Every school year, the Entrepreneurship Institute awards seed money to dozens of student startups, but what happens from there? What do students do after that? Hannah Anderson and Hannah Allen were faced with these same questions after winning money from Seed for Startups in November 2019. Since then, they’ve been plowing ahead with their vision for their company, AlterRing, which makes rings with interchangeable stones. Here are three things they’re doing that are great places to start after winning your first seed money:

1. Find a mentor

After pitching at Seed for Startups, AlterRing was invited to pitch again at a networking event called Pitch! here at UVU where students pitch to a room full of investors and industry experts who love to help student entrepreneurs. This was a lot of pitching for two students who had never pitched before, but they boldly did it anyway, explaining that it helped them get out of their comfort zone and maintain passion for their idea. At the event, they met several people who were interested in their productidea, which gave them a confidence boost. They also received some helpful critiques and set up appointments to meet with those who wanted to help them. Between the new help and their existing mentor, Corbin Church, a BYU professor and expert in the jewelry industry, they are setting themselves up for success.

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