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How This 23-Year-Old Won $3K with One Brilliant Pitch! š” | SWAYāS UNIVERSE
May 29, 2024
š„ Discover the inspiring journey of Nicholas Alexis in "The Pitch That Changed Everything: Nicholas Alexis' Story" on Sway In The Morning! š„ Eight finalists showcased their groundbreaking business ideas, but it was Nicholas who captured everyone's hearts with his app, Elevate News. Join us as we dive deep into his remarkable pitch, his passion for positivity, and his plans to make a real change in the world.
In this exclusive interview, Nicholas shares his background, his journey through college, and his future aspirations. From growing up in Midtown to studying abroad in Italy, his story is a testament to perseverance and innovation. Learn how he won the pitch competition, the impact of his $3,000 prize, and his heartfelt dedication to his single mother.
Don't miss out on this uplifting and motivating story. Subscribe to Swayās Universe for more exclusive interviews and inspiring content. Stay tuned for big things from Nicholas Alexis!
#NicholasAlexis #SwayInTheMorning #ElevateNews #Inspiration #Entrepreneurship #SwaysUniverse #ExclusiveInterview
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CHAPTERS:
0:00 - Intro
1:48 - Nicholas Alexis on Winning the Pitch Fit Contest
5:45 - Will Nicholas Pursue His App Idea
7:36 - Acknowledging the Professors and Teachers
9:56 - Thank you
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0:00
eight finalists did these pitches they
0:03
pitched these business ideas and Leela
0:05
Steinberg who's over at gala over the
0:08
music department crystal and a couple of
0:10
the workers over at gala Taco um a
0:13
couple of the workers at gala we were
0:15
all judges I say we because I'm a I'm an
0:18
honorary member of Gala and all of the
0:21
kids all of these young adults pctures
0:24
were phenomenal like I didn't know what
0:26
I was walking into they were so
0:28
phenomenal was hard to ask question
0:30
wow at the end right cuz they were all
0:32
so thorough and they had all these
0:35
brilliant Grand ideas but only one could
0:37
win and we judged them on about seven
0:40
different categories
0:42
including um Market viability
0:44
presentation um concept all these
0:47
different things uh that they had to
0:49
that we judged them on and one of those
0:52
contestants all of them did extreme
0:54
extremely well one of them um couple of
0:57
them stood out to me but one in
0:59
particular really did because I really
1:01
enjoyed his
1:03
energy so if you could you could come up
1:06
with a great deck a great pitch deck you
1:08
could come up with a great script and
1:11
all of those things but you could come
1:13
out with a bad sell yeah and he nailed
1:16
it on every different aspect and Lea U
1:20
called me in fact at the end of it all
1:23
before they announced the winner I shook
1:24
all the contestants hands and when I got
1:27
to him he was the last hand I shook what
1:28
did I say to you you said you're a star
1:32
and I remember that I remember that yeah
1:34
and I meant that and bro I've been
1:36
breaking stars for decades
1:39
so I'll tell you you a star if you don't
1:42
believe it that's on
1:44
you waiting for that star waiting for
1:46
you to tap in I want to welcome him to
1:48
the show The One and Only Nicholas
1:49
Alexis the winner of the pitch fit
1:56
contest congratulations my man yo
1:59
congratul
2:00
man man it's it was a lot of stress but
2:02
you know what it paid off it really did
2:04
pay off it did pay off um tell us about
2:07
yourself first before we talk about I
2:09
grew up in Midtown I'm 23 grow up in
2:11
Midtown you see thousands of people
2:13
running back and forth trying to make it
2:15
trying to be successful and I had to
2:17
choose a college that wasn't just here
2:18
numbers here spreadsheets just something
2:21
creative because it's so hard to have
2:23
that creative outlet and I found fit and
2:25
I said this this is the place right here
2:28
I graduate next year so I'm Junior but
2:30
it is it is a beautiful place and I
2:32
couldn't imag I couldn't imagine any
2:33
other college but I'm 23 mhm I am so
2:37
hungry I am so hungry and I can't even
2:40
words can't words cannot explain it I
2:42
just what's the next win what am I doing
2:45
tomorrow what's happening I'm I'm
2:46
flexible let's do it let's do it just
2:48
