Project Pitch It kicked off its eighth season on Saturday by welcoming a new batch of Wisconsin entrepreneurs hoping to win both financial support and mentorship.
Orphee Paillotin, founder of
Alpinage Cheese, won the Peg Ann & David Gruber Project Pitch It Award, worth $10,000.
After moving to America from France in 2015 and meeting his girlfriend, who is a sixth-generation dairy farmer from the Sheboygan area, Paillotin was quickly introduced to the vast amounts of dairy products made here in Wisconsin.
He earned his cheesemaker license in 2019, later building a dairy plant in Oak Creek with his girlfriend. Alpinage Cheese specializes in European-style Raclette cheese.
“This is a niche but growing market in the U.S., so we really saw an opportunity for growth there,” said Paillotin.
Locally, the company’s products can already be found at retailers like the Milwaukee Public Market, Outpost grocery stores and the Mars Cheese Castle. The company has also partnered with a distributor to sell its products nationwide.
Over the past two years, Alpinage Cheese has sold $150,000 worth of products. The company is on track to double that amount this year and is also eyeing a new facility to increase inventory.
Taking home the Jerry Jendusa BREAKTHRU/UW-Milwaukee Award, worth $5,000, was
Bing Liang, founder of Madison-based
US University Pathways.
The startup is an educational organization bringing online high school degrees, summer camps and college advising services to students around the world.
Liang was born in China, but he began his educational journey in Wisconsin, studying at different schools including Madison College, Edgewood College and UW-Platteville. His experience at these institutions left a lasting impression on him.
Since 2016, US University Pathways has been sharing the Wisconsin education system with different parts of the world in the hopes of recruiting talented international students to the state. Liang hopes to provide some relief to the rapidly declining number of graduating high school students in the state of Wisconsin.
“Our solution is to provide international students with Wisconsin curriculum, with Wisconsin teachers and Wisconsin culture,” said Liang.
The organization has “Wisconsin” high schools in China, Portugal, Ukraine and Canada. Liang hopes to expand into Latin America and Africa. US University Pathways is currently educating 92 students.
Tiffany and
Ethan Wharton are the co-founders of Wisconsin Rapids-based
Wandering Games, what they describe as the only mobile video game service north of Milwaukee. The company won the We Energies/Milwaukee Admirals Award, worth $1,500, during the Saturday premiere of Project Pitch It.
As parents of four children, the Whartons often found themselves looking at the same few venues to host celebrations like birthday parties. Searching for a unique party idea led them to host a gaming party for their nine-year-old in their basement.
While the party was a hit, the Whartons wanted a more contained space to hold such events. So, the couple bought a 24-foot cargo trailer that was retrofitted with five TVs, five video game consoles and seating for guests.
“We’d like to build (the business) enough that we can get several trailers on the road and have other people running them,” said Ethan Wharton.
The company could eventually become a franchise, added Tiffany Wharton.
“Where we live now, people want cost effective, easy solutions for their parties,” she said.
“Project Pitch It” airs on WISN-TV 12 in Milwaukee and on TV stations throughout Wisconsin. Those stations include Green Bay (WBAY-TV 2), Madison (WKOW-TV 27), La Crosse (WKBT-TV 8), and Wausau (WSAW/WYOW TV 7). BizTimes Milwaukee is a media partner for “Project Pitch It.”
