Student Entrepreneurs Awarded During DU's Annual Launchpad Competition
A case that will save your phone from sinking into the depths of Lake Michigan if you drop it while boating took 1st place in Dominican University’s Launchpad 2026 Business Pitch Competition.
On April 29, five DU students presented their business concepts to a panel of business leaders serving as judges, hoping to impress them with their innovation, creativity and business models. The students competed to earn financial awards to further develop their concepts.
Joshua Ogiba, a rising senior, finished first and received $10,000 for Foamey, a floating, waterproof phone case he designed to prevent the accidental loss of mobile phones in pools, lakes and other bodies of water.
Two versions are planned: the Foamey Case, a complete waterproof case with a built-in foam flotation panel, and the Foamey Float, a detachable magnetic panel that snaps onto any existing phone case.
Joshua, who is majoring in business entrepreneurship, plans to use his financial award to further develop the product and his business. Funds will help to cover the cost of applying for a patent, outsourcing materials needed to construct the cases and floatation panels, and manufacturing the products, which he hopes to sell through his website, TikTok and in-person events.
“Creating a business requires so many little details you don’t initially think of,” Joshua said. “Having mentors, especially my professors and the ELF mentor assigned to me, were a huge help because I got an outside perspective pointing out the little details I may not have come up with or seen myself.”
Other unique, original business concepts were presented by the other four students who joined the Launchpad competition.
Finishing in 2nd Place and receiving $5,000 was 2026 graduate Estefanny R. Bautista for her mobile beverage business, La Dulce Vida, which she plans to operate at events like fairs, flea markets and sports tournaments.
Students who received $2,500 to support their business ventures included:
• Omar Brito, for Koldr, a four-gallon insulated beverage dispenser that can be used for catering services and at other events.
• Franklin Salvador, for Tryonix AR, a “virtual fitting room” platform for online apparel retailers that allows shoppers to create a “digital twin” of themselves using uploaded photographs and then virtually try on clothing before purchasing.
• Luz Rodriguez Camacho, for Glamour Photobooth Co., a photobooth rental service allowing event guests to take unlimited photos and receive instant prints.
The Launchpad competition is funded through DU’s Entrepreneur Launchpad Fund (ELF). ELF is supported by donations, giving student start-ups a financial boost while encouraging entrepreneurship.
"The ELF Launchpad Fund is proof that when donors invest in students, extraordinary things happen,” said Dr. Anne Drougas, associate dean of the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology. “Our students leave the Launchpad Competition with far more than funding—they leave with a deeper understanding of what it takes to build a sustainable business: the ability to articulate their value proposition, respond to critical feedback and think strategically about growth. These are the skills that will carry them throughout their entrepreneurial careers, wherever their ventures take them."