GoHeels Exclusive: Sweet Wins Business Competition

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Shortly after undergoing surgery for an ACL injury he sustained at Old Dominion on Sept. 16, William Sweet said he was provided a cold compression product to reduce the swelling.

The device helped during the early stages of his rehab. But he said he wondered how much more someone could benefit from having a similar appliance not only post-surgery but throughout their recovery from an ACL injury.

So, enrolled in "Entrepreneurship and Business Planning," Sweet came up with the concept for a cold compression sleeve. And on Nov. 8, his idea won the fourth annual Carolina Challenge Pitch Party, UNC's business venture competition designed to promote entrepreneurship.

"Since I'm a part of the market, a part of the niche for this product," Sweet said, "it just gives me a deeper insight into how much this item is needed in the industry."

A communication studies major, Sweet said he met Jim Kitchen, an entrepreneur-in-residence at the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and professor for "Entrepreneurship and Business Planning," as a freshman. Sweet said he told Kitchen then he'd take his class, if he ever could.

That opportunity finally arrived this semester. And for an assignment, Sweet said he and his classmates were told to create a product for the Pitch Party, held at the Blue Zone at Kenan Stadium, by themselves or in groups of three or four people.

Sweet said he formed his idea on his own. Less than two weeks before the competition, Kitchen asked Sweet to pitch his product to the class so some students without ideas might join his team.

"Before I could even finish the pitch," Sweet said, "I had two or three people saying, 'Pick me, pick me.'"

Three classmates joined Sweet's team. He then ensured each one understood the product and the need for it before the competition.

What Sweet said makes his cold compression sleeve different from other products on the market is that it can be used on the entire leg from the ankle up. He said other devices only support certain body parts, like the ankle or knee.

Sweets' concept garnered the interest of several Pitch Party attendees, who received faux money to decide which teams they'd "invest" in. His team ultimately took first place.

"It was just a huge moment for me because it was something I had accomplished with the help of my team, and we were able to share that moment together coming in first place," he said. "I really felt that if my parents would have been there, they would have been really proud of me.

"Words couldn't describe the feeling I had when they called me and my group on stage to kind of give our final pitch to everyone inside the room. It was just a great experience."

And it's not over yet. Sweet's team earned a $400 award for the creation of a prototype. He said he met with a prototype engineer last week, and he's also working toward securing a copyright and patent for his cold compression sleeve.

Opportunities such as this, after all, are what Sweet said originally influenced his decision to attend UNC.

"He's a guy who understands the whole student-athlete part of this and understands that a degree from here is special," Chris Kapilovic said. "He also understands there are things he can connect with here that maybe you can't at other places that are going to springboard careers for him in the future. And he's trying to take full advantage of that."

Players Mentioned

William Sweet

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