During the December TIA Incubator weekend, students were given a taste of what it takes to build a venture from scratch. Each team had to overcome challenges along the way, and they all realized that starting a company was no cake walk. The annual Gingerbread Pitch Competition gave mentors and students the opportunity to combine their skillsets and create an edible business model that would whisk the judges away. Participants were split up by section and given an industry their venture must be in, a standard gingerbread house kit — along with less standard gingerbread house decorations — and 30 minutes to build without crumbling under pressure.
The gingerbread house kits were composed only of walls, miscellaneous candies, and a frosting packet, but sections innovatively sifted through extra materials ranging from glow sticks to fake moss to Ping-Pong balls. As the competition heated up, one group wasted no material and even utilized the cardboard box from the kit in their final product.
Nearly halfway through the competition, sections were thrown a curveball by Entrepreneur in Residence Jen Martin. Curveballs ranged from going viral on TikTok to reframing their business entirely. When one group was given the obstacle to eliminate three different materials from their stock, they were left with just the secret ingredient: creativity. Despite the given challenges, the sections had clear communication, respect for each other’s ideas, and a strong determination to produce the game-winning product — it was a true recipe for success.
Sections used a variety of strategy and construction methods. One student was seen sawing through a wall with a pair of scissors while another acted quickly after her gingerbread establishment started to collapse by propping up the roof with pretzel sticks. When asked what strategy he was utilizing in the competition, Yabesi Witinya ’26 determinedly replied, “Getting the walls to stay up” — a sentiment many architects in the room shared.
While the construction segment of the session was filled with laughter, celebration, and learning opportunities, the real icing on the cake was the pitch competition. The following businesses were served to a panel of judges:
- Students Ryan Wilson ’28, Thomas Rivier ’28, Andrew Sullivan ’26, and mentors Paul Wigdor P’23 and Joel Plotkin P’27 built “E Down,” a sustainably focused entity featuring multiple forms of energy, including solar panels and geothermal energy.
- Students Robert Payne ’27, Tucker McPartlin ’27, Witinya, and mentor Patrick Doyle ’90, P’25, ’29 built “Sigma House,” a … gen alpha one
- Students Sophie Martin ’27, Sebastian Tamburro ’26, Koichi Mori ’29, ԱƵ staff participant Mike Ahearn Wilcox, and mentors Andres Echenique ’83 and Omer Jilani ’93, P’28 built “Phony Food,” a subscription-based consumable cellular device company that is driven by sustainability, limiting screen-time, and security.
- Students Ruby Zawel ’29, Ella Conover ’26, Nicole Hernandez ’26, and mentor Madeline Bayliss ’76 built “Glamping on the Go,” a luxury portable event venue that features rebuildable materials, solar energy, and high-quality linens.
- Students Agnes Kaumbulu ’28, Yaphet Reyes-Powell ’27, Ernest Clottey ’26, and mentor Bill Porta ’86 built “Power House,” focused on returning power back into the grid in developing countries.
Though the kits were entirely the same, it was clear that these were no cookie-cutter businesses. After some deliberation, the judges presented the awards:
- Most likely to hit $1,000,000 in sales: E Down
- Most creative: Phony Foods
- Best use of constraints: Power House
- Funniest: Sigma House
- Most likely to go viral: Glamping on the Go