Business contest finalists have intriguing ideas

Octavio Valencia of Merced saw a need – a piñata that’s safe for children – and came up with a business idea that has made the finals of the San Joaquin Entrepreneur Challenge.

Erin Bell of Modesto did the same with a ceramic pendant that diffuses essential oils. From Elias Ruiz of Hughson came an idea for a lightweight raft, and from Cole Przybyla of Sonora a 360-degree video camera.

They are among the eight finalists in the sixth annual event, which will conclude Wednesday evening in Stockton with presentations to an expert panel and audience voters.

The winner will get $7,000 in cash and $7,000 in professional services such as marketing, accounting and legal advice. The runner-up will get $3,000 in cash and $3,000 in services.

Bell is a widowed mother of six who started a business, This One’s Mine Ceramic Design, to pay for nursing school. She noted that essential oils, used for aromatherapy and other purposes, are a more than $1 billion business in the United States, and her pendant can have a role.

“A single drop of oil is placed on the back,” Bell said by email. “Since ceramic is porous, the oil absorbs into the ceramic and slowly diffuses the aroma into the air, letting the wearer benefit while living an active lifestyle.”

Przybyla, owner of Cole Video, entered a camera system designed for professional videographers and other users that captures a 360-degree view with sound.

“The camera allows for a unique new experience,” he said by email. “Imagine being visually surrounded and watching an event unfold anywhere in the world, live.”

Ruiz last year won the Stanislaus Innovation Challenge, a single-county event, with his Feather-Raft. It weighs just 55 pounds and can be used for fishing and other water activities.

“It’s light enough for one person to carry,” Ruiz said in December story on his product, while demonstrating it on the Tuolumne River. “This is ready to launch.”

Ruiz teaches math and science at Dutcher Middle School in Turlock.

Valencia has launched Valencia Toys LLC to market the Crazy Talking Piñata. It is a reusable device that when struck, speaks phrases that the user prerecorded. A remote control releases the candy, as described by the entrant in his contest application:

“Our piñata’s technology-driven candy release mechanism eliminates both the problem of piñatas being too hard to break for most children, and of having spurts of candy falling out little by little and running the risk of kids getting hurt by jumping in to grab the candy, while the stick is still being swung.”

The other finalists all are Stockton residents:

▪ Frankie Arburua, with naturally raised rabbits from Frank’s Basque Family Farm.

▪ Ashley Drain, with a mobile app and website for locating food carts.

▪ Lakhvir Singh, with a mobile surveillance system from Hammer Head Protection Inc.

▪ Niles Jackson, with a chalk line tool from Golden State Striping.

Wednesday’s gathering will start with five-minute presentations to the expert panel and audience. Four entrants will be chosen to take part in a “simulated challenging business situation” and answer judges’ questions. The winner then will be picked.

The contest is sponsored by the San Joaquin Angels investor group with help from several businesses and economic development organizations. It is open to people who live or work in Stanislaus and seven nearby counties.

This story was originally published April 5, 2015 at 7:09 PM with the headline "Business contest finalists have intriguing ideas."