A Day in My Life Presenting at (and Winning!) the Holloway Prize Competition
Are you wondering what a day in the life of a UNH student looks like? Welcome back to our Day in the Life of a UNH Wildcat blog series, where we put the spotlight on students from different academic majors and class years. UNH undergraduate students can present their business plans at the annual Paul J. Holloway Prize competition for a chance to win cash prizes totaling $40,000.
Today, Brett Schultz '25, a business administration and sustainability dual major, walks us through a day in his life presenting at the Paul J. Holloway Prize competition, and ultimately winning the competition with his teammates. Follow along on Brett's day!
My current venture, Granite State Systems, focuses on reducing electricity costs at cold storage warehouses by pre-cooling facilities when electricity prices are at their lowest. My team and I started this company in January 2025, and, with help from the UNH Entrepreneurship Center, have gone on to compete in three national pitch competitions.
Me and my teammates, Rowan Baptista and Shea Garland, after winning the Holloway Prize Competition
Morning
6 a.m.
Our team does not have to meet at Paul College until 11 a.m., but I want to get up as early as possible to practice my section of the presentation and go over some questions I expect our team will receive. We’ve been meeting daily for the last week and a half and think we have a shot at winning it all!
My teammates Rowan Baptista (Left: Mechanical Engineering ’27) and Shea Garland (Right: Business Administration: Finance ’27) practicing our pitch the night before the competition
8 a.m.
I go for a short walk around campus and continue practicing our pitch in my dorm room. This will be our team’s fourth pitch competition this semester, as we have already traveled to Minnesota and Texas (twice) to secure funding for our venture.
My cofounders and I preparing to present at the Baylor New Venture Competition in Waco, TX
9:30 a.m.
I take a break from practicing to work on tasks I assigned myself at yesterday’s team meeting. This week, I am responsible for reaching out to several local utility providers to gain general advice as we continue to move our product to market.
10:30 a.m.
I log in to my work computer for a 30-minute meeting for my internship. Over the course of the school year, I have had the opportunity to intern with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), a federal research center that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies. I currently intern with the laboratory’s licensing team, where I help find private partners to commercialize the laboratory’s research. This internship has allowed me to gain a strong technical background and an understanding of the industry our company operates in.
Me visiting the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
11 a.m.
After finishing my work meeting, I head over to Paul College to check in to the Holloway Competition and meet my chief technology officer (CTO), Rowan. Since joining the team in February, he has been able to lead the development of our hardware, allowing me to focus on the development of the software.
Our company’s CTO, Rowan, working on adding a temperature sensor onto our product as we conduct some preliminary tests on a mini fridge in his dorm room
Afternoon
12 p.m.
After prepping Rowan for several technical questions I expect him to answer, our company’s chief operating officer (COO), Shea, joins us in our breakout room. Shea is in charge of the sales and marketing aspects of our venture, and has been responsible for finding several cold storage warehouses that want to test our technology. I do not expect him to receive as many questions as Rowan and me, but we still want to ensure he is good to go.
Our company’s COO, Shea, recording a video pitch that was sent in our submission to the e-Fest Undergraduate Entrepreneurship Competition
1 p.m.
Our team heads into the auditorium and the competition begins! The finalists this year are very diverse: two are artificial intelligence companies, two are health and wellness companies and two are high-tech companies. The teams this year have a lot of traction; one company has over $2 million in revenue!
My teammates and I presenting at the Holloway Prize Competition
2:30 p.m.
After the first three teams present, we head back to the breakout room for a brief break. We have been practicing our pitch for weeks and have prepared answers for over 50 questions the judges may ask, but realize that our presentation needs to be funnier. We decide to add 3-5 more jokes into our pitch to make it more engaging.
The team and I choosing to incorporate some last-minute humor into our presentation
3:30 p.m.
Our team is called up to present and we do a great job! The judges understand our technology and business model completely and we finish with five seconds to spare.
The team and I wrapping up our presentation
3:45 p.m.
After finishing our presentation, we move on to 15 minutes of Q&A, and do not receive a single question we have not prepared for. We leave feeling very confident about how we did, but also knowing the competition was tough.
4:30 p.m.
The last presentation ends, and we head out to the networking reception, splitting up to talk to as many people as possible. We leave the event with over 10 contacts of people who work or know someone that works in the energy sector and get a photo with Peter T. Paul himself!
The team and I posing for a photo with Peter T. Paul
Evening
5 p.m.
All of the finalists head to the top of the Paul College Great Hall stairs and are called down by team to see where we placed. Our team ends up winning the entire competition and receives $15,000 in funding!
Me and my teammates, Rowan Baptista and Shea Garland, after winning the Holloway Prize Competition
6 p.m.
After receiving congratulatory remarks from my parents, friends, professors and other attendees of the event, I go out to celebrate with the team and then head off to bed. I have a meeting with a prospective client at 10 a.m. the next day and have to prepare.
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