AMES, Iowa — NeuroPred, a Coralville-based company spun out of the University of Iowa, took first place and $40,000 at the 21st John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Venture Competition on Aug. 19 at Iowa State University.
More than 60 teams submitted entries to this year’s competition, with 11 advancing through two rounds of judging to compete in the final presentation round.
Following the final presentations, a panel of judges selected the competition’s top three teams:
NeuroPred (Michal Brzus, PhD – CEO and CTO), which has won the Innovation Challenge and AI Challenge through the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC), is building the first AI-powered tool to predict post-stroke outcomes directly from brain MRI. The platform is pursuing an FDA 510(k) pathway and is built on research from the Iowa Neurological Patient Registry. Beyond stroke, the technology extends to traumatic brain injury, tumor, and epilepsy populations—a platform for predictive neurology across the full spectrum of brain injury.
“We were looking forward to returning to the Pappajohn competition after first coming with an idea, this time with a working clinical platform ready for commercialization,” said Brzus. “This outcome validates the progress the team has made and reinforces our commitment to improving life after stroke.”
NarrateAR/Ama AI (Karri Haen Whitmer – Co-Founder and CEO | Chris Whitmer – Co-Founder and CTO) came in second place and won $25,000. NarrateAR, Inc. (dba Ama AI) is a technology company creating personalized AI support for autistic children and their families by helping children communicate, learn, manage daily routines, and become more independent.
Charlie Golf (Tyler Johnson – Founder and CEO) received third place and $15,000. Charlie Golf Co. is a children’s golf brand that focuses on golf bags and club sets for 2–8-year-old children.
An additional $20,000 was awarded to three companies that received honorable mention. The award recipients include Koos Medical Innovations (Dr. Maggie Koos, $10,000), Stock Cropper (Zack Smith, $5,000) and Steer Clear Mirrors (Courtney McClellan and Mike Flynn, $5,000).
Since 2006, the John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition, supported by the Iowa Economic Development Authority, has invested $1.4 million into participating businesses. The event is a collaborative effort led by the Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers at the University of Iowa, Drake University, North Iowa Area Community College, Iowa State University, and the University of Northern Iowa. The John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Centers are celebrating 30 years of supporting entrepreneurs this year.
For more information about the competition, visit HERE.
Read about the 2025 winners HERE.
Read about the 2024 winners HERE.
