Alumni
Pitch Competition: A “Sweet” Win for Shriver ’13
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Got a big idea that needs a little push? Could your brilliant business concept blossom with a little guidance and a little prize money? Participate in Hamilton Pitch Comp 2022.
Share your business concept. Receive mentorship from brand name Hamilton entrepreneurs. Submit final business plans. Finalists will be selected to participate in a live Shark Tank-style event to compete for money and other exciting prizes!
October 11 Register to participate by submitting a concept video:
Mid-October - Mid-November Attend virtual educational programming to learn about entrepreneurship
November 15 - January 8 Receive mentoring from Hamilton entrepreneurs
January 8 Final pitch decks due
March 7 - 11 Hamilton alumni panel will select finalists and hear their pitches
April 1 Finalists take part in a live virtual competition
Not interested in competing? Stay tuned for an invitation to attend the competition or watch via live stream. Direct questions to the Office of Alumni Relations at 866-729-0319 or hamily@hamilton.edu.
CEO and co-founder of UNTUCKit
After graduating cum laude from Hamilton in 1996 with a double major in government and Asian studies, Aaron earned his MBA in 2007 from Columbia Business School. Aaron worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for 17 years, where he was a partner and worked in their Deals practice for 15 years before leading the compensation, tax, and accounting team for the Midwest. In 2011, while Aaron was still at PwC, he co-founded UNTUCKit, a casual menswear brand. Today, the company has over 500 employees and 88 stores, including stores in Canada and the United Kingdom. Aaron recently launched a new sustainable performance wear brand called Definite Articles, which is the first zero-waste performance wear brand on the planet.
CEO and co-founder of Tomo
As CEO and co-founder of Tomo, Greg Schwartz leads the company in its mission to transform the home buying experience. Tomo was founded in the fall of 2020 and raised the largest seed round in US history at $70 million led by Ribbit Capital, NFX and DST Global. The company’s initial product, Tomo Mortgage, launched in June of 2021, dramatically streamlines the mortgage process by bringing e-commerce principles to what has traditionally been one of the most frustrating and cumbersome parts of the home purchase transaction. Tomo has never missed a customer close date and underwrites mortgages in a median 18 days - 55% quicker than industry benchmarks. Tomo is licensed as a non-bank mortgage originator in TX & WA with14 additional states set to launch in 2022. Previously, Greg was the lead business executive of Zillow Group for 13 years. He is on the board of directors for Car Gurus and is on the board of trustees for Hamilton College.
Chief Executive Officer for SHE Media
Samantha Skey is Chief Executive Officer for SHE Media, a lifestyle company reaching 81 million women each month (comScore Jan, 2021). In addition to the company’s owned and operated brands: SheKnows.com, STYLECASTER, BlogHer, soaps.com and HelloFlo, SHE Media operates the largest network of independent publishers in the US. SHE Media was acquired by Penske Media Corporation in March, 2018.
Skey launched the SHE Media Partner Network in 2014 with a focus on supporting under represented publishers. The Network now reaches an audience of 50 million+ and contributes over $25MM annually to independent publishers, helping women and minority-lead businesses to scale both their profits and their social impact. Skey serves on the board of directors for The Ad Council and the World Surf League. She serves on the advisory boards of Digital Ascendant, SmartyPants Vitamin Company, Fyllo Compliance Cloud and The Bronx Academy of Letters.
Founder, Writer, and Movement Builder
Michael Tennant is a founder, writer, and movement builder dedicated to spreading tools of empathy and helping people find their purpose. Before founding Curiosity Lab, Tennant spent 15 years becoming a media, advertising, and nonprofit executive, and delivering award-winning marketing strategies for companies like MTV, VICE, P&G, Coca-Cola, Sweetgreen, and Oatly.
Tennant founded Curiosity Lab in 2017 and created the conversation card game Actually Curious. Actually Curious became a viral sensation in 2020 during COVID-19 and the rise of the racial justice movement to help people build meaningful connections and to tackle the important topics facing our world.
He has channeled his business success and momentum into a sustained movement supporting BIPOC and other underrepresented communities through speaking, writing, leadership, mentorship, consulting, partnerships and talent-pipeline programs. And invites all who are values aligned, to join this movement to spread empathy, compassion and love.
CEO and Co-Founder of the Jazz Leadership Project
Greg Thomas, as CEO of the Jazz Leadership Project, executes the vision and values of jazz into strategic action for clients ranging from Verizon, JPMorgan Chase, and TD Bank to the Center for Policing Equity and the NYPD. He has curated and facilitated humanities programs for Jazz at Lincoln Center and The National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Greg has written on jazz and democratic life for Areo, New Republic, The Root, New York Daily News, Post-Progressive Post and his blog, Tune In To Leadership. He is a Senior Fellow of the Institute for Cultural Evolution and an Advisor to The Consilience Project. As an educator and lecturer, Greg has presented for virtual platforms such as Rebel Wisdom and The Stoa as well as institutions such as Columbia, Hamilton, Ben Gurion University, and Harvard.
Partner, BOLD Corporate Venture Fund, L’Oreal Americas
As a recognized thought-leader with vast experience in emerging technology and digital marketing practices, Rachel leads L’Oreal’s strategic investment fund focusing on early stage tech investments. Over her career, Rachel has been passionate about driving growth across L'Oréal, with consumer attention and emerging behaviors at the heart of the equation. Her rare combination as a futurist, culture analyst, writer, community builder and technologist positions her as a rare talent to invest in the future of beauty and human attention. Weiss is a regular speaker and guest lecturer appearing at CES, SXSW and has participated in many other conferences and events. She has been named Ad Age’s Women to Watch and Most Powerful Women in Mobile by Business Insider. Passionate about community, diversity & mentorship, Rachel also advises and invests in early stage start-ups.
Armed with a great concept, the confidence to take some risks and, of course, their newly minted Hamilton degrees, these enterprising young entrepreneurs are leaving their mark in the world of business.
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