I just received information that one of my first startups in my UCSD program just won a pitch competition in Alabama for $750k! Ruth Young Loaza was either the 3-4 startup to join my program in 2022. By using the LEAN Startup and helping her pivot her concept away from home decor, and instead thinking of her bed sheet system as an ergonomic solution to help housekeepers in the hospitality industry be safer and faster when they made up the beds in hotels, she could get better traction and differentiation. I remember when I said ergonomic and she said, .... ergo.. what? That small pivot in her idea opened doors, created a bigger value proposition than just looking good, and got her the attention of the people who were experiencing the problem. The hotel industry, the insurance companies and the housekeepers themselves. And the coolest thing? Ruth was a hotel housekeep herself for over 20 years, became nearly homeless, but had this idea at her most difficult time that there must be a better way to make beds. She made prototypes, tried them out, refined her concept... even applied for and recieved over 3 patents.... and then joined my incubator in 2022. THIS is the power of finding a great problem to solve, applying yourself to solve it in a unique and powerful way and then, persevering through the challenges of finding commercialization partners. She still has new challenges with the $750k, but she has a fighting chance to succeed and bring generational wealth to her and her children. THIS is why I do what I do..... https://www.axios.com/local/huntsville/2025/10/01/huntsville-entrepreneur-nabs-3x-pitch-competition-winnings