Winners of Eighth Annual Entrepreneurial Challenge Announced
April 28, 2017
Five winners of the eighth annual University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge received a total of $50,000 in prize money during the final competition on Friday at the University Center.
First place went to Stow ($25,000), a Windsor online community and marketplace for storage and parking; second place was Lacuna Diagnostics ($13,000), a Fort Collins service to help save pets' lives; third place was Class Composer ($7,000), a Boulder web-based software service that helps elementary schools create better class lists in significantly less time; fourth place was EZ Protein ($2,500), a Pueblo company that offers an innovative protein dispenser; and fifth place was To Market ($2,500), an Arvada startup that offers an online marketplace for sourcing local food.
In addition to the prize money, winners receive business incubator services from UNC BizHub. Also, the four runners-up will receive a print and digital subscription to BizWest and the winner will receive a subscription plus access to BizWest's data.
Five finalists presented their business plans to a panel of three judges including George Lobisser, co-founder and CEO, RipeLocker LLC and partner, Maliky Capital LLC; Tyler Richardson, co-owner, Richmark Holdings Inc.; and Ross Shell, founder & CEO, Red Idea Partners. The host for this year's event was Jeff Nuttall, principal, BizWest Media.
In addition to the winners being announced, downtown Greeley business entrepreneur Ryan Gentry received the 2017 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award, which honors an entrepreneur who exemplifies the spirit of American enterprise and the drive to succeed. This is the first year the award has been given. "Gentry exemplifies the best of our young entrepreneurs who focus on creating value and ethical business practices," said UNC Professor David Thomas.
About the Winners
- Stow, based in Windsor, offers an online community and marketplace for storage and parking, allowing users with extra storage space to make extra income by listing it on the Stow platform. Stow helps connect those who have storage space with those that need space while providing extra income to everyday people. "We are so excited about what this prize money can do for Stow to help us grow our business and serve our clients," commented Devin Eldridge. "We are grateful to UNC for the opportunity to compete and we believe we can have a big impact on the economy in Colorado."
- Lacuna Diagnostics, from Fort Collins, promises to save pets lives by dramatically reducing diagnostic
turnaround time by creating and sharing digital images rather than relying on shipments
of physical microscope slides.
Class Composer is a Boulder web-based software service that helps elementary schools create better class lists in significantly less time. The software enables school staff to feel confident about creating balanced and effective classes in less time.
- Class Composer is a Boulder web-based software service that helps elementary schools create better class lists in significantly less time. The software enables school staff to feel confident about creating balanced and effective classes in less time.
- EZ Protein, is a Pueblo startup with an innovative protein dispenser for ultimate convenience that stores up to three different types of protein powders or other supplements, water, and has a simple, intuitive touchscreen user interface.
- To Market is an Arvada based startup with an online marketplace for sourcing local food, bringing efficiencies previously missing to the local buying and selling process of high quality foods supporting high quality restaurant experiences. To Market creates a tool for farmers to maximize their time, yields, and earnings while getting the best chefs the best quality products.
Generous partners and supporters of the Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge include UNC BizHub Collaborative, BizWest, and Colorado Lending Source.
For more information about the competition, visit www.mcb-echallenge.com.
