ECU announces a new name for the Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge at the start of the first round

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) – ECU’s eighth annual Pirate Entrepreneurship Challenge kicked off Tuesday afternoon, but this year it has a new name, all thanks to a generous multi-million dollar donation.

As more than 70 student teams pitched their projects to showcase their innovative ideas for products and services at ECU’s shopping center, leaders from the Miller School of Entrepreneurship gathered at the Isley Innovation Hub to announce the challenge’s new name: The Gene T .Aman Pirate Challenge.

The challenge was named in honor of her husband, entrepreneur and ECU alumnus Gene ’65, thanks to a generous $3.2 million donation from Helen Aman and her family. Gene worked for Golden Corral’s parent company for 40 years.

“When you have an institution that is so focused on generating a good return on investment, that is a place that people want to give something back to,” said Chancellor Dr. Philip Rogers. “We are thrilled to be able to live up to his name through one of the great challenges on our campus.”

The investment will extend beyond the Miller School and provide mentorship and experiential learning opportunities to ECU students of all majors who participate in the pitch competition.

“When you do a premiere challenge and actually fund your students and get those ideas off the ground, it really represents a comprehensive package that you don’t see in a lot of places,” said Chip Galusha, the school’s principal.

The Challenge has awarded more than $900,000 in prizes and services to more than 25 teams since 2017. When the final round ends in April, they will pass the $1 million mark.

Last year’s winner, Tyler Hodge, said the amount he received to fund his project was great, but he never imagined the support and network he would get from the challenge.

“The investment, the money is great, but really I think it’s the people that come with it, the network you build through the challenge, it’s just incredible,” Hodge said.

This is the second largest gift the Miller School of Entrepreneurship has received, behind the Miller family’s $5 million donation that helped found the school in 2015.

Students who make it to the second round of the challenge will present their projects on February 4, 2025.

The final round is scheduled for April 15, 2025.

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