UCF Students Take Competition With Standing Innovation

Pictured in middle are UCF students Taylor Cheely and Nicole Enterlein

Monday, April 7, 2014, two UCF students, Taylor Cheely and Nicole Enterlein of Entourage Red, LLC., won first place and $10,000 in USF’s Innovative Pitch Competition for their device, which will help provide a more sanitary restroom experience for females. The annual Inovative Pitch Competition is based on a partnership between Florida Blue and the University of South Florida’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

“Presenting in front of reputable professionals from the most respected organization in the medical industry was a huge milestone for us,” the grand-prize winners said, “and winning the competition puts us one step closer to placement in medical facilities.”

The Innovative Pitch Competition was created to encourage early-stage health care innovation and entrepreneurship in the state of Florida. The event focused on innovative ideas that could potentially make huge impacts in the Florida health care industry. The panel of judges came from various private industries and academia that awarded monetary prizes to three of the eight universities participating. The schools will use this seed money to further develop their health care-focused ideas.

“Florida Blue was honored to partner with the University of South Florida Center for Entrepreneurship on this innovative program,” said David Pizzo, West Region Local Market president. “Florida Blue and USF joined together to encourage early-stage health care innovation and entrepreneurship between the colleges and the business community, and this program has enabled students to develop the critical skills necessary to envision creative solutions and transform those ideas into successful endeavors.”