College Sophomore Wins $10K for Toy ID App Idea

Camden Johnson turned years of hunting for rare action figures and comic books into a winning business idea that could change how collectors shop.

The Furman University sophomore took home $10,000 at the school's Rinker Paladin Pitch Competition on April 16 for Toy Aisle, an app that identifies any toy ever made with just a photo. Johnson already runs a successful eBay business buying and selling vintage collectibles, but he saw a gap: collectors waste hours searching for specific items across dozens of websites and garage sales.

Toy Aisle solves that by connecting buyers directly with sellers who have exactly what they want. Snap a picture of that 1985 Transformers figure you've been hunting, and the app finds it.

The Shark Tank-style event at Timmons Arena brought together four student finalists pitching to a panel of judges that included two Furman alumni entrepreneurs and last year's winner. Fellow sophomore Long Nguyen finished second with ScholarVerse, an AI-powered platform where K-12 students learn through games and role-playing as scientists and engineers instead of traditional lectures.

First-year student Lola Dixon pitched Wear Share, a platform letting college students buy, trade, or borrow clothes from each other to cut costs and reduce waste. Jacob Hanson, a freshman football player, presented The Scholarship Speed System, a training program helping high school athletes get faster and stronger for college recruiting.

Before the main event, ten students sold their own products at The Dins Student Marketplace, offering everything from handmade coasters to energy gum. The competition kicked off Furman Engaged, a campus-wide celebration of hands-on learning and real-world problem solving.

The Ripple Effect

These student ventures tackle real frustrations people face every day, from expensive wardrobes to broken education systems. Johnson's win shows that paying attention to problems in your own hobbies can lead to solutions others need too.

His years sorting through toy bins and online listings gave him expertise most app developers don't have. Nguyen's reimagining of how kids learn could make school genuinely fun for students who struggle with textbooks. Dixon's clothing platform could help cash-strapped college students afford variety without filling landfills.

The $10,000 prize gives Johnson real runway to build out Toy Aisle's photo recognition technology and test it with collectors. For a student already managing inventory and shipping for his eBay business, turning that hustle into scalable software is the natural next step.

These four students proved that age doesn't limit innovation when you're solving problems you actually understand.