Two Citadel cadets win $10,000 for brewing up new business idea

Drink Up wins competition after five teams of cadets and students pitch business ideas to a panel of judges

After a year of hard work and three rounds of competitions, two Citadel cadets have a check for $10,000 to help them start their own business.

Winners of Baker Business Bowl V with Tommy Baker and Shawn Swartwood

Isaac Stolar, a senior, and Gordon Oliver, a freshman, are the winners of the Baker Business Bowl V. The two cadets spent 45 minutes discussing their plan to start Drink Up, a company that they hope will serve as an online marketplace, letting customers get craft beer from their favorite local breweries delivered to directly to their door.

“Gordon and I couldn’t be more thrilled to come out on top in the Bulldog Business Bowl. We want to recognize the four other teams that also had great ideas and presentations,” said Stolar. “We are grateful for the opportunity the Baker School of Business has given us through the Bulldog Business Bowl.

Drink Up presenting at the Baker Business Bowl

Stolar added that he and Gordon will go with The Citadel to Network Globally, Act Locally in Estonia. He also went on to thank Shawn Swartwood, director of the Bulldog Business Bowl, the competition’s judges, and the Class of 1989 for funding the competition.

Team Lend a Hand came in second place, earning $5,000 for their business. The company’s goal is to build, program and sell a robotic hand that’s capable of demonstrating American Sign Language. They plan to distribute the robotic hands to schools, to help hearing-impaired or disabled students in a classroom setting.

The Baker Business Bowl is a program aimed at helping budding entrepreneurs who have an idea for a new product or service, and the desire to turn that idea into a business. It’s open to cadets, evening undergraduate students, and graduate students.

Contestants participate in teams and compete in three rounds. The final five teams are given the opportunity to attend a series of educational workshops on how to develop their full business plan.