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CU-Bloomsburg hosted its Eighth Annual Husky Dog Pound Competition on Thursday, March 27. 

Students from middle and high schools from across the state, as well as students who attend Commonwealth University, gathered in Sutliff Hall, home of the Zeigler College of Business, to compete in the Shark Tank-inspired product competition. Successful alumni, business owners, donors, and professors served as judges for the competition.

“This year’s collegiate and middle/high school competitions were a huge success. We had record numbers for the Middle/High school competition with over 70 schools and almost 200 teams pitching ideas. We had 24 professionals from Business and Industry that judged the pitches,” said Christina Force, CU professor and Husky Dog Pound organizer.

The stakes are high in this competition as prizes are awarded to the highest-placing competitors. For the middle and high school ages, $10,000 in cash prizes were awarded to the top 30 teams, with first place winning $1,000. For the CU students, $10,000 in cash prizes are awarded to the top five winners, with first place awarded $3,500. The prize money not only gives students the incentive to think uniquely and give their all in presenting a product, but also gives them a real kick-start to develop these ideas or prototypes into something that could one day be a legitimate business that many others use. 

In the collegiate-level competition, Katharina Wortmann and Emma Vantomme took first place with an app for colleges and universities called “Campus Bud.” The collegiate level requires students to compete in a preliminary competition, and five teams advance to the final round of competition. 

The first-place winner in the middle/high school division was Logan Ivory from Cambria Heights High School with a product known as “MAT” (Magnetic Arrangement Tray). Ivory also won first place in 2024. 

Event sponsors include the Zeigler College of Business and Matt and Roxana Zoppetti.