Alcohol-infused ice cream wins E3 Expo

Crème de Liqueur, a line of alcohol-infused ice cream, is the student business venture that won the ninth annual Emerson Entrepreneurship Experience (E3) Exposition on April 19.

Elizabeth Nash ’14, a Writing, Literature, and Publishing major with a minor in Entrepreneurial Studies, created Crème de Liqueur and walked away with $5,000 in cash and prizes after the all-day expo at the Bordy Theater.

“I couldn’t be more excited and honored to win this contest,” said Nash, who is from Olney, Illinois. “I worked hard everyday for months leading up to the expo, and I’m still humming with energy now that it’s over.”   

Nash called the win “the happiest moment of my entire college career.”

“It’s a huge validation for my business,” she said. “It shows that there is a want for this delicious dessert.”

Students proposed nine business ideas at this year’s E3 Expo—the first since the November death of E3 founder Karl Baehr, who was a faculty member in the Marketing Communication Department. E3 is now overseen by faculty member Ja-Nae Duane.

More than 150 businesses have been designed through Emerson’s Entrepreneurial Studies Program, which has about a 30 percent success rate. That is 25 percent better than the majority of similar programs at other colleges nationwide, according to the Princeton Review.

Cash in the amount of $20,000 and prizes were divided among the top winners of the E3 Expo. Students also met with several Boston business leaders and Emerson alumni who launched their businesses through E3. The keynote speaker was Helena Fruscio, director of Creative Industries for Massachusetts.

The second-place E3 winner is Sam Fishman ’15, a Marketing Communication major from Brookline, Massachusetts, who has launched Stede Threads, a company that creates unique three-dimensional appliques for hats using recycled skateboards.

Fishman said his second-place win is “the extra motivation to keep the wheels rolling.”

“I’ve put a lot of work into Stede and it’s great to see it start to pay off,” he said.

Fishman said the money and prizes he won would go toward designing the next product line, marketing, and obtaining legal advice.

Nash said she will work with a public relations and legal team to help figure out licensing and permitting issues with Crème de Liqueur.

“I would also like to have a taste testing in the next few weeks, when potential investors could come and sample the real product,” Nash said. “July is National Ice Cream Month, so I want to use that to my company’s advantage.”

Nash and Fishman join the ranks of other E3 winners who have launched well-known businesses, many of whom were present at this year’s conference. They include James DiSabatino ’09 of Roxy’s Grilled Cheese; Evy Chen ’10 of Evy Tea; and Jon Allen ’14 of Temple Twist.  

Additional speakers at E3 included Vlad Vukicevic of Rocket Hub; Sam Aquillano, co-founder of Design Museum Boston; Joanna Meiselles, founder of Snip-its; and Morgan First, founder of Wine Riot.

Other E3 winners were:

·      Nisreen Galloway ’14, who won third place for her Simmer Magazine, a digital food magazine for college students.

·      James Johnston ’15, who won the People’s Choice Award for Rex Ragnarok Apparel for gamers. Johnston was also chosen as the first recipient of the Karl Baehr Scholarship Award.