Hersey grad’s floating phone case wins Dominican University business competition

A Hersey High School graduate earned $10,000 in a Dominican University business competition for a concept he is floating to prevent mobile phones from plunging to a watery grave.

Joshua Ogiba of Mount Prospect, a senior at the coeducational Catholic university, which has campuses in River Forest and Chicago, captured first place in the Launchpad 2026 Business Pitch Competition.

Ogiba’s product is a floating, waterproof phone case called Foamey. It is designed to protect mobile phones from accidentally sinking into pools, lakes and other bodies of water.

He plans to roll out two versions: the Foamey Case, a complete waterproof case with a built-in foam flotation panel; and the Foamey Float, a detachable magnetic panel that snaps onto any existing phone case.

“I took the concept of a life jacket and replicated it to make a phone case that floats,” he said, explaining that he took his own mishap in high school and turned that into a positive.

The Launchpad Business Pitch Competition is a “Shark Tank” style event held annually at the university. Students present original business plans to a panel of judges, seeking to earn financial awards through the university’s Entrepreneur Launchpad Fund.

Ogiba said the funds will help cover the cost of applying for a patent, outsourcing materials to build the cases and flotation panels and manufacturing his products. He hopes to sell them on a website, on TikTok and through in-person events.

“Creating a business requires so many little details you don’t initially think of,” he said. “Having mentors, especially my professors and the ELF mentor assigned to me, were a huge help because I got an outside perspective pointing out the little details I may not have come up with or seen myself.”

“The ELF Launchpad Fund is proof that when donors invest in students, extraordinary things happen,” said Anne Drougas, associate dean of the College of Business, Information Studies, and Technology.