Took MNRCH LGCY from a personal project to a competitive business pitch for NIU's De La Vega Innovation Competition. Had to research market data, validate the business model, and present a 3-minute pitch to a panel of judges looking for feasible ideas with real impact. The challenge was balancing the emotional story behind the brand with hard business numbers - turns out the monarch butterfly decline (59% since 2023) and the fashion industry's massive carbon footprint made for compelling market validation. Working through market validation, financial projections, and storytelling in such a condensed format really pushed my presentation skills. While I didn't win any prize money, I had a lot of constructive feedback from my peers - a lot of them loved my idea and even supported the cause. I spoke to the judges afterwards about what I could have improved. They said they loved my idea and that it was in contention for third, but they simply couldn't do a three-way third-place tie. Instead, they dropped my idea and did a split third. I like to say I got fourth place :) The whole process taught me how to think like an entrepreneur, not just a designer.