July 10, 2017

Download the press release here.

Washington, DC & Morristown, NJ – July 10, 2017­ – The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is proud to announce the winners of Elevate Your Pitch, an elevator pitch competition brought to you in conjunction with Schindler Elevator Corporation, the North American operating entity of the Switzerland-based Schindler Group.

Schindler is one of the leading global manufacturers of elevators, escalators and moving walks. In March, the AIAS and Schindler teamed up to bring a new elevator pitch competition to the AIAS membership. This competition presented students with a great opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win recognition and one of three cash prizes.

“We are proud of our association with The American Institute of Architecture Students,” says Mike Ramandanes, senior vice president; New Installations, Schindler Elevator Corporation. “Our partnership, and the Elevate Your Pitch 2017 competition, allows Schindler to help inspire the creativity and innovative spirit of young architects. Their forward-thinking ideas can help solve unique issues today and in the future.”

An elevator pitch is a quick description of your business and/or idea in the time it would take to ride up an elevator (60 seconds to two minutes). Presenting yourself effectively is an essential tool in the architectural profession, which can lead to new partnerships, clients, and ultimately, new business. Ideas may be at any stage of development from creation of concepts or ideas to an established business or product.

The competition ran from March 8, 2017 to May 26, 2017, at which point a jury selected the top three entries to compete in the finals at the AIAS Grassroots Leadership Conference. The jury consisted of a panel of two Schindler representatives and five AIAS/AIA executive team members.

FIRST PLACE | $2,500

Case.MD was built on the basis of saving lives. The team’s mission is to combine emergency medicine into the convenience of a smartphone. The team is comprised of AIAS members from Kent State University: Justin Gleason, Sam Graska and Ariella Yager.

SECOND PLACE | $1,000

A|C collects information from students, architectural sites, and other related design cultures to create a clean and organized catalog for browsing. The team is comprised of AIAS members from the University of Arizona: Nick Giambanco and Zechariah Fung.

THIRD PLACE | $500

Study Buddy is an app that helps you refocus every 20 minutes. Get work done while getting distracted! This idea was submitted by 2017-2018 AIAS West Quadrant Director, Caitlin Kessler of the University of Arizona.

The top three submissions are available to view under “Meet the Finalists!” at www.aias.org/pitch.

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About the AIAS

The American Institute of Architecture Students is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to programs, information and resources on issues critical to architecture and the experience of education. For more information, visit www.aias.org or call Kimberly Tuttle at (202) 808-0036.

 

About Schindler Elevator Corporation

Schindler Elevator Corporation is the North American operation of the Switzerland-based Schindler Group, a leading global mobility provider of elevators, escalators and related services. Schindler supports sustainable urban development with safe, reliable and sustainable mobility solutions, moving more than one billion people every day all over the world. Behind the company’s success are over 58,000 employees operating in more than 100 countries.  For additional information about Schindler Elevator Corporation, visit the company’s Web site at us.schindler.com.