Student Entrepreneurs Pitch Their Big Ideas at University of San Diego V2 Competition

An app to help “gig economy” workers find higher income and benefits and a start-up using drones to collect data for the mining and solar energy industries are two of the innovative finalists for the University of San Diego’s 8^th annual Venture Vetting (V2) entrepreneurship competition on Thursday, April 25. 

During the competition, dubbed as “Shark Tank meets Academia,” three finalist teams from USD and three from Latin America will pitch their ideas to a panel of distinguished investors and compete for a total of $20,000 in cash and in-kind support to fund their start-up firms.  

The event begins at 5 p.m. with in front of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice with a Venture Fair showcasing student start-up ideas.

Finalist pitches will take place from 6:15 to 7 in the Peace and Justice Theatre and awards will be announced at 8 p.m.

Finalist USD teams include Gigglr, an app using an algorithm that considers surge pricing, overlap opportunities and other factors to help members of the “gig economy” find the most profitable opportunities.

The other USD finalists are DoubleTake, offering custom videos for students hoping to earn athletic scholarships, and LifeBox that provides rapid deployment of temporary housing during emergencies.

About the University of San Diego

The University of San Diego sets the standard for an engaged, contemporary Catholic university where innovative Changemakers confront humanity’s urgent challenges. With more than 8,000 students from 75 countries and 44 states, USD is the youngest independent institution on the U.S. News & World Report list of top 100 universities in the United States. USD’s eight academic divisions include the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Business, the Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering, the School of Law, the School of Leadership and Education Sciences, the Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, and the Division of Professional and Continuing Education. USD recently concluded our successful $317M Leading Change: The Campaign for USD, which represented the most ambitious fundraising effort in the history of the university. In September 2016, USD introduced Envisioning 2024, a strategic plan that capitalizes on the university’s recent progress and aligns new strategic goals with current strengths to help shape a vision for the future as the university looks ahead to its 75th anniversary in the year 2024.