For Ty Nelson and Troup Wallace, the idea behind HelpHand grew from something familiar to almost every college student: the need for flexible ways to earn money. The two Samford University Brock School of Business students also noticed that people around them are always looking for an extra set of hands.
Fusing those observation has now translated into a $20,000 win. The students, both members of the Samford Startup student business incubator program, took home the first-place prize at the Innovate Alabama Student Innovation Competition in June.
"We built HelpHand to connect trusted local college students with homeowners, businesses and real estate professionals who need reliable, on-demand help, creating value for both the community and students," said Nelson and Wallace. They noted that trust is what sets HelpHand apart from other marketplaces, as every job is built around that same commitment to reliability.
Getting to the Innovate Alabama stage took months of preparation. Nelson and Wallace first submitted a three-minute pitch online, a step that narrowed the field to five companies who were invited to compete before a panel of judges and the Innovate Alabama Board. The students spent hours refining their presentation and sharpening the story behind HelpHand. Pitching alongside nationally recognized companies, they gained valuable experience and strengthened their confidence in the business concept.
The $20,000 prize gives Nelson and Wallace room to accelerate HelpHand's growth. They plan to use the funding to strengthen the platform, expand marketing efforts and build strategic partnerships that will allow them to serve more customers and create more opportunities for fellow college students.
Nelson and Wallace point directly to the mentorship and support they've received through Brock School of Business and the Samford Startup, particularly from faculty mentor Joshua White, assistant professor of entrepreneurship and strategic management, who has worked with them since the spring semester.
"Having a mentor like Dr. White early in the process gave us the opportunity to challenge ourselves, think strategically, refine our business model and present HelpHand with confidence, which ultimately helped prepare us for this competition," they said.
White advised the students in their early stages and sees their success as a reflection of a broader mission within Samford Startup and Brock School of Business: helping students turn ambition into action.
"Ty and Troup have consistently demonstrated both ambition and passion throughout this journey," he said. "I've been especially impressed by their ability to identify opportunities and quickly move from ideation to execution. They don't just generate ideas. They take meaningful action, which is one of the defining characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.”
That philosophy extends to how Samford approaches entrepreneurship education more broadly.
"Entrepreneurship is filled with uncertainty, and one of our primary goals in Samford Startup and Brock School of Business is to help students navigate that uncertainty with confidence," White said. "By providing guidance when decisions are difficult, challenging assumptions and encouraging strategic action, students gain the confidence to pursue their potential and create meaningful impact in their industries."
Reflecting on the win, Nelson and Wallace added there is still so much to learn, improve and build. They are excited to keep listening to customers, growing HelpHand and creating more opportunities for college students while helping people across our communities find trusted, reliable help.
Nelson and Wallace's story speaks to the heart of what Brock School of Business set out to do: provide students with the mentorship, resources and real-world opportunities to test their ideas, along with the confidence to compete on a stage far bigger than the classroom. Their success reflects the strength of a Samford education, which earned national recognition from The Wall Street Journal's 2026 rankings as No. 3 for career preparation and No. 7 for student learning opportunities.
