Sparking Innovation in the World of AI: Spark Bowl Student Experience and Win

Students like Katia Holmes ’27 form connections with small businesses by being part of a student business consultant team in preparation for the competition.

Spark Bowl is more than a competition; it's a chance for our students to gain real-world experience. Katia, a business administration student, played a key role in the student consultant team that contributed to the success of the winning team in 2024. She worked with the company Horus Health, an AI auditing and billing system that focuses primarily on healthcare. The company expedites the job of an auditor in efforts to streamline billing and compliance services. 

Spark Bowl is a “Shark Tank”-like competition, hosted by Startup Bucks, the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce and DelVal. The competition awards thousands of dollars in prizes to area small businesses. After selecting finalists who will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, the Small Business and Entrepreneurship Center organizes teams of DelVal business students to work as consultants for the businesses and help them prepare their pitches. 

During DelVal’s entrepreneurship and practice course, Katia’s student team spent time reviewing Horus Health’s presentation and their business plan. This involved identifying any gaps in their business model and providing feedback on areas that needed improvement in their presentation. The students in the course also watch and analyze “Shark Tank”, a reality business television series, in the weeks leading up to the competition. It shows entrepreneurs making business presentations to a panel of five angel investors, called “Sharks” on the program, who decide whether to invest in their companies. According to Katia, this experience helped students grasp the differences between effective and ineffective pitches, as well as the criteria judges consider. 

“Spark Bowl provides students with an opportunity to work hands-on with a real entrepreneur or a real business, give advice, and see how things work in the real world with starting a business and running a business,” said Katia. 

The day before the competition, students gather with their team for a dress rehearsal and pitch practice. Each group presents a five-minute pitch, followed by ten minutes for the judges to ask questions. The judges, a carefully chosen panel of business professionals, evaluate the pitches. After all presentations, they discuss and select three winning teams. Both the businesses and their student teams receive monetary prizes for their efforts. 

“I see myself either working for a company in the business industry or being an entrepreneur at some point,” said Katia. “Professor Christine Seel is great, and she's connected me with many new opportunities. I've connected with all the faculty of the business department, and they've all just been great resources.”