HTM Students Pitched Their Business Ideas to the Jury of RIT Croatia Alumni

December 17, 2021

The First semester started off strongly for the first year students of the HTM program. Within their Business I course, taught by Milena Kužnin, they were emerged into real life problem solving from day one. The Business I course is designed to cover key functional areas of doing business, estimates of new business opportunities, and how to create and implement a business plan. One of the key assignments in this course was for students to team up, create and develop a new business idea throughout the semester, which culminates with teams presenting the outcome to the judges through an "elevator pitch" - a quick, catching and efficient presentation of the idea.

On December 16, 2021, teams presented their business pitches to the judges -who were all RIT Croatia Alumni with a keen experience in business: Alisa Aliti Vlašić, Founder and Project Manager at MOSAIC Dubrovnik, Pavle Komnenić, Project Manager at Intours DMC, Vanja Jelić Stjepović, Founder of Adriatic Travel Collection and Ivana Tepšić, Project Development Manager at Culture Urban Development Association KAZIN.

The teams were judged by the following criteria: business potential of the idea for becoming a sustainable business, design, presentation and pitch of the idea where the judges judged esthetics, creativity and appearance, innovation of the idea and how it is dedicated to solving a certain problem in a new way, as well as the relevance of the problem students are trying to solve with their idea. Teams were graded and the grade was going towards their final course grade.

There were six teams pitching their ideas: Team B-LEV presented the pitch on the topic "Connect Café", Team Mark Solo presented "Recycle Solution", Team Business Casual presented "Hot Air Balloons", Team Air Bond talked about "Butiga" Homemade Deliver App, Team T.A.J. presented "Sunflower Craft Room", and finally, the Team TSB pitched their idea called "Zootopia Pet Resort".

When asked to share her impressions about students' business pitches, Ms. Ivana Tepšić, one of the jury members, said: "I was impressed with the skills they already acquired throughout the semester, taking in consideration that they are first year students. They had some great business concept ideas with lots of important details taken in consideration. Well done everyone!"

"By completing a business plan, students can gain a broader understanding in the main functional areas of business such as finance, marketing, production, law and management. Additionally these skills help students in their current or future managerial roles. In this process they develop problem solving attitude, which will be useful on their career path. Writing a business plan is also an important learning curve. It forces you to face up the realities of starting a business, your true financial situation and the feasibility of your success. When I was a student at RIT Croatia, these kind of projects impacted me immensely. I started understanding that I use what I learned every day. The knowledge and experience I gained help me make decisions and I developed strong communication skills, which are certainly an asset in any professional environment. Beyond expanded skill set, studying at RIT Croatia provided me an in-depth understanding of the industry and the economic forces that drive it. Learning about the principles of leadership and management gave me a framework for analyzing and overcoming challenging workplace scenarios. It impacted me as an individual and boosted my decision making attitude, as well as my confidence. I am sure that the new generations will experience similar outcomes as well!", concluded Ivana Tepšić.