Illustration of an illuminated lightbulb with the words "The PNW Big Sell" inside.

The Big Sell

Think you have the next big business idea? Want a chance to win $10,000 in six minutes?

The Big Sell is PNW's annual contest to identify the best new ideas in business.

Mark your calendars for the Big Sell Final on Saturday, May 2 at Noon CST!

Register & Agenda Here

Presenters Paul Walczak, Allyson Straka, and Nabeel Rabie hold up checks after earning the top three awards for seed funding at the 2025 PNW Big Sell competition.

Recognizing Our 2025 Award Winners

Congratulations to our 2025 The PNW Big Sell awardees!

  • First Place ($10,000): Scent Seal presented by Nabeel Rabie
  • Second Place ($3,000): Frozen Garden presented by Allyson Straka
  • Third Place ($1,000): Yuda presented by Paul Walczak

See the Contest Recap

2026 Finalists

  • Maggie Bowmar – LifeBandz
  • Brandon Walker – Course Caddy
  • Simrah Khan – GlucoCare
  • Donna Webster – Breath’g Vegan
  • Aaron Farrer – The ANT Tarp Strap / Practical Products
  • Kenneth Webster – Low Angle
  • Nathan O’Rourke – Lunhr (AuraTech)
  • Felipe Trejo – Repairable Gaming Mouse
  • Niko Kritikos – American Tallow
  • Kane Tilley – CryoCollar

2026 Judges

Allyson Straka

Founder and CEO, Frozen Garden

Jason A. Williams

CEO, Society of Innovators at PNW

Landon Young

Vice President of Pre-Seed, Elevate Ventures

Sponsors

Logo: PNW College of Business
Nipsco A NiSource Company

Contest Details

  • Professor Moran and the ENTR 303 students can help you with your videos – please email Professor Moran at ajmoran@pnw.edu. Please do not wait until the last minute.
  • If your product has a social benefit, please describe it briefly.
  • If you are selected as a finalist, then prepare to give a live six-minute pitch presentation expanding on your video submission to a panel of judges. You may demonstrate your product and/or use a presentation such as PowerPoint and expect questions from the judges.

Eligibility:

  • Open to all teams and individuals, referred to as “participants.”
  • If you have previously received funding from the PNW Big Sell, you are not eligible to compete.

Submission:

  • Applications must be complete at the time of submission; no additional materials will be accepted.

Finalists:

  • Selected participants must pitch in person. Failure to appear results in disqualification.

Presentations:

  • Competition begins at 1 p.m.
  • Each team has up to six minutes to present.
  • Slideshow presentations must be on a flash drive and will be managed by event organizers.
  • Only the product or service may be presented.

Conduct and Disqualification:

  • Participants may not contact judges.
  • Content promoting illegal, unethical, or inappropriate activities is prohibited.

Publicity:

  • By entering, participants allow Purdue University Northwest to use their materials, photos, and presentations for promotional purposes.
  • Winning teams are required to share the awards from this competition among all team participants.
  • All winners who will be receiving award money and prizes must provide personal information (Social Security number, address, etc.) to Purdue University Northwest. This is a necessary component the university needs to meet under federal and state guidelines.
  • All winners agree that volunteered services must be used within one year from the date of the award and that service providers have up to one year to provide the volunteered services to the winners. If services are not used, this will amount to a void.

The PNW Big Sell is hosted by Purdue University Northwest College of Business

To request a disability-related accommodation, please contact the Office for Civil Rights at civilrights@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2163 five days prior to the event.

In accordance with Purdue policies, all persons have equal access to Purdue University’s educational programs, services and activities, without regard to race, religion, color, sex, age, national origin or ancestry, genetic information, marital status, parental status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability or status as a veteran. See Purdue’s Nondiscrimination Policy Statement. If you have any questions or concerns regarding these policies, please contact the Office for Civil Rights at civilrights@pnw.edu or (219) 989-2337.