Wednesday, Oct 6, 2021
Applications open for the 2022 Norm Brodsky Business Concept Competition
by Rachel Stengel '14, '20
Rider University will reward entrepreneurial spirit with a full, four-year tuition scholarship in the 2022 Norm Brodsky Business Concept Competition.
The annual competition challenges high school students to present their innovative business ideas in front of a panel of judges, Shark-Tank style during a live finale. Seniors will compete for the grand prize of a full, four-year tuition scholarship, while juniors and sophomores will compete for cash prizes and the chance to automatically be entered into the senior competition when eligible.
To enter, high school students must submit a 400-word description of their business idea at rider.edu/BrodskyCompetition by Nov. 7, 2021. High school seniors must also apply by the Early Action deadline of Nov. 15 in order to be eligible for the live finale. Students may pursue any major at Rider.
A set of judges will review all entries and select the top five finalists from each group. Finalists will present their ideas live in front of a panel of judges at Rider on Jan. 29, 2022. The winner will be selected the same day.
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Norm Brodsky ’64 and 2020 competition winner Jayla Armani Swann -
2019 competition winner Eric Voros and Norm Brodsky ’64
Last year's winner, freshman chemistry major Maggie Achanzar, claimed the top prize after pitching her product idea, Sili-Head, a mannequin head that aims to solve many common problems for people who use them to style wigs. Traditional styrofoam mannequin heads aren’t ideal for styling wigs, she says. Her invention uses soft silicone spikes to prevent wigs from slipping and is heat resistant. Achanzar is working toward patenting Sili-Head.
"I know that the Brodsky Business Competition has opened many doors," she says. "I had already decided to attend Rider University, but this scholarship made me even more excited! I already feel like I have a home here at Rider."
The competition is sponsored by alumnus and entrepreneur Norm Brodsky ’64, the namesake of Rider's business school, the Norm Brodsky College of Business, and his wife and business partner, Elaine. The personification of the word “entrepreneur,” Norm Brodsky launched eight successful businesses before he began sharing his strategies as the author of the popular Street Smarts column in Inc. Magazine. Norm and Elaine enjoy sharing their expertise and mentoring business owners as well as entrepreneurial students.
For more information about the competition, please contact Lora Hudicka, director of Rider's Center for Entrepreneurial Studies, at [email protected].