Setting the Stage for Entrepreneurial Success

Setting the Stage for Entrepreneurial Success

Two Wilkes University teams reached the final round of this year's tecBRIDGE business plan competition.

The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts regularly hosts top-notch performers, but for one evening this spring, the venue in downtown Wilkes-Barre showcased another kind of talent at tecBRIDGE's 24^th annual business plan competition.

The competition was designed to highlight the innovative work of high school, college and early-stage entrepreneurs, with cash prizes and in-kind services awarded to winners in each division to support their business launches.

Three students from Wilkes University were among the five collegiate division finalists who stepped into the spotlight to network and share their business plans with leaders from the local community. But for Julia Steele, Bara'a Kamal and Alexandra Peccerelli, the awards ceremony concluded months of work that started in January with virtual meetings with tecBRIDGE subject matter experts.

The teams also received support from Wilkes University's Cohen Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI) and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) to create deliverables including business plans, competitor analyses and pitch decks. Kirby Scholar Jack Argento '26 provided assistance with financial modeling and projections to help make sure they could transform their business ideas into competition-ready presentations.

World of Blades

The sharp skills Steele brings to her business are a family trait. Inspired by her parents, she started collecting knives, then turned her collection into a small business. The company has already grown, beginning with one table at a flea market to displays at fairs to the purchase of a box truck and a presence in antique stores. "I grew up in an entrepreneurial family," says Steele.

Now as a first-year finance major in the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, Steele has built her company, World of Blades, which offers collectible knives and self-protection devices.

Steele has added to her business toolkit through her work with tecBRIDGE and Wilkes University's Cohen Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, but it's connecting with customers that drives the young entrepreneur. "I like interacting with my customers. I like to see them come into my stand and get amazed by my collection," says Steele. "And they always come out with something."

A&B Robotics

Though they hadn't yet completed their sophomore year, Kamal and Peccerelli saw a need and decided to create a solution that was not only theoretical, but practical.

"We have a large population of veterans in Pennsylvania," says Peccerelli.

With a desire to improve the quality of life for veterans and others who would benefit from prosthetic hands, Kamal and Peccerelli created A&B Robotics. With the help of AI, the company uses a proprietary process to mold, design and fit assistive devices. They then take the personalization a step further by creating tools to add to the devices so users can participate in specific jobs or hobbies - think mechanics, photography or crochet - with greater ease.

Kamal and Peccerelli invited guests to stop by the A&B Robotics table at the awards ceremony to write their names with their non-dominant hands, providing a brief demonstration that "mobility isn't equal" and showing why their dedication is needed.

"The problem is pretty big and it's somewhere we can have an impact," says Kamal.

Launching a Business at Wilkes

Though World of Blades and A&B Robotics did not walk away with the collegiate division or wild card awards, the teams hit the jackpot with the opportunities to fine-tune their business pitches, gain confidence, network with community leaders and connect with potential investors through tecBRIDGE.

Plus, these Colonels will always have the Jay S. Sidhu School of Business and Leadership, the CCEI and the SBDC in their corners. While Steele, Kamal and Peccerelli work to take their businesses to the next level, they also get to share their expertise with other students thinking about launching a business. Steele currently serves as a work-study student with CCEI, and these tecBRIDGE finalists will sit on a panel at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 14, joining other students and alumni to share their experiences and help others turn their ideas into successful ventures.

"For any student who wants to develop a company or think entrepreneurially, there's something here at Wilkes," says Terry Chase, executive director of CCEI.