Seven teams of Creighton students pitched ideas for a startup company on Sunday only after three days of intensive preparation.

Approximately 40 students presented ideas for startup companies to a panel of local entrepreneurs with connections to startups. The ideas presented included an app that connects spontaneous travelers to tour guides, a last-minute interview prep website and a sticker to cover the labels of pharmaceutical drugs that becomes clear when rubbed. 

These students, selected through an application process, spent the weekend creating business plans for the companies they created. They met with mentors, learned marketing tools, and conducted research.  There were almost no guidelines set when creating the startups. 

“Really just follow the law,” said Tommy McLaughlin a sophomore in the Heider College of Business, when asked what the rules for the startups were.  

His team member, Justin Brasel, a junior in the Heider College of Business added the team also considered what was ethically correct when coming up with their startup. The weekend culminated in the pitches on Sunday. 

According to Brian Boerner a Creighton Junior in the Heider College of Buisness and a coordinator of the Three Day Startup, said participating in the event helps the participants develop “a better business vocabulary, tools to efficiently start their own business, and skills for pitching.”. 

The weekend consisted of brainstorming, feedback, modules where the participants learned about a specific and relevant subject like marketing strategy, and research. 

 “You have to find a market, talk to people about your product and see if they would buy it,” said Bridget Thomson, a junior in the Heider College of Business. 

The members of the group that pitched the concept of a travel app that connects travelers with tour guides went to the Old Market and the airport to research their potential market. When at the airport, they asked people if they would want help navigating Omaha. When in the Old Market, the team asked people if they would be interested in giving tours of the city. 

At the end of the weekend, the seven teams pitched their ideas and then had to answer questions from the panel. Questions included inquiries about safety, brand strategy, long term plans to make profit, and the measurement of success. 

The teams do not have to continue with their startup ideas but according to Boerner some choose to. 

“About two or three out of the seven are going to continue,” said Boerner, adding that in a year only one startup will probably still be functioning.