Andie Piliouras ’26 stars in televised student business competition
The College of the Atlantic senior is competing for more than $20,000 to help grow her health-focused dog treat business.
Andie Piliouras ’26 impressed the judge’s panel with a pitch for her health-conscious dog treat business, Buoy and Biscuit, on the second episode of the 11th season of Greenlight Maine College Edition.
“We are loving our dogs to death,” Piliouras said in her pitch, explaining that dog treats, often used for bonding with and training pet dogs, can lead to obesity and health problems.
According to Piliouris, 60 percent of dogs in the US are obese, but it doesn’t have to be that way. She’s crafted a dozen dog treat recipes from all natural, low calorie ingredients that dogs still love, using the pre-veterinary skills that she’s learned through her self-directed education at College of the Atlantic. She’s been testing her product with the dogs of COA students and plans to expand to farmers markets and potentially online sales. She also wants to expand her market into treats for dogs with illness and allergies.
The judges were impressed by the pitch, saying that she had an amazing grasp of animal nutrition and that her business was clearly identifying and solving a real problem. She’s hoping her knowledge of these important concepts wins over the judges and earns her a spot in the finals, where she would compete against three other winning pitches from this season to win more than $20,000 to help grow her business.
If she wins, Piliouris said, she wants to use the prize money to test out new recipes and ingredients, as well as to cover license and permit fees to start selling her biscuits in earnest.
The Greenlight Maine: College Edition finals air on June 20 and 21.
To order from Buoy and Biscuit, email Andie at Buoy&Biscuit@gmail.com.
Greenlight Maine is a televised business pitch competition and economic development initiative that showcases innovative Maine entrepreneurs. Often called “Maine’s version of Shark Tank,” it features contestants pitching to judges for cash prizes, including a College Edition and Elevating Voices series aimed at fostering business growth, mentorship, and economic development in Maine.