S5G Therapeutics, a startup comprised of experts in clinical and translational medicine, biomedical research, pharmaceutical sciences, and business development in the ocular therapeutics space, was awarded first place and $50,000 in the Graduate/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup division of Innovation Challenge on April 30 at a reception at MERGE, Iowa City.

The competition is hosted by the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC).

S5G Therapeutics is a familiar name among Innovation Challenge winners, having also placed first and receiving $25,000 in the Spring of 2022.

A total of $132,500 was awarded to nine Innovation Challenge winners. Placing second and winning $25,000 in the Graduate/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup division was Cellular Engineering Technologies (CET). CET develops research tools for stem cell applications that ultimately will lower the cost of developing next-generation cell therapies.

Four people in the Undergraduate division shared $27,500. Winning first prize and $10,000 in the Undergraduate Division was Keegan Fogarty from the College of Engineering with General Robotics. His company provides a bridge between small companies and industrial automation, providing solutions that simplify assembly line management. Placing second and winning $7,500 was Allen Wolf and Liam Stamper from the College of Engineering with LAMP, and AI-powered GitHub application that automates pull request reviews for software development teams.  

There were two $5,000 third-place winners in the Undergraduate division: Craig Bantz from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with ZIA Defense Systems, and Tyler Graham from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences with Archaneon. Graham also won $5,000 when Archaneon was named Best Consumer Project at the Fall Innovation Challenge in November.

Fourteen undergraduates pitched April 28 in the Bedell Entrepreneurship Learning Laboratory and seven pitched in the Graduate/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup division April 29 in the Pappajohn Business Building. There were 13 alumni online submissions.

Alisa Drapeaux of TRI Medical, received the $15,000 first prize for the Alumni division. Drapeaux created a device that allows students to practice spine assessment and manual therapy techniques on a simulation device to get feedback before they put their hands on a patient.

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.