non-stop and and yes I got first place
2:50
cash was $3,000 come on come on you want
2:52
to go to lunch after this I didn't know
2:54
what the was okay well you you treat
2:57
it's my treat it's my treat but also
2:59
Sunday is Mother's
3:00
so I really this this was for both of us
3:02
cuz I grew up with a single mother and I
3:04
just really wanted to give back cuz she
3:06
put in so much work raising me and I
3:07
just I came home with the check the big
3:10
check and I was I didn't even tell her
3:11
answer the competition so I came home
3:13
with the check and I was like I'm taking
3:15
you to dinner the Sunday at a nice
3:17
restaurant and she started crying and I
3:20
I've never had an experience like that
3:21
it was so beautiful oh my gosh that's
3:23
amazing see I like this guy Man Nicholas
3:26
Alexis um so you grew up Midtown right
3:29
might have been right somewhere near
3:31
Alicia Keys huh she I grew up near um
3:34
Hudson yard she grew up in um kitchen
3:37
right um and then where did you go to
3:38
school uh for high school I went to this
3:40
robotic School Called Quest okay so my
3:42
dream school if I really wanted to get
3:44
in robotics was like MIT okay but that's
3:47
so hard I'm like engineering right now
3:50
and I chose fit and now with AI I can
3:52
create anything I can do anything I want
3:55
if I have the idea and if I can sell it
3:56
if I have that energy done you could do
3:58
it right you
4:00
can can you can you do a a brief you
4:03
know not the whole pitch but how you
4:04
started your pitch off on Tuesday yes so
4:07
my app um I pitched an app called
4:09
Elevate news it's only positive news and
4:12
I do a lot of presentations and you have
4:14
to open strong you have to capture that
4:16
audience in 5 seconds so I opened
4:18
showcasing current events really really
4:20
big things like War covid-19 really
4:23
recent events and people were looking at
4:25
me like what are you pitching right now
4:26
are you just giving us the news and then
4:28
I hopped directly into a a statistic 42%
4:31
of Americans say they avoid the news
4:33
because they're depressed so I'm All
4:34
About Numbers I'm about statistics and
4:36
how can I fix that how can I make
4:38
something that yes is profitable but can
4:40
actually bring positivity to people
4:42
because we need hope we really need hope
4:44
and I just went Full Throttle I did so
4:46
much research it the past two three
4:47
weeks have been no sleep yeah but it was
4:51
worth it it was worth in the end even if
4:52
I didn't win just putting all that
4:54
together and seeing your reaction
4:56
getting you're a star you don't even
4:57
understand how much that mean you really
4:58
you really I'm glad you brought brought
4:59
it up I thought you were going to forget
5:00
I'm glad you brought that up no no no I
5:03
I'm very present uh may not seem like I
5:05
do this big aloof thing Mike knows I
5:08
look like I'm not paying attention I
5:09
hear everything but I'm pay I'm paying
5:11
attention you actually threw my name in
5:13
your pitch too I ain't saying that had
5:14
some influence but did it did kind of I
5:18
had it was it was like an app layout
5:19
like a screenshot in the corner you know
5:20
how it says like hello user so it was
5:22
hello Sway and I had like a little head
5:24
shot of him and I didn't think anybody
5:26
was going to know cuz I knew he was
5:27
going to be a judge and it was on the
5:28
screen and he mentioned that after the
5:29
questions I was like I'm so happy you
5:31
mentioned that cuz I would have not said
5:33
anything yes yes small details for sure
5:36
no in your audience playing no your
5:37
audience right I'm a marketing major you
5:39
know I got to know my demographic I got
5:40
to know who I'm pitching to yes yeah
5:42
that's important right is so what
5:45
happens with the app now do you actually
5:46
pursue that or that was just for the
5:48
moment so I originally did this as a
5:50
pitch I didn't really have any plans and
5:51
after you left actually after I won I
5:53
had three people come up to me with
5:54
their phones out and they said can I
5:56
download this now and I was speechless I
5:58
was speechless cuz cuz this was a pitch
6:00
and I went home that night and I've
6:02
decided I'm going to do it this summer
6:03
I'm going to $3,000 is more than enough
6:05
for me to do this I'm going to I already
6:07
have a uxui design background and I'm
