Mobile app Scholly wins big at Drexel incubator competition

Christopher Gray won the top prize — $33,000 — in Drexel’s annual Baiada Incubator Competition yesterday. He beat out five other startups that pitched at Drexel’s Startup Day.

It was the biggest prize in the competition’s history (first prize is usually around $10,000), said Chuck Sacco, director of external relations at Drexel’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, at the event.

Gray, who is something of Drexel’s entrepreneurship darling, runs scholarship-finding mobile app Scholly. He’s a pro when it comes to pitching: most recently, he pitched at angel group Keiretsu Forum’s Mid-Atlantic Angel Capital Expo and won the “Fast Pitch” competition, beating out five other university-founded companies.

He’ll also be appearing on ABC’s “Shark Tank” this season, where he pitched a panel of celebrity investors. Gray can’t disclose how he fared until the show airs.

The annual incubator competition was just one part of Drexel’s Startup Day, which included a keynote from Saxby’s CEO Nick Bayer, talks from Drexel founders (including last year’s incubator competition winner Spor) and a 60-second pitch competition.

Drexel’s Behrakis Grand Hall was lined up with tables, expo-style, where student startups, service providers and Drexel’s various schools could meet attendees.

“This is like the Close School’s debutante ball,” Gray said.

Beating out 21 applicants, the other incubator competition winners were:

• 2nd Place: Skeletix, a mobile app that sells overstock tickets for cheap, won $23,000.
• 3rd Place: Eventuosity, an event-planning software, won $13,000.

See all the finalists here.