DAYTON, Ohio — Five Wright State University students presented their business ideas at the Wright Venture Competition, all for the grand prize of $5,000 to help develop their concepts.
“I’ve always been an artist,” Moser said. “I’ve always been hands on and creative.”
It all started her senior year in high school when she knitted all of her friends' hats. That simple gift idea sparked a business opportunity.
“Last July, I registered as an LLC and fully jumped into the business thing,” she said while working on orders from her campus apartment.
She specializes in wood burning and metal stamping, and sells the products on Etsy.
“This is what I do all day long, she said. “I annoy my neighbors.”
Her shop’s popularity is steadily growing.
“I have had over 7,000 orders,” she said. “Some of that was masks from the pandemic, but everything else was keychains. And I’ve had over 1,500 five-star reviews, which is really awesome.”
She competed against Gracie Wyatt, Troy Oates, Andrew Wiseman, and Sabrina D’Alesandro
The students present their ideas in a "Shark Tank" format, only the sharks are wolves since it's Wright State.
Heading into the contest, Moser knew she had a 20% chance to win, but knew she was going against tough competition.
“I’m feeling more confident,” she said before the competition began. “When I get up there it’s gonna be fine. Once I get the first couple of words out I’ll be good to go. But definitely a little bit nervous right now.”
After two hours, they completed the presentations and Moser was declared the winner — a feat she could barely believe was reality.
“Crazy — I like, have the shakes right now,” she said. “It’s absolutely crazy. And after sitting through everyone else’s presentations, I was like ‘This is a tough bunch.’ Everybody did really well tonight. I’m just ecstatic to have the money to keep growing my business and re-invest to help me get to where I want to be someday.”
Moser said the $5K prize will help her establish a home base for her business WrinkleFrinkle LLC, moving out of her college apartment after graduation this semester.