The Scheinfeld NVC is divided into two tiers: Tier One for high school students and Tier Two for college students. Independent judges will select up to 10 finalists from each tier based on their business plan submissions, and each finalist will then pitch their concept at the virtual Scheinfeld NVC pitch competition. Prosperous entrepreneurs, angel investors and c-suite executives will select the top three winners in each tier.

“Serving as a judge for our premier student venture competition is a significant commitment. We’re thrilled to have so many incredible business leaders involved in supporting student entrepreneurship,” said Director of the Scheinfeld Center Julie Samson. “The judges are among the most accomplished professionals in our region. We appreciate their generosity of time and expertise to support our next wave of local business leaders.”

Collegiate tier judges:
Carlos Adame, Co-Founder, Piñata Farms. Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Carlos is a graduate of Santa Barbara High School. He was named one of Billboard’s “40 under 40” in music in 2014, and was keenly involved with the strategic development and execution of United Musical Group’s digital business, with a strong focus on startup partnerships and investments. He later broke away to start his own business and is now CEO and co-founder of Piñata Farms, as well as Venture Partner for Sinai Ventures, which invests in internet and software founders at all stages.

Pam Tanase, Co-Founder, Workzones. After a successful career in collegiate athletic coaching, Pam leveraged her leadership and team-building skills to become an entrepreneur. Starting with the Massage Envy brand in 2005, she acquired the development rights to sell licenses within Southern California and grew the new brand to 21 locations, including three locations with yearly revenue of over $1 million. In 2013, she co-founded Workzones, the first co-working club in downtown Santa Barbara, where she serves as the Chief Operating Officer.

Tony Winter, Chief Technology Officer, QAD. Tony Winter is CTO for QAD, a world-leading SaaS Enterprise and Supply Chain solutions provider. He is responsible for driving the company’s technology, architecture, platform and technology acquisition strategies.  Over the years, Winter has overseen major transformational engineering initiatives and brought numerous enterprise products to market. He founded an innovation lab for the incubation of new solutions leveraging disruptive technologies. He also oversees a global team of engineers and technology partners. Winter is a published engineer and holds a U.S. and international patent for technology used in services-oriented architectures (SOA).

High school tier judges:
John Harmon, Founder, Oil Slick Beach Tar Remover. John Harmon is an SBCC alum and winner of the 2015 Scheinfeld New Venture Challenge, which helped launch his first official product, Oil Slick Beach Tar Remover that he developed for the local community of Santa Barbara. John won the 2021 Scheinfeld Get REAL Accelerator for his second product, Oil Slick Adhesive Remover, which he is launching in the medical industry to help diabetics gently remove insulin pumps and glucose monitors from their skin.

Lili Muñoz, Founder, Colibri Handmade. Lili Muñoz is a social entrepreneur and owner of Colibri Handmade, a business that sells fair trade products from Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Guatemala and Bolivia. She works directly with artisans in developing countries, helping to make their products available to customers all over the world. Colibri focuses on making customers aware of all the hard work behind every masterpiece and the importance of its cultural and historical value. She is also the co-founder of Mujeres Makers Market, a monthly pop-up market where women of color entrepreneurs can sell, promote and connect with customers while building their network.

John Richardson, Founder, Amazon Stores 4 U. John Richardson is a proven senior level technologist with over 20 years of in-depth experience delivering web-based e-commerce solutions, and has experience across a wide variety of business sectors including software, web development and hosting, financial, healthcare, energy, telecom services, publishing, franchises and distribution. John is the founder and CEO of Amazon Stores 4 U as well as a member of the Santa Barbara chapter of SCORE.

The public is invited to attend this exciting competition, which will be live streamed on YouTube, and show support for the student entrepreneurs through encouraging comments and engagement in the YouTube live chat. Collegiate tier pitches will run from 2-4 p.m., with winners announced at 4:20 p.m. High school tier pitches run from 4:45-6:45 p.m., with winners announced at 7 p.m. For more information visit scheinfeldnewventurechallenge.org.

About the Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation
The Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Santa Barbara City College is a hub for entrepreneur development in Santa Barbara County, and it serves as a model program for other California community college districts. As part of the Jack & Julie Nadel School of Business & Entrepreneurship, the Scheinfeld Center trains globally competent entrepreneurs using a comprehensive approach that includes academics, hands-on learning and business support. Participants can build their business in the classroom and shore up gaps in their entrepreneurial skill set through the Scheinfeld Center’s distinctive combination of coursework, business plan and pitch competitions, internships, no-cost business consulting, mentoring, networking and post-startup support. To learn more, visit https://scheinfeld.sbcc.edu.

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