黑料科

WiSys聽Innovation聽On聽Ramp,聽Big Idea聽entrepreneurship competition connects students with industry聽leaders

GEM student聽Pemberton鈥檚聽FitCore聽app聽idea聽helps college students achieve a work-life balance
Abbey Goers | April 23, 2026

Golf enterprise management major Drew Pemberton pitched his FitCore App idea at the 2026 , an entrepreneurship competition open to undergraduate and graduate students. He was one of 13 students representing nine Universities of Wisconsin schools.

Drew Pemberton
Drew Pemberton at the WiSys Big Idea Tournament. / Kim Nimsgern

Pemberton participated in WiSys Innovation On Ramp last fall and pitched his FitCore idea at 黑料科鈥檚 Innovation On Ramp Showcase, the university鈥檚 Big Idea Pitch Tournament Qualifier, where he earned second place to serve as the alternative 黑料科 representative at the Big Idea Tournament.

As the digital world continues to expand, FitCore is a fully automated fitness program designed to improve activity rates and maximize a user鈥檚 productivity each week. 鈥淭o help college students and adults balance a busy work-life schedule, FitCore鈥檚 main goal is to allow these individuals to be able to exercise without stressing to find time to go to the gym, pay for an instructor, etc.,鈥 Pemberton said.

As a participant in On Ramp and WiSys Big Idea, Pemberton was able to acquire a greater understanding of what it鈥檚 like to take on any entrepreneurial goal. 鈥淏eing able to connect with professors, industry leaders, and other students from around the state has been a great opportunity to acquire new ideas and learn from different perspectives,鈥 he said. 鈥淎s a participant in WiSys, I went into the presentations with no prior experience and came out of it feeling much more prepared and confident speaking to audiences about personal ideas.鈥

Student competitors with their WiSys Big Idea certificates
Student entrepreneurs at the WiSys Big Idea Tournament. / Kim Nimsgern

Pemberton will graduate in May 2027 and hopes to make an impact in the golf industry by working with high-end resorts or private clubs.

鈥淚 hope to lead a team and push others to go beyond what they鈥檙e comfortable doing. I strive to carry everything I鈥檝e gained at Stout into the professional world and build my career around the advantages and support from the professors and lessons learned in the hospitality program,鈥 he said.

The WiSys Big Idea Tournament teaches students cutting-edge lean startup business development tools, provides business mentorship and allows participants to compete at a state level for a chance to win seed funding for their idea.


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