From CEO Pitch Winner to Entrepreneur Magazine: The Bobica Bars Story

A Family Health Crisis Became a Business Idea

The idea came from a summer ritual. Nastasi used to bike to a local açaí shop to pick up superfood bowls for his mother, who relied on the anti-inflammatory benefits to manage her arthritis. The bowls melted on the ride home, and even when they didn't, they were loaded with sugar that undermined the health benefits she was after.

When his father was diagnosed with celiac disease around the same time, the need sharpened: the family needed snacks that were both allergy-safe and functionally beneficial. Nastasi and Iannelli, both management majors at Rowan University's Rohrer College of Business, started experimenting with formulations in his parents' kitchen. Iannelli had enrolled at Florida Atlantic University but transferred back to Rowan after one semester because the product had too much momentum to build from a distance.

Winning First Place at CEO's Global Pitch Competition

In 2023, Nastasi and Iannelli entered the CEO Global Pitch Competition in Tampa against more than 700 undergraduate entrepreneurs. They took first place and the $8,000 grand prize, becoming the youngest team to win and the first food and beverage company to take the top spot in 40 years of the competition.

The win did more than add funding. Within 30 days of the media coverage that followed, Bobica Bars generated roughly $10,000 in sales, all without a dollar spent on paid advertising. As Nastasi told Entrepreneur: "Enter the pitch competition circuit early. That's how we raised over $75,000 in non-dilutive funding and met the advisors who shaped the business. Free money, free feedback, free network. There is no better deal in early-stage entrepreneurship."

From $5,000 in Savings to $8,000 a Month

Nastasi and Iannelli launched Bobica with about $5,000 in personal savings, supplemented by a $4,000 grant from Rowan University's accelerator program. That early capital covered ingredients, packaging and equipment. They kept overhead minimal, stretching every dollar as far as it would go.

Today the company averages $8,000 in monthly revenue with retail partnerships coming online. The three-person team (Nastasi, Iannelli and COO Frank Kopaczewski) handles product development, operations, sales and growth themselves. Their first-year revenue target: $1 million.

Iannelli puts the work ethic plainly: "I carry my laptop everywhere because if an idea comes to mind or inspiration strikes, I want to act immediately."

	Make it real on day one. File the LLC. Design the logo. Get a prototype into someone's hands. Momentum compounds, and the sooner you start, the sooner you learn what works.
	Use pitch competitions as a growth engine. Bobica raised $75,000+ in non-dilutive funding through competitions alone. CEO's Global Pitch Competition is one of the best places to start.

	Build from a problem you understand. The best products come from personal experience. Nastasi didn't research the superfood market first. He watched his mom struggle with the options available to her.
	Expect the hard part to come after the win. Finding a co-manufacturer took the Bobica team three years. Competition wins open doors, but scaling production, managing operations and reducing costs is where the real work begins.