Winners announced for Zingale Big Idea Competition
Twenty-four student teams representing seven colleges and universities gathered at Allegheny College last weekend for Zingale Big Idea Competition.
The event welcomed 48 students from Allegheny College, Grove City College, Franciscan University, the University of Chicago, the University of Southern California, Westminster College and PennWest Clarion.
The competition, hosted by Allegheny's Center for Business and Economics, challenges students to pitch innovative business or social venture ideas in a professional setting before a panel of alumni entrepreneurs, business leaders and venture capitalists.
'The Zingale Big Idea Competition is an incredible showcase of student innovation,' said Chris Allison, entrepreneur-in-residence at Allegheny. 'The diversity of ideas, the professionalism of the presentations, and the students' drive to make a difference were truly inspiring.'
This year's first place prize of $10,000 was awarded to Leslie Manson from the University of Chicago for Trottr, a personalized life compass startup idea focused on who you are, who you love and where you will come alive.
Second place and $7,500 went to Joseph Shin and Liam Grossman from Grove City College for their artificial intelligence-powered venture, Thymely.ai.
Third place was a tie, with each team receiving $4,000: Piece of Sober, presented by Joe Fugagli, Merrell Sheehan, Daniel Bekele and Hemani Alaparthi from Allegheny; and Gesturism, presented by Jacklyn Pham, also from Allegheny.
Honorable mentions ($2,000 each) were awarded to:
• KRS Creations — Katie Rose Rankin, Westminster
• AFFIRRO — Arina Otbliesk, Allegheny
• GAItor — Oleksandra Shafran, Allegheny
Three teams were recognized with the Next Big Idea award for creativity and entrepreneurial potential:
• AZ-Boost Digital Marketing Consultancy — Davaka Namjilsuren, PennWest Clarion
• Elytra Robotics — Rochan Kavulli & Christopher Luey, University of Southern California
• Safe Horizon — Shayan Colbawalla & Miguel Orti Vila, Allegheny
The competition is named in honor of Allegheny alumnus and entrepreneur Lance Zingale and supports the development of student entrepreneurship through hands-on experience and mentorship opportunities.
'It's exciting to see the competition growing as more schools get involved,' Zingale said. 'The quality of ideas keeps improving year after year. Our hope is that students carry this experience forward and use it as a stepping stone for their future success.'
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In closing, President Cole told the graduates, 'All of us together in this extraordinary moment are united in community by memories, friendships, achievements in the classroom, in the lab, on the playing field, on the stage, and in the Meadville community.' Notable The 2025 Commencement caps a record year at Allegheny College for fundraising, new program launches, significant partnerships with Meadville organizations, the opening of Allegheny branch campus ALIC @Bessemer, and the highest number of applications received for the 2025-2026 school year.
