3rd Year Marketing Student Gino Pursina Wins 1st place at North Forge’s Ramp Up Weekend

Mon. Jun. 24, 2024

Gino Pursina, a 3rd year marketing student at The University of Winnipeg, was part of the winning team at North Forge’s Ramp Up Weekend. Pursina was the only UW student participating in this event. He not only brought home the win, but shared in the $10,000 cash prize for the team. Pursina intends to “invest the funds into my business idea to help foster its growth and development.”

As North Forge describes it, Ramp Up Weekend pulls together developers, designers, makers, and entrepreneurs to build a minimum viable product from a new idea in 50+ hours - with the opportunity to pitch to win $10,000! The event isn’t just about how many start-ups succeed or launch, it’s about building deeper connections among the start-up community, learning, and taking the first steps toward entrepreneurship – in Manitoba!

Pursina was up to the challenge. “A goal of mine this year was to push myself to take on tough challenges. When I caught wind of North Forge's Ramp Up Weekend and its intense competition, I knew I couldn't pass up the chance to compete.” He drew heavily upon his classroom experience, creating sample proforma and cash flow statements, preparing effective slide deck presentations, understanding financial feasibility and, from his entrepreneurship class, how to tell and sell a really good story.

Pursina recommends competing in Ramp Up Weekend to his fellow Faculty of Business and Economics students. The competition not only sharpen one’s critical thinking skills in the pursuit of generating viable business ideas, it also sharpens your soft skills working with a variety of people and their wide range of expertise.

“Being part of the winning team was exhilarating", says Pursina. "Entering this competition supplied me with an invaluable set of experiences, but it also gave me the opportunity to showcase my skills in front of many looking for new talent, ideas and students with drive. Through Ramp Up I learned that as long as there is value being added, there will always be people eager to listen and provide opportunities no matter how strange the business idea may be."