91调教

Arts and Sciences | Business and Industry | Health Education and Human Sciences | News | StudentsNovember 17, 2025

鈥楽hark Tank鈥� Inspired Competition Returns to 91调教

Written By: Ian Silvester

Lion鈥檚 Lair Business Plan Competition, inspired by 鈥楽hark Tank,鈥� returned to the University of 91调教 鈥� Fort Smith for its third year, with nearly $2,000 in prizes awarded to winners. 

Six teams of students submitted business plans, and four gave their elevator pitches to a five-person panel representing businesses from the region. Each team was given up to five minutes to detail their product, projected expenses and returns, and ways to market it. 

鈥淭his was an excellent opportunity for them to collaborate, understand what goes into starting a small business, and provide them a real-world concept of owning and operating a business,鈥� said Ty Barrett, director of the 91调教 Small Business and Technology Development Center. 

Judges evaluated each team鈥檚 pitch on creativity and innovation, market potential, and the team鈥檚 ability to deliver a compelling business pitch while taking constructive feedback and answering questions related to feasibility. 

鈥淲e hope that the students get a spark for entrepreneurship or that maybe there will be someone here who would take an interest in their concept and want to commercialize it,鈥� Barrett said. 

New this year, teams were allowed to use props or presentation slides to further help deliver their pitch to the judges. Each team worked with a 91调教 mentor of their choosing and had until Nov. 13 to submit their written business plans, up to five pages each, which were judged by a separate panel. 

Each winning team can enter the , a state-wide business plan competition hosted by the 91调教 Capital Corporation, where more than $140,000 in prize money will be awarded. 

---

Teams and winners were: 

1st Place, receiving $1,000: 

Femme Fuel, a four-person team of seniors Madison Yancey, Jessica Haddock, and Jolie Goodman, and junior Derek Spinks, is a wellness brand dedicated to transforming the fitness supplement industry by providing high-quality products tailored specifically to women鈥檚 physiological needs.  

2nd Place, receiving $500: 

Stack Up Apparel, a two-person team of Abdur-Rehman Sajjad and Tyler Teague, both first-year students, tackled how to make premium-quality custom apparel accessible and affordable for college students and organizations. The team also took home an additional $200 for being named the Best Pitch team.  

3rd Place, receiving $250: 

Fitness+, a four-person team of seniors Jason Harris, Megan Brewer, and Aiden Nobles, and junior Alyvia Jean Scroggins, is an affordable artificial intelligence gym experience providing AI personal trainers and equipment training for all levels of fitness. 

Who else competed: 

Hi-Dro, a Bluetooth-capable water-purification monitor; Mindful Minutes, a bracelet that brings together mindfulness, fashion, and function into one wearable product; Driven by Amor, a web-based platform geared toward transforming how college students approach car ownership and upkeep. 

• Tags:
• Lion's Lair