6:09
going through with this this is come on
6:10
nich I love this man come on come hungry
6:14
I am starving you don't even understand
6:16
yeah man uh so what's next man so
6:19
summers are here right summer yes yes so
6:21
um the semester ends up in two weeks and
6:23
I'm going straight to Italy to study
6:25
abroad for a photography program I'm
6:26
sure you sure you uh saw me in the
6:28
corner with my camera out I did see that
6:29
going to Florence ROM Milan beautiful
6:31
place I'm so excited then I come back
6:33
and it's it's either I do an internship
6:36
or it's Full Throttle with the app but I
6:38
I'm leaning towards the app I'm leaning
6:39
towards the app keep me posted man I
6:41
like that idea man you know I put 20
6:43
plus years in news with MTV so um and I
6:47
always been advocate of good we do a
6:49
segment on this show every Thursday what
6:51
is it called Good News Thursday there
6:54
it's alignment obviously Synergy maybe
6:57
there's a collab yeah yeah that would be
7:00
maybe bro that would be great we're
7:03
going to look back at this video uhhuh
7:05
what's today's date today is Friday the
7:08
10th of May 10th of May
7:10
2024 um I'm proud of you congratulations
7:13
man I really appreciate it absolutely to
7:14
my team over at Galla you guys are
7:16
awesome you go check out gallam
7:18
music.com and it's a lot of great things
7:20
especially for Independent Artists who
7:21
want to put put out music especially um
7:23
in the web 3 um world it's a great way
7:27
of um just being a t of on your own
7:30
eliminating the middle guy you're not
7:32
splinting checks it's just you all right
7:35
so check out Galla music congratulations
7:37
sir yes we going to stay in tuned let's
7:39
let's give acknowledge true
7:40
acknowledgement to the woman in the
7:42
camera please oh my god without without
7:44
Renee I literally I couldn't do any of
7:46
this there's there's certain professors
7:47
that really stand out and and shape your
7:49
future and Renee has truly been one so
7:52
thank you so much you going to put the
7:53
camera on and Drew so when he talks to
7:54
her name so people can see who she is
7:56
they smile Renee there you go hey she's
7:59
fly there you go you got it yes shapes
8:02
shapes so many Minds get on the mic come
8:04
on you might as well you talking you got
8:05
to get on the mic it's right here come
8:08
on come on Rene we're live on air you
8:11
got go you got speed up mic it thank you
8:14
thank you thank you for inviting me so I
8:17
am so proud of my students
8:20
and my mentor told me you know what
8:24
Renee you've had a successful career
8:26
yourself but what do you leave behind M
8:30
and that's why I teach lift others up
8:33
and you will be lifted with them and
8:36
that is I have to tell you listening to
8:38
Nicholas listening to his story I've had
8:41
other students that you know if you have
8:43
the ability to change someone's life by
8:47
uh by teaching by uh sharing your
8:51
experience it's I I have Goosebumps I
8:54
have Goosebumps listening U to Nicholas
8:56
talk about um what he's doing and what
8:59
he would like to do and that's what it's
9:01
all about
9:03
yes salute to you professors and
9:06
teachers are like bonus parents yes you
9:09
know and i' all of us have worked around
9:11
education initiatives it's not an easy
9:14
job it's not just teaching you know it's
9:17
not just teaching you know yeah it's but
9:19
it's a privilege really yeah and um and
9:23
it excites me every day it excites me to
9:25
be in the classroom how lucky am I to be
9:29
able to be with the young people and to
9:32
see what they uh think about what
9:35
they're going to do what they want to do
9:38
how they want to make the world a better
9:39
place and uh it's a great experience for
9:43
me well keep going we got your back all
9:45
right thank you and I'm glad we were
9:46
able to make this happen all right thank
9:48
you thank you so much for all for
9:51
everything that all of these wonderful
9:54
individuals donate GA music sway
9:56
donating your time also to support the
10:00
students so we we love you thank you
10:03
love y'all too man and hey that
10:04
concludes the show man hey
10:06
congratulations brother thank you man B
10:08
things to come thank you absolutely I'm
10:10
going be right there with you you
10:11
treating
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