Nicole Williams and her company BSharp won the top prize of $2,500 at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) Undergraduate Startup Incubator End-of-Semester Pitch Competition on Dec. 8 at MERGE, Iowa City.

BSharp is a digital platform that combines gamification with music theory education.

Seven winners shared $5,000 in prize money. Runner-up was Jordan Walters and WALT ($1,000) and third place was Benjamin Hanks and Aurora SleepWatch ($500). WALT creates suppressors that attach to shotguns to combat hearing damage among hunters; Aurora SleepWatch is a sleep-monitoring watch and alarm system designed to wake the user at the optimal time in the sleep cycle.

The final four winners won $250 each — Eric Jungers and qSensor (fourth place), James Altschul and Will Schwartz of Heartland Pictures (fifth place), Sammi deNeui and The Purrrfect Cup (elevator pitch), and Aly Bishop and Speedy Schedules (elevator pitch).

About Iowa JPEC: Iowa JPEC fosters entrepreneurship and innovation across the state of Iowa by providing a range of educational and training programs and support services for entrepreneurial ventures and existing small-to-medium size businesses. Iowa JPEC is dedicated to nurturing the growth of new ventures and assisting them in reaching their full potential.