The Florida College Business Department Proudly Presents the Second Annual Falcon Challenge
March 22, 2023
Competition is in the air. The stakes are high, and the excitement is higher. Countless hours of collaboration creating business plans, products and services, and marketing materials all lead up to one make-or-break moment, the business proposal. Which young entrepreneurs will secure the business deal they are competing for and claim the title?
You can find out which student entrepreneurs will emerge victorious in the second annual Falcon Challenge, presented by the Florida College business department. Created in 2022 by the Florida College Business Association, The Falcon Challenge is a Shark Tank-style competition that provides students in the small business management and entrepreneurship courses the opportunity to work within a team for several months to create a unique product or service and craft a business proposal.
Each team of students develops their products and business plans, working towards their proposal presentations. Students will present their product or service before a panel of judges made up of high-performing business professionals who will determine the official winner of the Falcon Challenge by offering one team a business deal.
“The Florida College Falcon Challenge represents an academic competition with real-world opportunities and experiences. The Falcon Challenge stimulates and rewards innovative thinking and entrepreneurial persistence. The Falcon Challenge allows the team to present their entrepreneurial ideas to real entrepreneurs and investors who serve as our judges,” says business professor, Lee Quinn.
The Falcon Challenge is a valuable opportunity for our students to gain insight into how a business operates from start to finish in product development. It also gives them experience presenting and communicating innovative ideas for future careers. This year, five teams compete for the title of Falcon Challenge winner and a cash prize.
Join us Tuesday, April 18, from 6-9 p.m. for the second annual Falcon Challenge.
Meet our distinguished, business professionals panel for 2023:
Brent Bennett
Brent founded and owned a start-up company called Stridepoint, which was acquired by Arctic Wolf, a premier cybersecurity platform. He is now the Senior Director, R&D, Security Awareness & Training for Arctic Wolf. Brent lives in Temple Terrace with his wife Elaine and his two children.
Chase Clark
Chase began his successful entrepreneuialr career in 2006 when he founded Home Encounter with his business partner, Peter Murphy. In 2016, Home Encounter was successfully acquired by Home River Group. Chase is a founding member of Home River Group and maintains a seat on their Board of Directors. He has also founded include MiningTheScriptures.com, Luke 6:38 Foundation, and Falcon Investment Corporation of Tampa. Chase lives in Tampa with his wife and three children.
Keysha Jillian Davenport
Jillian is the proprietor and founder of K. Jillian Designs. Previously, she was Assistant Vice President of Business Growth and Development for HCA-Ambulatory Surgery Division. She worked directly with the VP of Sales to manage the sales team, covering seventeen hospitals in the West Florida Division. Now in the design industry, her work has been featured on the tv show Selling Tampa. Jillian lives in Temple Terrace with her two daughters, son, and dog.
Matt Richman
Matt is a serial entrepreneur and a Certified Storybrand Guide. His companies include Day Six Ventures, Ghost Sherpa, Websites That Sell, Searchly, Social Yeti, and Project Go. Matt lives in Temple Terrace with his wife Laura, 4 children, and their dog.
Matt Turner
Matt is the CEO and Managing Partner at THH Holdings LLC, a global technology company comprising of four technology companies. THH Holdings LLC is a culmination of his passion for taking an idea and turning it into a successful business. Matt lives in Woodstock, Georgia with his wife and four kids.