IOWA CITY, IOWA (November 1, 2019) — University of Iowa students were recently singled out for "bringing ideas to life" as members of teams competing in the annual Iowa Startup Games, an activity of the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
The Iowa Startup Games is a three-day event where students from all areas of study pitch their ideas to have an impact. After a student pitches, teams are formed and work together to bring the best ideas to life. By the end of the third day, each team will have had the opportunity to make their four-minute pitch to a group of panelists for a chance to win cash prizes.
The Iowa Startup Games is a three-day event where students from all areas of study pitch their ideas to have an impact. After a student pitches, teams are formed and work together to bring the best ideas to life. By the end of the third day, each team will have had the opportunity to make their four-minute pitch to a group of panelists for a chance to win cash prizes.
Participating students learn problem-solving skills, have the opportunity to grow their business contacts and hone their networking skills by meeting members of the Iowa City community, and begin to think like a creative entrepreneur. Participants who are a full-time registered UI student earn one credit hour.
The top three teams as selected by the judges received cash prizes. Teams were also honored as the "Judge's Choice" (selected by the judges) and the "People's Choice" (selected by the audience).
Local participants include:
AJ Smith of Davenport, IA (52806)
Zoe Purcell of Davenport, IA (52804)
Caleb Good of Le Claire, IA (52753)
Below is a summary of the winning teams with the student's majors and hometown
2019 Iowa Startup Games
1st Place ($2,000)
Assistance Tech — Passive RFIC bracelet key for assisted living communites
- Myles Hebets (Health Science Entrepreneurial BA, Cedar Rapids, IA)
- Zach Combs (Enginnering, Newton, IA)
- Michael Westphal (Human Physiology, Urbandale, IA)
- John Tian (Enterprise Leadership, Bloomington, IL)
- Kyle Lastine (Computer Science and Engineering, Urbandale, IL)
2nd Place ($1,000)
Of Kings and Queens — Connect multicultural fashion designers to multicultural student organization
- Elizabeth Dix (Business Direct Admit, Shell Rock, IA
- Ayotoluwafunwi Ogunwasi (Journalism and Mass Communication, Grayson, Ga)
- Jashan Gill (Pre Business, Oakbrook, IL)
- Fansheng He (Enterprise Leadership, Anhui, China)
Third Place ($750) and People's Choice Award ($500)
Get to Know Me — Platform reducing frustration with the beginning sessions of therapy
- Mckenzie Paulsen (Communication Studie, West Des Moines, IA)
- Souhit Varre (Enterprise Leadership, India)
- Jacob Jones (Psychology, Council Bluffs, IA)
- Karter Donahue (Business Direct Admit, Cedar Rapids, IA)
- Sean Diehl (Enterprise Leadership, Orland Park, IL )
Judges Choice ($500.00)
Bee-A -Keeper — Online subscription service that enables people to do something about the disappearing bee phenomenon
- Anthony Gamino (Enterprise Leadershi, Addison, IL)
- Brock Miller (Organizational Studies, Monmouth, IL)
- Daniel Lunde ( Enterprise Leadership, Des Moines, IA)
Other Teams of Note by Category
Custom Discovery Award — Five Friendly Neighbors
- Brian Miller (Enterprise Leadership, Pittsford, NY)
- Michael Simon (Business Direct Admit, Northbrook, IL)
- Anibal Mares Marquez (Accounting, Rock Valley, IA)
- AJ Smith (Business Direct Admit, Davenport, IA)
- Zach Bodensteiner (Professional MBA Program, North Liberty, IA)
Marketing Award — Context
- Jenny Trom (Enterprise Leadership, Cumming, IA)
- Jude Aboagye (Enterprise Leadership, Ankeny, IA)
- Stewart Knights (Business, Manchester, UK)
- Goobin Kim (Economics, Iowa City, IA)
- Zoe Purcell (Environmental Policy and Planning, Davenport, IA)
Minimum viable Product — HuRa Shades
- Caleb Good (Enterprise Leadership, LeClaire, IA)
- Thomas Hurley (Enterprise Leadership, Chicago, IL)
- Josh Kasch (Enterprise Leadership, Fox River Grove, IL)
- Payton Roberts (Enterprise Leadership, Pleasant Hill, IA)
Pre-order/Sales Award — Context
- Jenny Trom (Enterprise Leadership, Cumming, IA)
- Jude Aboagye (Enterprise Leadership, Ankeny, IA)
- Stewart Knights (Business, Manchester, UK)
- Goobin Kim (Economics, Iowa City, IA)
- Zoe Purcell (Environmental Policy and Planning, Davenport, IA)
Pivot Award — Bee-A-Keeper
- Anthony Gamino (Enterprise Leadershi, Addison, IL)
- Brock Miller (Organizational Studies, Monmouth, IL)
- Daniel Lunde ( Enterprise Leadership, Des Moines, IA)
Most Committed Team — Assistance Tech
- Myles Hebets (Health Science Entrepreneurial BA, Cedar Rapids, IA)
- Zach Combs (Enginnering, Newton, IA)
- Michael Westphal (Human Physiology, Urbandale, IA)
- John Tian (Enterprise Leadership, Bloomington, IL)
- Kyle Lastine (Computer Science and Engineering, Urbandale, IL)
Iteration Award — Track My Tummy
- Leila Gessner (Grad Nondepartmental, Iowa City, IA)
- Emilio Ayala (Linguistics, Laredo, TX)
- Sydney Clarkin (Biology, Shawnee, KS)
- Jake Nolan (Industrial Engineering, Alsip, IL)
- Farhan Syed (Finance, Broken Arrow, OK)
- Eriq Wolfe (Music, Sidney, IA)
Customer Standout Discovery — Of Kings and Queens
- Elizabeth Dix (Business Direct Admit, Shell Rock, IA
- Ayotoluwafunwi Ogunwasi (Journalism and Mass Communication, Grayson, Ga)
- Jashan Gill (Pre Business, Oakbrook, IL)
- Fansheng He (Enterprise Leadership, Anhui, China)
About the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC)
The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) is the hub for entrepreneurship education and outreach at the University of Iowa. Trough a generous gift from John and Mary Pappajohn, the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center at University of Iowa was established in 1996. As a part of the Tippie College of Business, Iowa JPEC has grown its influence in the entrepreneurial community and inspired thousands of entrepreneurs to start a business in Iowa. Today, we're committed to helping every entrepreneur, no matter their level of expertise, to start something great.
About the University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is one of the nation's premier public-research universities, dedicated to academic excellence, groundbreaking discoveries and creations, commitment to Iowa and the world, and a culture that prizes community, diversity, and opportunity.
The UI is known around the world for its leadership in the arts, sciences, and humanities. It is home to the first and best creative-writing program in the world, a world-class academic medical center and one of America's top teaching hospitals, and a can-do culture that fosters a campus-wide dedication to student success.
To learn more about the University of Iowa, visit https://uiowa.edu/.