This year, The Big Idea pitch competition yielded two co-first place winners — a first since the program’s inception in 2013. Sharing first place were King of the Sea, presented by Nick Kramer ’16 and Peter Wailes ’16, and Neonic, presented by Cormac Siegfried ’19 and Nick Ravich ’19.

King of the Sea, which received $25,000, hopes to develop a market for lionfish, a fast-reproducing fish native to the Indian Ocean. The release of six fish decades ago in Florida resulted in a non-native population that is destroying reefs and decimating populations of native fish.

“In early May, we flew down to the Florida Keys to meet with a number of people in the commercial fishing world and discuss the progress of legislation that would provide a more steady supply of the fish,” says Kramer. “We were on a local radio show with nearly a million listeners, trying to spread awareness about the issue and what we’re trying to do. Recently, we’ve been encouraged to discover that certain Whole Foods in Florida are starting to offer lionfish, when it’s available, at their fish counters, and are looking forward to growing our brand as more of the species become available and supply begins to exceed local consumption.”

Neonic, which received $20,000, uses people’s smartphones to create a unique crowd-sized canvas of art, providing an interactive way in which concert-goers can become part of the performance. “Neonic has moved to Wyoming to live in an airplane hangar so we can test our algorithm without disruption and in a controlled environment,” says Siegfried, adding that they have collected over a million data points since moving there. Neonic also made a June appearance at EDM Biz, a conference in Las Vegas that brings the electronic dance music professionals/
performers to one place.

Neuroscience majors Ben Hicks ’18, Alec Sheffield ’18, and Henry Alderson-Smith ’18 pitched Spindle, a memory-enhancing sleep mask. After many late nights and sleep deprivation (the irony was not lost!), their proposal garnered them third place.

Two other teams made it to the finals, culled from an initial field of 17. Team members Harvey Kadyanji ’18 and Dougie Lagrone ’18 pitched Pick Up, a cloud platform that helps colleges and students improve the intramural sports experience. I-Vest Colorado, an online crowdfunding platform that serves as an intermediary between local non-accredited investors and local startup companies, was pitched by Jared Bell ’18, Jackson Kaplan ’18, Luke Cree ’18, and Sam Markin ’18.

The Big Idea is an initiative of CC’s strategic plan, “Building on the Block.”