Entrepreneurship

Carolina student entrepreneur makes a Paris pitch in St. Louis

"Work hard, be consistent and pitch as much as possible."

"Work hard, be consistent and pitch as much as possible."

“Work hard, be consistent and pitch as much as possible.”

When Edwina Koch stepped on the field in Busch Stadium to make her best pitch, she wasn’t planning to throw curveballs or sliders. In fact, even though she stood preparing to compete in the stadium that’s home to the 11-time World Series Champion Saint Louis Cardinals, throwing a baseball was the last thing on her mind.

The focus for Koch, who graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in Romance Languages and a minor earned from the Shuford Program in Entrepreneurship, was on making a compelling case for her business at the Saint Louis University’s Pitch and Catch Competition — and delivering a winning business pitch to a panel of high-profile judges and investors.

The genesis for her business — Au Pair, Oh Paris — grew out of her experience as an au pair in Paris and the information gap of knowledge and information for au pairs.

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Koch received financial support from the Innovate Carolina Dreamers-Who-Do Program, a program designed to help students at Carolina delve into real-world entrepreneurial learning experiences.

UNC College of Arts & Sciences Funding Priorities

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