On April 9, four teams of students from Alex Gallagher’s and Steve Ginsberg’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation class pitched creative marketing initiatives to the founder of plant-based meal delivery company Purple Carrot. The company also created buzz after partnering with Patriot player Tom Brady to create a vegan, gluten-free, high-protein meal delivery plan called TB12.
After a six-week process of research, analysis and strategy, entrepreneurship students were charged with generating a plan to help Purple Carrot grow their business. The winning pitch (as determined by CEO Andy Levitt and President Brian Greenfield) would be the one that inspired action. Ginsberg and Gallagher told students, “Take this responsibility seriously, as you have the potential to develop a product that actually goes to the market.”
The challenge was to design a project scope, develop proposed solutions within that scope, and produce the standout final pitch. Students conducted industry research, examined trends and identified specific problems and opportunities. The next phase was competitive analysis and identifying and justifying their chosen direction. They built prototypes, and prepared preliminary marketing plans, addressing market opportunity, distribution and pricing. As part of the process, students were able to reach out to Purple Carrot’s executives for guidance, including advice on selecting their top ideas. Each group also conducted at least a dozen interviews with potential customers from their target market.
Students’ pitches included an initiative to add clean snacks, an ambassador program, an enhanced mobile app, and the winning proposal—a family meal plan.
