Mentorship from successful entrepreneurs fuels Calvin student's success
On Tuesday, November 5, Ryan Tschirhart '27 was one of 12 Calvin students who pitched an innovative idea at Startup Garage's Pitch Up competition.
Ryan Tschirhart ‘27 is studying marketing and professional sales at Calvin University. He’s also a real estate agent who says, “at 20 years old, it can be hard to find people that can take me seriously.”
He felt that if only he could get in front of people, he could prove his value in the field. So, he got to work.
Pitching a solution
On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, he literally stood in front of a room full of people at Startup Garage’s annual Pitch Up competition on Calvin University’s campus and pitched a solution to his problem.
“I invented SyncUp, an app that helps people connect with people,” said Tschirhart.
How it works?
“Let’s say you walk into a coffee shop. For all you know the person standing next to you could be someone who wants to invest in real estate, or is interested in AI, or maybe has an interest in baseball and could use a hitting partner,” said Tschirhart.
But how would one know this void of a lengthy conversation that may or may not eventually lead to finding out those interests?
“You would get a buzz on your phone, similar to LinkedIn and AirDrop, saying there are three people near you with similar interests,” said Tschirhart. “In a world where we are so isolated, our job is to bring people together and make networking more effective and more efficient.”
Impressing the judges
Tschirhart had made his case within the confines of the rules of the event—no notes, no slides, no more than two minutes.
At the end of the night, when all 12 students had pitched their ideas, Tschirhart’s came out on top, receiving the most votes from the five judges, and with it a $1,200 prize.
Tschirhart admits it can be intimidating to stand up on stage when the lights are on you and a room full of people is staring at you. But he leaned on his past experience and training, to create a clear, concise, and polished presentation.
“I got hooked up with Startup Garage my freshmen year and took the Startup Garage class last year,” said Tschirhart. “So, I pitched my freshman year, and I was actually the emcee last year [for the event], so I think I used that to my advantage.”
Provided a competitive advantage
What else is giving Tschirhart and other Calvin students an advantage over their college-aged peers is the proximity they have to successful entrepreneurs through Startup Garage.
“It’s rare that you get to be in front of a CEO ever,” said Tschirhart. “But every single day you go to Startup Garage, you are in front of two successful ones with Jon [VerLee] and Zach [Booker] and so many others that they are blessed to have in their network. To be able to learn from them and even have a conversation with a CEO can change your life, let alone to have that experience every Wednesday is just an unreal advantage that any students get to have at Calvin.”
While Tschirhart says this current idea is still in the minimal viable product and ideation phase, he hopes to soon find a software engineer to help with development. In the meantime, he’s excited to continue to develop his entrepreneurial mindset at Calvin University through this rare opportunity.
“I’ve always been entrepreneurial, but now to bring that to light with people that have been there and who understand and can challenge my thinking in ways that make me better, that have gone through the idea-to-implementation process themselves multiple times, is very helpful.”