ABERDEEN, S.D. – Eight Northern State University students took to the podium Tuesday evening, turning big ideas into bold pitches during the university’s annual Idea Pitch Competition. 

By the end of the night—with a packed room of students, community members and business partners looking on—Madi Jones claimed first place with her business concept, CR8 Soda. Elana Bishop earned second place for her proposal, Liora: Infrared Light Bed Studios. And Blake Clay, Cade Trenhaile and Maggie Kruger earned third with their business idea Behind the Pack. 

Jones’ idea for a drive-through dirty soda shop housed in a shipping crate began with a summer trip to New Orleans, where she noticed the potential of shipping containers to serve as an affordable storefront. Originally considering a coffee shop, she shifted directions after realizing she wanted something that reflected a growing current trend like dirty soda, a mixture of fountain soda, flavored syrups, and creamer.

“I thought, what does Aberdeen need? And what’s trending? The perfect thing was soda,” Jones said. 

The name CR8 Soda came to her during softball practice, and she said the concept has already gained support among her teammates.

Jones said she hopes to pursue opening the business as early as June, depending on funding and scheduling. She said feedback from judges on revenue projections will help refine her plan. 

“The biggest thing is looking at the numbers—what profit looks like, what I charge, what I pay workers,” she said. 

Second-place finisher Bishop presented a wellness concept centered on infrared light therapy. 

She said she has researched the topic for several years, drawing from psychology, biology and medical studies, and sees potential for the technology to support athletic recovery and mental clarity among students. 

Bishop has applied for the competition for the last two years but had not previously advanced to the finalist round. 

“You’d think I’d be done, but I gave it one last try because I’m passionate about it,” she said.  

She described presenting as both exciting and nerve-wracking. 

“I think I blacked out for the 10 minutes I was up there,” she joked, adding that she felt more confident when answering judges’ questions. 

Bishop said she hopes to continue developing the idea after graduation but would need mentorship to determine startup costs and next steps. 

“If I had a mentor or an investor, I would 100 percent follow through with it,” she said. 

In addition to the $250 second-place prize, Bishop also received $50 for a greatest need people’s choice award. Other $50 people’s choice awards went to the students pitching Behind the Pack—a student-produced podcast focusing on athletics and the athlete experience—for Best Entrepreneurial Spirit and Jones with CR8 Soda for Industry Disruptor. 

The annual Idea Pitch Competition was organized by the Northern State University School of Business and the Northern Innovation and Startup Center. The Aberdeen Development Corporation sponsored the event’s prize money. 

"The ADC is always happy and proud to sponsor this event," said judge Tim Hanigan, chief executive officer of the Aberdeen Development Corporation. “The competition was fierce. There were a lot of great ideas, and as a judge it was really tough to pick them out.”

Hanigan noted the strong turnout with a large crowd filling seats in the Black Box Theatre. 
“I think this was the biggest crowd we’ve seen. Students did a great job recruiting their friends, and it brought so much energy to the room,” he said. “It was also great to see business partners and community members here supporting them.” 

The Idea Pitch Competition is held annually to encourage entrepreneurship among Northern State University students. Five finalists presented their ideas in a Shark Tank-style competition. In addition to CR8 Soda, Liora and Behind the Pack, Blake Stoks presented his business idea Craving Compost, and Trista Henderson and Angela Rowse presented their business idea EveryDrop.

“The students did a really good job,” Hanigan said, summing up the event. “I hope to continue seeing them do great every year.”

For more information, contact the Northern Innovation and Startup Center at startup@northern.edu.