When Mckenna Richeloff decided to participate in Lakeland College’s Finding the U in Business event, she used her own college experience for inspiration.
Held in March, the event welcomed students and community members with business ideas to participate in a series of workshops before pitching their ideas to a panel of judges. Richeloff had followed an interest in entrepreneurship to Lakeland’s business program so Finding the U in Business was a perfect fit.
“My idea was an app for college students called Student Cooking Connect,” says Richeloff, a general business student. “It was inspired by my own experience. When I first started my Lakeland program, while talking to my friends and other students, I realized that I have a lot of cooking skills that many other students don’t. I started wondering how I could help those students learn the skills I have.”
Her experience in Finding the U in Business helped her cement that idea into a concrete plan, one which caught the judges’ attention.
“Going to Finding the U in Business really helped me process my idea and come up with solutions,” Richeloff says. “It was an amazing experience. I took a notebook to every single session and filled it with so much good information. Everyone was so positive and uplifting. I gained so much from it.”
The Student Cooking Connect app offers solutions to three issues. The first assists college students who may not have the skills they need to cook for themselves. It would offer different courses for different skill levels. The second solution offered in the app is a sharing platform, allowing students to share and find recipes in various categories, including price ranges, preparation time and more.
The final solution offered in the app is about connection.
“Food brings people together,” Richeloff explains. “A lot of students lack that connection when they leave home. The last part of the app would connect students across campus and allow them to cook together, connecting over food.”
Once her business plan was complete, Richeloff pitched it to the judges in a video format. Her pitch was awarded second place and then Startup Lloydminster sponsored her to pitch her project to Dragon Den’s Arlene Dickinson.
“I was the youngest one there, which made me nervous, but everyone was really supportive,” she says. “Arlene Dickinson gave a speech at the end that was so inspiring. Even though I didn’t place, I came out with so much knowledge and experience.”
As she moves forward, Richeloff intends pursue her goal to make her app a reality.
MAKING CONNECTIONS
Finding the U in Business is a student-led initiative connecting students with local experts and entrepreneurs. This year’s event was organized by students Maxine Lebo, Brooklyn Peterson, Amanda Barr, Georg Fischer, Priyanka LNU, Clair Giddings and Harmanpreet Kaur.
Winners of the pitch conversation were:
- First place: Raisa Tabusalla and Malcolm Nubla – Lloydminster Point to Point Bus System
- Second place: Mckenna Richelhoff – College Cooking Connects
- Third place: Jay Shah – Nooks & Books Café.
- Lakeland College
- Startup Lloydminster/East Central Regional Innovation Network
- Community Futures Lloydminster and Region
- Bow Valley College/150 Startups
- The Vic Juba Community Theatre
- The Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce
- PSM Law
- Vivid Salon
- Montana’s Restaurant
- Red Bicycle Communications
Alerts Sign-up