Shea Brown and his business, BABL AI, that audits and certifies AI systems, won first place and $25,000 at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) Innovation Challenge Awards event April 18 at Black Box Theater in the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City, Iowa. BABL AI won in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division.
A total of $135,000 was given by Iowa JPEC in three divisions to support innovation across campus and beyond.
BABL AI employs certified independent auditors to ensure systems comply with the AI regulation landscape. Placing second and receiving $15,000 in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division was Daniel Infield and Halide Biologics, Inc. Halide is a research and development engineering firm. Third place and $10,000 went to Aaron Brake and APEX: AI Patient Experience. APEX is an advanced AI-driven platform poised to transform patient education in healthcare.
SeatStock, a company that safeguards clients when buying and selling student tickets, was the biggest winner in the undergraduate division. SteatStock placed first for Best Technology/High Growth and earned $10,000. First place in the alumni division went to Zachary Grasso and Pesche, earning $12,500. Pesche specializes in health-conscious mocktails catering to the lifestyle-oriented market.
A total of 29 startups won a cash prize at the Spring Innovation Challenge. Six winners in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division shared $60,000, 20 winners in the undergraduate division shared $50,000, and three winners in the alumni division shared $25,000.
Iowa JPEC is the hub for entrepreneurial education and outreach at the University of Iowa. It is committed to helping students, faculty, staff, and community members launch and grow businesses.
| Graduate/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup Awards | |||
| Place | Project | Name | Amount |
| First | BABL AI | Shea Brown | $25,000 |
| Second | Halide Biologics, Inc. | Daniel Infield | $15,000 |
| Third | APEX: AI Patient Experience | Aaron Brake | $10,000 |
| Fourth | NeuroPred, Inc. | Michal Brzus | $5,000 |
| Honorable Mention | OTC Helper | Marianne Said, Noor Alwaan | $2,500 |
| Honorable Mention | MedLung | Emmanuel Akor, Jumoke Aboderin | $2,500 |
| Undergraduate Awards | |||
| Best Technology/High Growth Business | |||
| First | SeatStock | Josh Cohen | $10,000 |
| Second | OneBuzz Network | Colin Speikers | $2,500 |
| Third | The Housing Market | Seif Gaber | $2,000 |
| Best Non-Technology | |||
| First | ModelMint | Craig Bantz | $5,000 |
| Best Retail Business | |||
| First | University Scooters | Tyler Persinger | $3,500 |
| Second | Face Totes by Olivia Miller | Olivia Miller | $2,500 |
| Third | Green Pocket Bags | Tatum Johnson | $1,000 |
| Best Social Impact | |||
| Refiller Me | EmmaJean Roling | $3,500 | |
| Best Lifestyle Business | |||
| WALT | Jordan Walters | $3,500 | |
| Local Impact | |||
| Heartland Pictures, LLC | James Altschul/Will Schwarz | $2,500 | |
| Judge's Choice | |||
| Casually Clipless | Braeden Harrell | $5,000 | |
| Special Mention | |||
| Solace Biotech, LLC | Keegan Fogarty | $1,000 | |
| Honorable Mention | |||
| UniLink | Lizzy Lohmann | $1,000 | |
| Aurora SleepWatch, LLC | Benjamin Harks | $1,000 | |
| Tres Leches Engineering | Janet Jonga | $1,000 | |
| The Abel Table, LLC | Xandra McGlasson | $1,000 | |
| Blue Collar Quality Workwear | Sam Smith | $1,000 | |
| Coasters4Cause | Idress Abdullahi | $1,000 | |
| Health Harmony | Lily Hintz | $1,000 | |
| Eloqua | Sophia Claus/Trisha Das | $1,000 | |
| Alumni Awards | |||
| First | Pesche | Zachary Grasso | $12,500 |
| Second | Iowa Biotech, LLC | Maruf Ahmed | $7,500 |
| Third | Presaj, Inc. | Jim Levett | $5,000 |
