CourtesyAfter four months of dedication, six teams made it to the final round of the Shocker New Venture Competition on Friday, April 28, at Wichita State's University main campus. Hosted by WSU's Center for Entrepreneurship, the competition served as an opportunity for college students from across the state, from several different majors, to take key steps in developing and launching a new business venture.
Winners were:
- 1st place: Pinole Blue; Levi Iseman and Eddie Sandeval
- 2nd place: Eyas; Tyler O'Briant and Sam Rozell
- 3rd place: Mobile Car Tune; Jocelyn Galicia and Ernesto Cisneros
- 4th place: Vytal; Jared Goering and Spencer Steinert
- People's Choice Award: Pinole Blue
- Directors Award for Trade Show Excellence: Mobile Car Tune
- Healthcare Innovation Award: Vytal
Pinole Blue distributes pinole, an ingredient made of roasted ground maize (corn) with spices, which has been passed down by tribes since the time of the Aztecs. Pinole is popular throughout all Latin America and can be added to smoothies, milk, cooked recipes or warm beverages. It can be used as a healthier and more nutritional alternative for endurance athletes.
Eyas will provide the first advanced police support multirotor drone on the market. It will provide dual functionality both as a reconnaissance and a documentation tool, enhancing police officers' ability to more fully understand situations they face.
Mobile Car Tune is a web-based, on-site mobile mechanic service provider. It specializes in brake pad replacements, oil changes and other basic automotive maintenance. Within 60 seconds, car owners can have an appointment booked while in the comfort of their own home or office. A mobile mechanic will arrive at the specified destination at the appointment time to service the car.
Vytal is a doorway to a new way of training that can enhance performance based on quantitative metrics. This will take advanced, expensive and complex tools used by professional athletes and bring them to other competitors striving for an edge.
The entire competition was a tight race as teams pitched their ideas to a variety of judges and audiences. To start the competition, an application and a three-minute video was submitted. A selection board reviewed the videos and invited 32 teams to compete. Those teams continued to refine their ideas through a 10-page business plan they then submitted.
Judges from within the business community reviewed the various teams' plans and made their assessment. Of those that were reviewed, only 16 teams were able to make it to the next round, the Trade Show.
At the Trade Show teams were allowed to impress the judges with any display, prototypes and presentation they had prepared.
Among the judges were some of the sponsors for this year's competition, which include Foulston Siefkin, IMA Financial, INTRUST Bank, High Touch Technologies, Lubrication Engineers, NetWork Kansas, R.D. Henry & Co., Riverside Health Foundation, Viaan Electronic, WSU Ventures and Kansas Department of Commerce.