Ninety seconds and a good idea stood between Daniel Plantamura and $500.

Plantamura, junior in management, was declared the winner of the fourth annual Innovation Pitch Competition, which took place from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday night at Delta Upsilon’s chapter facility, located on 117 Ash Avenue.

The competition, sponsored by the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Learning Community, was open to all ISU students.

Students participating were expected to come up with a 90-second elevator speech for a business or product to pitch their idea to a panel of judges. The concept of an elevator speech stems from being on Wall Street and riding an elevator with a potential investor while only having 90 seconds to impress the investor with an idea.

“The process of formulating what your message is is a great learning opportunity for everyone who participates,” said Judi Eyles, assistant director for the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.

The panel of judges for the competition includes the founder and CEO of Proplanner, the executive director of Sales for Regional Energy Group, the founder of Welch Avenue and the owner of Knapp Tedesco Insurance.

There were 35 spots available for the competition and four cash prices were given, ranging from $300 to $500.

The best overall pitch won $500 and was sponsored by Renewable Energy Group. Plantamura’s pitch on his Swimfluence business won.

Plantamura said he’s going to use the money he was awarded to pay his lawyer. 

Swimfluence was an idea that started during Thanksgiving Break when Plantamura and a friend met and questioned how they could expand the competitive swimming market. 

The idea they came up with was Swimfluence, a business that Plantamura plans on releasing in the next few months. 

“Swimfluence is a monthly swim box, and each month we’re going to be sending in an array of different products that are meant to positively influence the competitive swimmer’s lifestyle,” Plantamura said. 

The products consist of healthy snacks, anti-chlorine shampoos and conditioners and after practice muscle cream. 

The next three awards were for $300 and included New Business Idea, New Innovation and Social Venture. The awards were sponsored by Workiva, Ames Economic Development Commission and the Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship.

The winners of these awards went to Morgan Hampel, graduate in industrial and manufacturing systems with the clinic note; Alexis Manassa, senior in management with reuniting rover; and Mikayla Sullivan, junior in global resource systems with kinosol. 

Another pitch competition will take place in the fall and the winner for that competition receives an all expense paid trip by the Pappajohn Center to compete in a national competition in Orlando to pitch their idea.

The next competition sponsored by the Pappajohn Center of Entrepreneurship will take place April 6, and is a student venture competition.

“If they feel like their idea was validated because they won a competition, then that’s going to give them the full confidence to go the full business plan, which is the next competition we have coming up,” Eyles said.