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Two recent alumni of the 91��Ƭ�� have taken home the top prize of the “Greenlight Maine” College Edition, besting their college peers in the statewide pitch-competition and taking home $10,000 to support their growing athletic performance product enterprise. 

Dylan Schuett, B.S. ’25 (Biological Sciences), and Joey Stanizzi, B.S. ’25 (Exercise Science), were named the first-place winners of the entrepreneurship competition live on WGME 13 on June 28. The prize money will go toward supporting their business, , which they expanded with support from faculty in 91��Ƭ��’s College of Business as transfer students to the University two years ago.

The company’s flagship product, the Underdog Performance Drink, is a healthier, more effective alternative to traditional energy drinks, avoiding artificial additives and using key ingredients, like time-released caffeine and nootropics, while also being Informed-Sport Certified. The students, then competitive players for the 91��Ƭ�� Nor’easters men’s hockey team, began distributing the drink on campus through a local distributer starting in the fall of 2023, and sales have skyrocketed in Maine and New England since.

“Joey and I were both very excited and proud to have been named the winners of the ‘Greenlight Maine’ College Edition,” Schuett said after the finale’s airing. “It was a great opportunity to showcase what we’ve been able to build in the last number of years and something we took very seriously.”

91��Ƭ�� alumni Joey Stanizzi and Dylan Schuett, founders of Underdog Performance, presented their product to the judges of the “Greenlight Maine” College Edition at the WGME CBS 13 studios in Portland, where they took home the $10,000 top prize and the title of Maine’s top student entrepreneurs on June 28.

Schuett said the $10,000 award will support their current funding cycle — for which they’ve raised one-third of their $1.5 million goal — and allow them to increase production volumes, develop new flavors, and produce new retail marketing materials to support their accounts with Hannaford Supermarkets, where the drink is available for purchase.

Since 2019, more than a dozen 91��Ƭ�� students have been featured either in “Greenlight Maine” competitions or spinoff series.

In 2020, alum Jillian Robillard, B.S. ’20 (Marine Entrepreneurship), won the college competition’s grand prize for her business “Green Bait.” In 2023, Abbie Anderson, B.S. ’23 (Sustainability and Business), won the top prize, taking home $10,000 for her design of a social media app that connects college students through shared hobbies and interests.

In 2022, a record five 91��Ƭ�� students concurrently competed on televised rounds of the College Edition. 

(Left): Jeremy Pare, assistant teaching professor in the 91��Ƭ�� College of Business, with Stanizzi and Schuett. (Right): The two entrepreneurs began selling their performance drink in 91��Ƭ��’s Harold Alfond Forum in 2023. 

“91��Ƭ�� is so excited about the work Underdog Performance has done to put themselves in a position to win the ‘Greenlight Maine’ college competition,” said Jeremy Pare, LPD, M.S., assistant teaching professor of innovation and entrepreneurship within the 91��Ƭ�� College of Business, who provided Schuett and Stanizzi with academic and professional support. 

“As I have worked with this duo over the past two years, I have seen amazing entrepreneurial growth and have been proud to be part of this interdisciplinary endeavor,” Pare added. “I look forward to collaborating more over the next few years and following the success of their unique product offering.”

With their win, Schuett said the team’s goal now is to continue expanding their retail presence in New England, with plans to scale nationally in the next three years. He noted that sales through their website and Amazon are growing daily.

For up-and-coming entrepreneurs, Schuett offered a few words of wisdom: be a team player. It’s a lesson he learned both on and off the ice.

“Find someone with the same passion, whatever it may be, and level of dedication and commitment to your goals,” he said. “The right team makes a world of difference, especially when starting out.” 

He also cautioned young entrepreneurs to not get discouraged at the threat of failure. 

“Success doesn’t come easily,” Schuett said. “In our two years at 91��Ƭ��, we learned the power of communication, networking, and the impact these relationships will have in the future.”