Student entrepreneurs took the stage this spring for the 2026 Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition, marking the 14th year of this annual event hosted by the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship at The College of Business. The competition challenges students to pitch scalable business ideas to a panel of experienced judges, with the grand prize of $50,000 funded by alumnus Rick Sontag.
“For more than a decade, Sontag has provided students with hands-on experience in entrepreneurship,” Mehmet Tosun, director of the Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship, said. “Each year, the competition helps students develop stronger ideas, clearer strategies and greater confidence in their ability to move forward.”
The event also featured a keynote address from Julian Sandpaper, a former Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition finalist.
Jordan Raulston, a double major in finance and economics with a minor in construction project management, earned the competition’s top honor for , a curated cocktail kit designed to simplify the craft cocktail experience at home.
Deviant Cocktail Club grew out of Raulston’s 11 years working as a bartender and frequent conversations with customers interested in recreating craft cocktails without the time-intensive prep and specialty ingredients.
“I began to think about what it would look like to eliminate the guesswork entirely,” Raulston said. “Deviant Cocktail Club is a curated cocktail kit that provides everything needed to pair with a 750ml bottle of alcohol, with step-by-step recipe cards and video tutorials to guide the experience.”
Raulston said the idea for the business had been developing for several years before entering Sontag, but after competing in the LaunchNevada Pitch competition last fall and winning first place, she realized the concept had real potential.
“That moment proved to me that this business idea I had been holding onto was not only viable, but something truly scalable and worth pursuing,” Raulston said.
The Sontag Entrepreneurship Competition guides students through multiple rounds of pitching, mentoring and refinement, helping founders strengthen their concepts, financial models and communication skills before presenting to judges from the business and investment community.
Along with Deviant Cocktail Club, this year’s finalists included:
- Axis, developed by Hunter Stramel of , is an ergonomic gaming keyboard that integrates analog joysticks directly into the keyboard, allowing PC gamers to achieve smoother movement without sacrificing mouse precision.
- , founded by Jalene Cruz and Winford Chang, is a mobile pastry business based in Reno that blends Latin and Asian flavor profiles. The venture has grown through pop-up events and collaborations while focusing on community-driven expansion.
- CallSync, founded by Drake Lindsey, is an AI-powered voice receptionist designed for owner-operated service businesses. The platform answers incoming calls, qualifies leads and books appointments automatically, helping businesses capture missed opportunities.
- , led by Sam Rosen, offers a managed, AI-driven customer engagement service for small businesses. The platform focuses on reducing missed leads and improving response times by handling follow-ups, appointment scheduling and customer outreach.
Raulston plans to launch Deviant Cocktail Club later this year and encourages other students interested in entrepreneurship to participate in Sontag for the mentorship and experience.
“This is one of the best opportunities to have your business picked apart in the most constructive way,” Raulston said. “Never view Sontag as a risk of failure. View it as the risk of never taking a chance on your potential.”
