Onward We Go

Week of 3/28 - 4/5

After months of hard work and constant changes, we finally made it to the Global Startup Battle Grand finale. This was the moment that could possibly take our startup idea to the next level. I was a little nervous about presenting because the judges were very successful entrepreneurs. It was as if they scanned our every move and looked for a simple crack to tear us completely apart.

However, we went on with the presentation and we did pretty great. That was until one of the judges asked us a very difficult question. He first congratulated us on how far we came with our idea but at the next second, he made a statement that tore us apart. It didn't feel like he was trying to completely talk us down, rather it felt like he was warning us for what was to come ahead. Was I disappointed? Yes, I was however, from this I learned a lot. It is better to know now what you have to change than later. But winning the competition was what my team and I really wanted after coming so far.

After all of the startup pitch decks, the winners were to be announced by the judges. It was to my surprise that we won 3rd place considering the feedback that we got from one judge. It showed me that these judges really saw something in my team's idea and want to help us actually bring it to life regardless of all the challenges we may face. With winning, we were given a $500 check as well as access to an entire entrepreneurial network as well as a plethora of other resources. This event marks the true beginning of my startup journey and it has set the way for us to continue to build our product and reach the market. The words of the one judge will continue to stick with me throughout this journey moving forward because I myself also know that these next phases are going to be some of the toughest.