On May 4, 2026, students in Dr. McNab’s e-commerce class (MGT 308) competed for investments in a Venture Fair. Nearly 500,000 Monte/McNab bucks were invested in the businesses. Nine faculty and staff members and 36 students participated as investors during the event’s inaugural year.
The rules were simple: Students prepared tri-fold boards discussing their brand, products or services, and the customer-validation journey they experienced throughout the semester. There were 25 student participants and 14 projects presented, and each solo entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs asked visiting investors for a share of $10,000 in seed funding. Investors were required to invest in at least three different companies and were also asked to vote for their favorite business based on booth experience and customer connection.
In the end, Detergent Dummies — featuring Sophie McCormick ’26, Maria Melo Bello ’27 and Tyler Yousett ’26 — earned the highest investment total with 84,000 investment bucks. Anchor Luggage, created by Jenna Boyd ’26, came in second with 46,000, while Visa Frontiers, led by seniors Keegan Jenkinson and Thomas Brooks ’26, placed third with 44,000 to round out the top three teams.
After the event, Dr. Galina Boiarintseva, associate professor of management and one of the event’s investors, said: “I was impressed by all of the preparation that went into this experience by the students and somewhat taken aback by how well designed some projects were. I would invest real money if the opportunity presented itself.”
The top two teams also split the awards, with Anchor Luggage taking home the Booth Experience Award and Detergent Dummies winning the Customer Connection Award.
The event served as a significant confidence boost for many of the participating students. Jenna Boyd, a senior management major behind Anchor Luggage, reflected on the experience in her course reflection, stating: “This class was so fun and exciting, being able to have the same mindset as an entrepreneur. This class taught me to have faith in myself. I learned that it is important to experience trial and error, to make mistakes and fail. The first few ideas I had — between products, names and mottos — all had flaws. However, as time progressed, I learned new ways of problem-solving, and I had a really great time in this class.”
Perhaps more important than winning investment bucks, the experience was summed up by Krista Massaro, a career counselor in NU’s Career Services office, who shared that the event was “a perfect reminder that career readiness includes curiosity, communication, adaptability and the confidence to turn ideas into action.” She added, “Listening to the students pitch their business ideas was not only fun, but also highlighted the creativity and professionalism employers are looking for in today’s workforce.”
Dr. McNab is looking forward to growing the experience even further and hopes to attract more motivated investors next spring. The only question now is who will win in spring 2027!
