University of Iowa student businesses Actively (Idea Stage) and PTXtension (Startup Growth Stage) won first-place awards and $1,000 each at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) End-of-Semester Pitch Competition on Dec. 10 in Pomerantz Career Center.

FBB: Biomed, a company that has developed a blood test to screen for neurologic diseases, took home a $20,000 first place award in the Innovation Challenge graduate/faculty technology division at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center award’s event Nov. 17 at MERGE in Iowa City, Iowa. 

Kimm Harris is one of many women thriving within Iowa JPEC whose accomplishments will be celebrated during Women Entrepreneurship Week from Nov. 8-14.

What began as stress relief is evolving into a career for University of Iowa junior Ava Reynolds, founder of Beets n Treats, a vegan café and bakery.

Nicole Relias helped develop Skunk Aid, an all-in-one de-skunking kit that provides pet owners with everything needed to safely and effectively remove skunk oil from their dog.

OpenLoop, a web-based platform to streamline hiring clinicians to work at different hospital systems, was named Startup Technology Company of the Year as part of the Prometheus Awards presentation on Nov. 4 by the Technology Association of Iowa (TAI). The company was co-founded by University of Iowa graduate Jon Lensing.

The University of Iowa and Education For Employment (EFE) have launched a one-year project to train Saudi women from the western region on entrepreneurship skills in emerging sectors like information technology, real estate, and e-commerce.

Future Scope, a hands-on career guidance program, won first place and $1,000 at the Startup Games pitch competition Oct. 24 at Hilton Garden Inn in Iowa City, Iowa.

After watching his parents toil on the farm for nearly a decade, Atem Ernest Lefu was confused by the end result. His parents were hard workers and they had little difficulty selling their produce. But even then, there was no money left to pay Atem’s school fees. “I kept asking the question, why do farmers work so hard, yet they are still very poor?” Atem said.

Twenty dollars doesn’t go far in the 2020s, but two University of Iowa entrepreneurs are turning that original investment into a substantial donation to the Stead Family Children’s Hospital.