Silent Books Publishing, Dip’T win big at UBalt’s ‘Rise to the Challenge’ competition

For the first time in half a decade, the five-figure top prize of the University of Baltimore’s (UBalt) “Rise to the Challenge” business pitch competition went to not one, but two entrepreneurs. 

UBalt’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation ultimately identified Silent Books Publishing and Dip’T as this year’s “Most Promising Business” awardees at the recent 11th annual iteration of this competition. The event showcased the UBalt community’s top entrepreneurs, including five winners who an emailed press release said received a “big check.” Neary $30,000 in prize money was up for grabs in this competition’s 11th iteration.

Silent Books Publishing founder Angel Wilson and Dip’T creator Tyeisha Pinnock will split the top $15,000 prize. Dip’T, according to its website, is a DC-based line of locally-made vegetarian snacks, while Silent Books offers self-publishing services to would-be authors. Pinnock’s Union Kitchen Accelerator-graduating company won an additional $2,000 for taking the “Aspiring Business Ventures” category’s top spot, while Wilson’s parallel victory in the “Existing Business Ventures” group came with an extra $5,000. Wilson told Technical.ly that she plans to use the funds to hire administrative staff, subsidize operational expenses (for instance, Adobe and other publishing software) and accelerate her company’s growth. 

“We recently hired our first graphic design intern, who is a student at the University of Baltimore,” she said. “We want to continue to partner with other colleges and hire more interns.”

Henry Mortimer, director of UBalt’s Center for Entrepreneurship, shared enthusiasm for both these winners and the other competitors.

“They’re all impressive, and my hope is that they catch the attention of someone new who can help nurture their enterprise and allow them to flourish as entrepreneurs,” he said. 

(L to R) Dean Murray Dalziel, Angel Wilson, Tyeisha Pinnock and Henry Mortimer at UBalt’s “Rise to the Challenge” competition. (Courtesy image)

Here are the remaining winners:

• Joanne Jones — Winner of the $5,000 Dean’s Challenge Award and the Crowd Favorite award of $1,000 for her venture Kenyan Kutie
• Serena Brontide — Winner of the Baltimore Fund Award of $1,000 for her venture Synapse Collective
• Jonah Willard —Winner of the $500 “Hustle Award” for his venture Grease Garage, and the finalist who showed the most improvement during the presentation coaching program
• Clarrissa Cozart — Keynote speaker and winner of the 2022 “Most Promising Business” prize and the $500 “Hustle Award” for her venture Tailored Fit
• Mario Izquierdo — Finalist with his venture Limitir, a 3D-printed auto parts marketplace where customers can download car parts, saving time and money.

The evening’s panel of expert judges, comprised of members from the local business and entrepreneurship community, included:

• Ted Goloboski, President, Belfast Valley Contractors, Inc.
• Michael “MJ” Jackson, Vice President, Global Head of Industries at DocuSign
• Aneta Orellana, Owner and Manager, CMS, LLC
• Jay Ripley, Board Chairman, Alaris Equity Partners