Venture School Launch Day
The University of Iowa’s John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center held its Venture School Launch Day finals virtually on Thursday, June 4 as part of EntreFEST. Consisting of two rounds, the event showcased the top 12 teams from the 2019/2020 year and advanced five of the strongest teams to the finals. The five startups had 6 minutes to pitch their businesses to a panel of judges who were then able to ask 4 minutes of questions. A total of $31,000 in cash prizes was awarded to these Venture School teams to help scale up their businesses.
Congratulations to all the finalists! A huge thank you to our judges:
Sue Katz, Founder, Amazing Cosmetics
Brad Downes, VP Finance, Boom Supersonic
Michelle Bates, Chief Innovation Officer, Involta
Brad Phillips, Managing Partner, Phillips Stafford Insurance Group
A special thanks to the Bates-Camblin Family for their additional award for innovative technology. The winner of this $1,000 award was ReEnvision Ag.
Venture School Summer 2020 Award Winning Teams
ReEnvision Ag | $10,000 | Developing a unique solution for farmers growing row crops to maximize yield and profit potential by planting seeds in a better, more precise way.
Dhakai | $7,500 | A premium marketplace for B2B service connecting South Asian textile and leather industries to the rest of the world.
Fisherman’s Edge | $2,500 | A personal watercraft that makes fishing from a personal watercraft more effective and enjoyable for a wider group of anglers.
Duck Duck Boom! | $1,500 | The brainchild of a duck hunter who was bored in a duck blind one day and started dreaming of a way to build a better duck-trap.
Planted. | $1,500 | A microgreen growing space offering plants, potting services, and consultations for homes and offices.
The Agenda. Period | $1,000 | A tool that helps women sync their business building activities with the different phases of the menstrual cycle for optimal productivity, ease, and joy.
Homeboxed | $1,000 | An online home decor company that curates home decor products that are shipped to your door to fit into your home with the change of seasons, holidays, and home trends.
RECUR | $1,000 | A digital platform designed to make wisdom last and create more connection to those who are sharing it.
Light Mynd | $1,000 | An SEL/emotional regulation software that includes VR/AR for K-12.
Joy Anthology | $1,000 | A new innovative guest capture platform, transforming your wedding guest experience into a beautiful canvas print keepsake.
Kidtastic Salon | $1,000 | A hair salon designed for cutting kids hair with plans to work with special needs children to help make haircut day a little easier on them.
DIBBS | $1,000 | An app and website allowing buyers to express interest in properties that are not yet for sale and for sellers to create demand for their home prior to listing.