awarded $9,000 to student-led businesses.
Before presenting to the judges, students went through a structured preparation process, which included completing an Entrepreneurial DNA self-assessment, working with Professor Mark Sassetti, CPA, on one-year financial projections, and developing a professional resume with Professor Adam Zingg, CFA. Zingg found that "learning about other people's passions" and hearing "student-entrepreneurs share their vision, their background, and their desire to serve unique customer bases" keeps one "young and hopeful."
Students also completed at least one mentoring session with Carol Laisure Pool from the Arizona Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Then participants submitted a pitch deck to competition co-organizers Professors Ashley Brown and Jorge Vega for their feedback and suggestions.
Three community professionals handled competition judging: Cesar E. Salas ‘14, owner of Cesar Graphics, a print and design business serving the Phoenix area since 2008, and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce 2025 Entrepreneur of the Year; Dr. Bruce Balfour, Executive Director of Phoenix Forge Makerspace and a sociologist with expertise in entrepreneurship networks; and Fidel Atencio ‘81, a retired IRS agent with 34 years of federal tax and business compliance experience. Judges evaluated each pitch on viability, innovation, market need, scalability, community impact, and presentation quality.
First prize ($5,000) went to Belen Aviles Sanchez for Captain Elote. Second prize ($2,500) went to Julie Hampton for MyBorgo. Third prize ($1,500) went to Keila Lucero for The Coffee Kitchen. Other competitors included Olina Fong (EcoJoy), Romida Mengwi (Steez-Fit), and MD Mahidul Islam Mahi (Addrivo).
The NACCE grant funded the prize money. Cesar Graphics contributed $500, $250, and $100 printing credits to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place respectively and $75 to the other three contestants. Brown Insurance and Tax Services provided each participant a $200 consultation credit toward filing their business entities.
First Place: Captain Elote — Belen Aviles Sanchez
Belen Aviles Sanchez, a first-year PC business student, said her concept, Captain Elote, was sparked by two other businesses: the eloteros — vendors with golf carts selling corn, chips, and shaved ice — she grew up around in the Valley, and a man selling ice cream from a boat at Lake Pleasant. "When I saw the guy selling ice cream off his boat, I thought I could do the elote version of that."
She plans to operate her business from a boat on the lake, offering elote (corn in a cup with mayo, spices, and toppings), shaved ice, and cold refreshments to lake-goers — especially useful in an Arizona summer when, as Belen put it, people "usually come unprepared" to the lake. Her pitch deck included the specific boat she wants, the down payment amount, and a seasonal operating plan targeting full-week summer hours.
A PC professor encouraged her to enter the Bear's Den competition after she shared her business idea during a class group project. The competition process pushed Belen to rethink her pitch: her original slides were too casual, and her advisor's feedback helped her refocus on the numbers and business model. On competition day, she walked in with a script and put it down as soon as she faced the judges, choosing to connect with them directly instead. The panel responded well to the concept's originality. Her $5,000 prize will go toward a boat down payment. For inquiries, she can be reached at [email protected].
Second Place: MyBorgo — Julie Hampton
A perpetual art student, Julie Hampton visits Italy to experience art embedded in daily life, the landscape, and the architecture. Yet, the depopulation problem plaguing historic villages in rural Italy is one she finds troubling. To solve the issue, she and her co-founder Giorgia Lugarini are creating a digital platform that enables aspiring homeowners to crowdfund the purchase price of an Italian home, with backers willing to pay upfront for a unique holiday stay at the property, which brings economic development to these villages.
"Imagine Zillow, Kickstarter, and Airbnb had a baby," she said in her presentation. "Their digital offspring, MyBorgo, combines the ease of browsing available Italian properties with the collective energy of crowdfunding and the convenience of a vacation rental marketplace."
Having crowdfunded a home in rural Italy in 2001 through a direct-mail campaign and an ad in the New York Times, Julie is eager to make the process more accessible to others with a digital tool. The competition prize money will go toward hiring a skilled software developer to build the MyBorgo crowdfunding site for public launch.
Third Place: The Coffee Kitchen — Keila Lucero
Keila Lucero is finishing her final semester studying business at Phoenix College before transferring to GCU to study supply chain and logistics management. The Coffee Kitchen grew out of her mother's existing dessert business — selling traditional cakes and sweets in Phoenix — which Keila expanded into a full catering, coffee, and event-service concept with an international flavor.
Keila found out about the competition by stopping at an SBDC sign in the B Building during a break between classes. She connected with a counselor at the SBDC office, who told her about the competition, and then met Professor Brown at the orientation. Already familiar with Professor Sassetti from accounting class, she found the support network approachable. But the final week nearly derailed everything: she lost her slides in an email mishap just days before the competition and hadn't yet completed her financial projections.
With encouragement from Professor Brown and her support system, she rebuilt her presentation over the weekend. A Sunday Google Meet with Professor Brown, a Monday session with SBDC mentor Carol, and a second meeting with Brown that evening gave her the feedback she needed. One key suggestion: since The Coffee Kitchen's identity is rooted in international flavors, the presentation needed to show that. Keila went home after a campus work shift and baked Argentinian alfajores and Spanish orange and lemon cookies. She went to bed after midnight and woke at 3 a.m. to finish baking the cookies before the Wednesday competition. Her mother delivered the samples to the venue with one presenter to go.
The Coffee Kitchen is already active: two catering bookings per month, an Instagram page, business cards, and a website-in-progress. Keila plans to use her $1,500 toward an LLC, permits, and a food truck down payment, with farmers market appearances at two locations starting after graduation.
What's Next
The Bear's Den is part of a broader pipeline. The faculty advisors introduced the students who participated in the Bear's Den competition to the ASU-MCCCD Student Pitch Competition — a Blackstone LaunchPad collaboration offering $20,000 in prizes — scheduled for April 23, 2026, at Phoenix Forge.
For organizer Ashley Brown, the competition's value extended well beyond the awards. "The dedication and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by these students was truly inspiring," he said. "We look forward to building on this success and making next year's Bear's Den even bigger and better."
Support your entrepreneurial spirit with a certificate or associate’s degree in Business, Entrepreneurialism and Management. The Bear’s Den competition is open to any student, not just business students. Consider applying to participate in next year’s Bear’s Den competition by reaching out to Business faculty Ashley Brown or Jorge Vega.