Axe ’Em, Jacks!
Our competitions are open to all SFA students, regardless of major.
Campuswide annual "Shark Tank"-style competition
Hosted in April, judges evaluate contestants on:
- the market opportunities for their businesses
- and their situational awareness, pitches, business models and go-to-market strategies.
2025 competition
Details will be posted early spring 2025.
Up to 10 semifinalists will be selected to compete in front of a panel of judges, with five students advancing to the final "Shark Tank"-style competition.
Cash prizes for top three pitches
- First place: $10,000
- Second place: $5,000
- Third place: $2,500
2024 winners
First place
The first-place prize of $10,000 went to Sauce Dudes, an online platform that delivers “only the best gourmet sauce and spice blends to market from southern style recipes,” by Brady Dill, a senior history major from Spring.
Second place
Jordan Gonzales, a senior entrepreneurship major from Nacogdoches, earned the $5,000 second-place prize with Beyond the Vine Cellars, a mobile wine trailer for events.
Third place
The $2,500 third-place prize went to Wyatt Brasher, an entrepreneurship junior from Texas City, for Immersify event-planning software with augmented- and virtual-reality features to help clients truly see how an event will look.
2023 winners
First place
The first-place prize of $5,000 went to Clarity Vape Filters, a one-size-fits-all filter for electronic cigarettes by Walker Ridgeway, a senior in entrepreneurship from The Woodlands.
Second place
Management exchange student Bacem Ben Daly from Tunisia earned the $3,000 second-place prize with Salve, a social networking app that matches locations and similar interests.
Third place
The $1,500 third-place prize went to Abbi Williams, a business junior from Nacogdoches, for Conceal What Matters, a line of modest, conceal-carry athletic wear.
2022 winners
First place
The first-place prize of $5,000 went to Reefvita, a sea moss smoothie business developed by Stephan McLawrence, a graduate student in finance from Carriacou, Grenada.
Second place
General business sophomore Quinton Williams of Dallas earned the $3,000 second-place prize with his apparel business event QC B5 Beauty Pageant.
Third place
The $1,500 third-place prize went to entrepreneurship major and senior Ryan Waugh of Austin for his educational video game Play Gov.
