On Saturday, November 9, the Titan Student Union was buzzing with excitement as over 150 attendees gathered to watch talented students—from middle school to university—compete in our 12th annual Titan Fast Pitch Finals. The energy was incredible, and the pitches were truly inspiring!

And we have pictures from the competition at the end of this post. Check them out!

We are thrilled to announce this year’s winners:

🏆 University Track

1st Place: Jonathan Alvarez, CSUF

2nd Place: Kiara Hernandez, CSUF

3rd Place: Rebecca Lee, Irvine Valley College

4th Place: Jacob Vogel, CSUF

🏆 High School Track

1st Place: Chloe Dalmacio, Arnold O. Beckman High School

2nd Place: Allison Truong, Oxford Academy

3rd Place: Ireyan Quibuyen, John F. Kennedy High School

4th Place: Jimena Beltran, Oxford Academy

🏆 Middle School Track

1st Place: Flynn Tsan, Florence Nightingale Middle School

2nd Place: Andre Cheng, Florence Nightingale Middle School

3rd Place: Sophia Solis & Alicia Tri, Florence Nightingale Middle School

4th Place: Vianey Esparza, Ariana-Ixchel Ramirez & Ella Teichert, McFadden Institute of Technology

A Huge Thank You to Our Judges

We had an All-Star Panel of judges who made the tough decisions:

• Natalia Razeghi (US Bank)
• Justin Sanders (Master Key IP LLP)
• Bryan Ruef (10-8 Systems)
• Ritu A. Thakur (Smart Tech Inc.)
• Dr. A. Cathleen Greiner (Center for Entrepreneurship, NOCCCD)
• Tom Miller (CSUF Entrepreneurship)

Their dedication and expertise were invaluable!

Meet Our All-Star Panelists

We were honored to have an incredible All-Star Panel who shared their entrepreneurial experiences. The panel included John Chi (Founder of Synova Life Sciences), Rohan Kunchala (Bag/Get), and Woo Kim (LynkMe Smart Cards). Moderated by Cristian Sanchez, the panelists offered invaluable insights into their journeys and the challenges they’ve faced.

John Chi spoke candidly about some of the biggest challenges he encountered while building Synova Life Sciences, from assembling the right team to navigating existential business threats. He highlighted that staying true to the mission and surrounding himself with the right people were key to overcoming those obstacles. It’s alumni like John who remind us of the importance of persistence, resilience, and community in entrepreneurship.

Thanks to Our Generous Sponsors: We couldn’t have done this without you! Special thanks to:

Diamond Sponsor:

• US Bank

Gold Sponsors:

• Royal Business Bank
• Rutan & Tucker, LLP
• Black Family Trust

Silver Sponsors:

• 10-8 Systems
• Smart Tech Inc.

In-Kind Sponsors:

• Tech Coast Works, Master Key IP, College Ed Tech, Persuasive Business Plans, Cognitive Impact, Smart Tech Inc., CSUF Startup Incubator, and Jay Lieberman

Thank You to Our Amazing Team!
A big thank you to everyone who made this event possible—John Bradley Jackson for his leadership, Professor Scott Sorrell for hosting, Cristian Sanchez for moderating the All-Star Panel, and Mayan Jimenez for managing the event, as well as all our faculty, volunteers, and staff. Your hard work truly paid off!

The Titan Fast Pitch was filled with innovative ideas, creative pitches, and limitless energy. Congratulations to all participants for your hard work and courage—getting on stage and sharing your vision takes guts, and we’re proud of every single one of you!

Check out more about the competition, our finalists, and all the amazing supporters: Titan Fast Pitch

Here’s to the future of entrepreneurship—it’s bright, and we’re just getting started! 🚀✨