For Maurice Manswell, who graduated this past December with a B.S.Ed. in sport administration, the opportunity to participate in a marketing competition that aims to revolutionize hockey’s future—and whose first round was hosted this fall by the University of Miami Patti and Allan Herbert Business School—was “a no-brainer.”
Not only did Manswell and his team of 20 designers, specialists, and interns—all University of Miami students—win that opening round, they advanced to compete in the final round that took place last week at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando. The winning formula earned mentorship from National Hockey League and ESPN executives as well as a potentially lucrative entryway into the sport.
For the competition in Orlando, Manswell sent team members, as he was attending the Sports Licensing and Tailgate Show in Las Vegas over the weekend, another huge event for his brand.
“We didn’t win, but the team had a great experience and learned a lot. This was their first pitch, and there were some late changes to the guidelines that complicated their presentation,” said Manswell.
“To get so far in the competition was a huge win for us,” he added.
In October, EllenMarie McPhillip, associate dean for Undergraduate Academic Services at the School of Education and Human Development Sport Administration, emailed Manswell alerting him of the 2026 NHL Hockey Innovation Competition and urging him to apply. To identify the most promising concepts to represent the University on this national stage, the business school and the SEHD program had designed a competitive vetting process.
Manswell scheduled a strategy call with McPhillip; vice dean Soyeon Ahn; assistant professor Youngho Park with SEHD; and Danay Morales, an assistant dean with the business school, who all offered their insight for pitching at the competition. Manswell knew he held an ace: He was the founder and CEO of an operating company—Varsity Gripz—with a product line ideally suited for the competition.
“Our tagline is game and style—we make acesssories and products for any fan that has a PlayStation or Xbox and allow them to put them on their controller and console,” Manswell explained, describing Gripz as “a kind of phone case for your Xbox.”
He’d launched Varsity Gripz in July 2024 and managed to secure licenses with the University of Alabama and Pennsylvania State University. In April 2025, while visiting a high school friend and hosting a gaming event at Penn State, he had a serendipitous encounter with a stranger who, after a 10-minute conversation in which Manswell explained his product, agreed to meet in Miami to learn more. At their Miami meeting, he signed on as an enthusiastic preseed investor, and the financial support ignited new sales.
Manswell grew up in northern Maryland and enjoyed playing football as a kid—until he suffered “a big asthma episode,” which so scared his mother that she put an end to his participation in the sport. His best friend suggested he give lacross, a popular sport in the area, a try.
“I fell in love with it. We had a big backyard, and I set up a goal and played and played,” he remembered. His high school team won the state championship, and in 2019 Manswell transferred to the IMG Academy, a sports training facility and college prep boarding school in Bradenton, Florida, to enhance his skills. When COVID-19 hit, everyone was sent home and Manswell was left to graduate online.
He played lacross while attending Lynn University in Boca Raton for a year, then took a gap year to focus on developing his start-up. He applied to University of Miami and, when accepted, transferred here in August 2022.
While pursuing his degree, he continued to hone his startup idea and then launched it in 2024. The idea took off quickly, and Manswell realized he needed help.
Augustine Nelson, a lecturer in the business school and who had been “a great mentor” from the get-go, invited Manswell to speak with his economics class about his product. Seven students immediately expressed their interest and, after being interviewed, were added to the team, which has continued to grow and, to date, has generated nearly half a million dollars in revenue, according to Manswell.
Varsity Gripz won first place in the business school competition, which earned a bid to nationals. They pitched again to the NHL team on a Zoom call in December, and just before the holidays, Manswell got the email that his team had made the finals in Orlando.
“Ours is a product and idea that they hadn’t seen before, driving engagement and revenues,” Manswell explained. “We’re catering to a large range of people—could be a 6-year-old or a 35-year-old Panthers fan who has Xbox. Our traction as a company stood out as well. We’re a real functioning brand and already have 50-plus licenses.”
Manswell noted that while the product has focused mainly on NCAA universities, he recently acquired a license with the U.S. Army and is looking to expand with other military branches. The next phase will be to expand into pro leagues such as the NHL, the NFL, and the NBA.
“It was so cool that the competition was the last event I participated in as a Cane student and the fact that we won first place was super special,” Manswell said. “For the past year and a half, along with my studies, I’ve just put my head down and tried to work and grow the company. I’ve been traveling and taking calls and at times l’ve been so overwhelmed and stressed out.
“Everybody that has known about the company at UM has helped me so much—especially Dean McPhillip and other teachers in the sport administration department. They’ve been nothing short of amazing resources as mentors,” he said. “For me, just learning about myself and becoming a founder and CEO while also being a student has been a super special experience,” he said.
Regardless the outcome in Orlando, Manswell is glad he made the decision to attend the conference in Las Vegas over the weekend.
“As the founder I want to be everywhere at once but can’t. Still, I’m so proud of my team and glad for their experience,” he said.
“The biggest stores and brands were all there in Vegas, and we made some amazing connections,” he added. “There’s lots of exciting stuff in the pipeline—it’s going to be a big year ahead.”
