Storage unit business pitch helps students win VEETank competition 

Instead of shelling out big bucks for off-campus storage, what if students had access to affordable units right here at Gallaudet? That’s the convincing pitch that won the fourth annual VEETank, a mini version of the BisonTank competitions run by the Gallaudet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (GIEI).

As part of the VEE 102 course for first-year and transfer students, classmates work together to develop a 3-minute business pitch that explains why their idea could take off. This year’s competition, held March 12, featured 10 teams presenting a range of proposals, including an accessible campus rideshare, a membership-based campus kitchen, a 24/7 mentoring program, a Deaf daycare, a GU market of deaf-owned businesses, and a Deaf culture and history-centered “Pokemon GO”-inspired app to make social connections with people off campus. 

VEETank judges faced a tough job. Thadeus Brown, ’17, Sachiko Flores, G-’14, Jane Jonas, ’06, and Warren “Wawa” Snipe, ’94  — all business owners themselves and GIEI mentors — ultimately went with Reggie Bess’ VEE 102 section 06. The class proposed repurposing Ballard West into Bison Storage Unit, an on-campus storage facility. In addition to offering safety, convenience, accessibility, and lower prices for customers, the project could create new job opportunities. Plus, the team proposed donating profits to deaf-centric organizations and clubs (including GIEI). 

Kate Meyer was thrilled to be on the winning team. “I feel super excited because it is the first time in my life that a school project was shown to everyone and got first place!” says Meyer, who wants the university to trial Bison Storage Unit. Her classmate, Octavio Chavez-Lopez says the competition was intense and a lot of work went into their winning video and presentation. “But seeing the effort of my teammates and myself rewarded made it truly worth it,” he added. 

VEETank was born in Spring 2022 when GIEI Coordinator, Lorenzo Lewis, ’19, was brainstorming ways to promote BisonTank to students as soon as they arrived at Gallaudet. “GIEI had to be creative in recruiting first- and second-year students to participate in our BisonTank competition because our student participants tend to be upperclassmen, limiting their time and opportunity to build their businesses before graduation,” he says.

He saw an opportunity with the VEE course experience, the cornerstone of Gallaudet’s core curriculum. Consisting of first-year and transfer students, VEE 102 courses contain career and self-employment modules, so Lewis collaborated with Roberta Lynn Daniels, ’97 & EdS ’07, Assistant Director of General Education, to pilot a 2-week entrepreneurship module within all VEE 102 course sections. This module, later expanded to 3 weeks, involves GIEI presenting its program and expectations for the VEETank competition. Each VEE 102 facilitator then guides their sections through the process with GIEI curriculum support.

The resulting 3-minute pitch puts into practice the entrepreneurial steps required for launching a business. Students work together to identify a problem, propose an innovative solution and value proposition, conduct market research around competitors and target consumers, and think through start-up resources needed to bring their idea to fruition.

“I learned that statistics and data are the most crucial factors in VEETank. Verifying and validating our stance helped us advance, and my team did a great job gathering a massive amount of data for a strong foundation,” Chavez-Lopez said. Indeed, their “superb job gathering data” demonstrating the high demand for on-campus storage space won the judges over, says Lewis. All teams receive feedback so they better understand the strengths of their proposals and how they can be improved.

And students practice another critical life skill: collaboration. “I learned a lot about teamwork, different personalities, and how their personalities affect each other,” Meyer says. Bess agrees, saying, “It wasn’t an easy task because it was a group assignment competing with other classes. The students’ experiences can prepare them to understand the types of people they will work with in their future careers. Some are easy to work with, while others are more challenging.”

This is Bess’ third win leading a class through the VEETank experience, and his most recent winners will decide together what to do with their $450 cash prize, although Lewis says students typically split the prize among themselves. Chavez-Lopez says regardless of the prize, “Winning felt amazing! I appreciate all the support throughout the project, and I look forward to applying these skills in the future.”

Watch all the great pitches by winning VEETank teams here.