A Northern Kentucky University student and founder of one of the region’s most promising startups has been selected for the so-called “Super Bowl” of pitch competitions and will go head-to-head next month against 53 other companies for a chance at a $1.5 million prize pool.
Isaiah Kelly, founder of Smoove Creations, a custom shoe and apparel company, earned a bid to the Rice Business Plan Competition hosted by Rice University in Houston, NKU said in a release. The competition, which runs virtually April 6-9, is one of the most prominent business pitch competitions in the world.
More than 440 student-led startups had applied, Rice said, and 54 were chosen. Kelly is the only student representing an Ohio or Kentucky-based school. He is also the first NKU student to qualify, the university said.
“[That] truly speaks to his drive and ambition,” Hassan HassabElnaby, dean of the Haile/US Bank College of Business, said. “Isaiah will compete against students from well-renowned schools with the legacies of creating incredible startups.”
The Rice program, founded in 2011, operates a little differently than other pitch competitions. Student entrepreneurs are mentored by investors and experienced entrepreneurs, and receive personalized, individual feedback before, during and after the program. Over 300 entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists are looking to buy a stake in the businesses involved.
Since the program’s inception, 700-plus Rice Business Plan Competition alum have collectively raised more than $2.675 billion in funding. More than 235 of the companies are in business or have made successful exits.
“Some call this the Super Bowl of business competitions,” David Schneider, director of NKU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said. “It's a completely different ball game.”
Kelly, who finished his bachelor’s degree in May and is currently studying for his master’s, developed a passion for sneakers during a summer job working at a shoe store. With the support of NKU’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, he turned his hobby – of painting shoes – into a business. Smoove officially launched in 2018 and has worked with customers both regional and nationally, including St. Elizabeth Healthcare and the Las Vegas Raiders.
“To me, sneakers make an outfit,” Kelly told me in a December interview. “A lot of people don’t like wearing something everybody else has. They like standing out and being different. There’s a real big market in that.”
Kelly and Smoove Creations, a Cincy Inno “Startup to Watch” for 2021, had a successful 2020. Kelly recently won the Entrepreneur Organization's Cincinnati regional competition for the second year in a row and was named one of the country's top 30 student entrepreneurs. He took home second place in the KY Pitch competition in October. Additionally, he was a finalist in competitions at Baylor University and Texas Christian University last fall.
