Oklahoma college students showed their entrepreneurial skills in the 2014 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup business plan competition with nearly 50 teams submitting exciting new concepts across a wide range of industries.
By the time the winners cross the stage at the annual awards dinner on April 10, more than 150 college students will have gained a unique perspective into the challenges of starting a business and raising investment capital.
Each team competing in the High Growth division participated in an Interview process in late February with national experts who selected the top teams in each industry category. The Interview winners will each receive $1,000 cash prize.
The i2E Student Generated Interview Winner is Aerofusion, Oklahoma State University; the Oklahoma Business Roundtable Manufacturing, Material Sciences, and Transportation Interview winner is AeroHead, University of Tulsa; the AT&T IT/ Communications Interview Winner is Driven Analytics, University of Oklahoma; the Greater OKC Chamber Healthcare Interview Winner is Get People Moving, University of Central Oklahoma; and the OG&E Positive Energy and Environmental Interview Winner is WellBot, Oklahoma City University
Teams submitted their written plans earlier this month and judges selected 22 teams to advance to the oral presentation round. These teams will pitch their concepts on April 4-5 at the i2E, Inc., offices at the OU University Research Park in Oklahoma City. The winners of each division will be announced at an awards dinner.
High Growth Graduate Division
Aerofusion
Oklahoma State University
Team leader: Lee Easton; Team members: Trevor Hermosillo and Jacob Stockton
Faculty Advisor: Richard Gajan
Concept: Aerofusion uses unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and sensor technology to make the collection of data more cost effective for the agriculture, oil and gas and power distribution industries.
AeroHead
University of Tulsa
Team Leader: Philip McCoy; Team Members: Se Yeon Kim, Bryan Kinzer, Kristina Merkle, Gann Swan and Yang Zhao
Faculty Advisor: Steven Tipton
Concept: AeroHead has exclusive rights to manufacture and market special cartridges for an innovative golf putter that produces overspin on the ball, which increases the putting accuracy for recreational golfers.
Driven Analytics
University of Oklahoma
Team Leader: Stephen Soroosh; Team Members: Jake Elliott, Mitchell Walser and Rachel Webb
Faculty Advisor: Ron Bolen
Concept: Driven Analytics has developed a vehicle monitoring system that provides car owners with real-time data such as diagnostic information and maintenance reminders, along with relevant advertisements from area dealership service centers, automotive repair shops and parts retailers.
ERMOptimizer
University of Tulsa
Team Leader: Jingyi Yu; Team members: Min Liu, Ou Lu and Benjamin Perrault
Faculty Advisor: Claire Cornell
Concept: ERMOptimizer provides community banks with a fast and accessible web-based software solution to assess their exposure to risk. Using ERMOptimizer’s software, banking executives will be equipped to make better-informed decisions about bank activities and regulatory compliance.
Get People Moving
University of Central Oklahoma
Team Leader: Nathan Gardner; Team Members: Jeremiah Baker, Kimberly Cooley, Cuong Doan, Joseph Niles and Brody Tucker
Faculty Advisor: Maurice Haff
Concept: Get People Moving has developed a three-wheel all-terrain wheelchair to assist mobility challenged people such as amputees. The company’s personal mobility vehicle features two large wheels forward and one rear wheel, giving users the ability to traverse rough-terrain environments.
InspireVive
University of Tulsa
Team Leader: Abe Matamoros; Team Member: Jared King
Faculty Advisor: Charles Wood
Concept: InspireVive uses the viral marketing potential of social media to increase brand awareness and help not-for-profits raise level of knowledge awareness of vital issues through peer-to-peer promotion.
High Growth Undergraduate Division
Breathe Easy
Oklahoma City University
Team Leader: Nora Gnabasik; Team Members: Sam Lee, Eleanor Nason and Austin Schwinn
Faculty Advisor: Rob Perry
Concept: Breathe Easy has developed a digitized incentive spirometer that enables caretakers to track the use of the device by patients to improve functioning of the lungs and help avoid hospital acquired pneumonia.
CommuniCast Digital
Oklahoma City University
Team Leader: Aaron Golden; Team Members: Edgars Boitmanis, Brian Cash and Kristen Strickler
Faculty Advisor: Robert Greve
Concept: CommuniCast Digital provides an easy, Web-based service that creates layouts for digital signage, allowing customers to wirelessly stream customized content to any compatible hardware for display on video and television screens.
Inspire Ink
University of Oklahoma
Team Leader: Madeline Ratcliffe; Team Members: Andrew French, Eric Stevens and Zach VanMeter
Faculty Advisor: Craig Shimasaki
Concept: Inspire Ink offers a revolutionary tattoo ink and enzymatic removal system that is applied in the same fashion as existing ink and remains permanent until the user applies the topical removal cream.
Owlpal Healthcare
University of Tulsa
Team Leader: Jordy Albert; Team Member: MacKenzie Ward
Faculty Advisor: Claire Cornell
Concept: Owlpal is a proactive mobile health solution for diagnosing and monitoring asthma in children at night. The Owlpal product is a mobile application that uses the internal acoustic capabilities and internal computing power of an Android or iOS device to monitor wheezing and coughing rates within children as they sleep.
RoadWatch
University of Oklahoma
Team Leader: Ryan Phillips; Team Members: Andrew Tierney, Nick Ortiz, Drew Knox and Robert Byrd
Faculty Advisor: Susan Moring
Concept: RoadWatch analyses and presents weather information for the trucking industry to reduce the risks of weather-related accidents. The RoadWatch technology uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the precise severity and risk of weather conditions displayed in real time on computer monitors of dispatchers.
Thyrox Solutions
University of Oklahoma
Team Leader: Cassidy Schat; Team Members: Pauline Sacre, Daryn Singh and Ashley Tullius
Faculty Advisor: Craig Shimasaki
Concept: Thyrox Solutions is a medical device diagnostics company providing a point-of-care device, the ThyroMeter, to assist health care professionals in the diagnosis, treatment and management of common thyroid diseases such as hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism.
Valoshade
University of Tulsa
Team Leader: John Lestina; Team members: Eric Kuxhausen, Alexander Lach and Kimberly Poff
Faculty Advisor: John Hale
Concept: Valoshade has developed a self-adhesive electronic film that is applied to windows to control the amount of transmitted light. The innovative technology uses a smartphone app to allow users to control the amount of natural lighting allowed through a window.
WellBot
Oklahoma City University
Team Leader: Kate Adams; Team Member: Kaleb Smith
Faculty Advisor: Justin Briggs
Concept: WellBot is an automated system for the sampling, preparation and analysis of drilling mud output used at well sites by the energy industry. The WellBot technology is a bench-top unit that automatically samples, prepares, characterizes and analyzes drilling mud exiting a well site bore hole.
Small Business Division
Armor Haul
St. Gregory’s University
Team Leader: Dillon Klaus; Team Members: Nicholas Barrs, Elisabeth Bleoue and Michaela Roe
Faculty Advisor: Mayda Shorney
Concept: The ArmorHaul is a truck and trailer hauling cover that increases overall safety while transporting loose materials.
BC and K Consulting and Design
Northern Oklahoma College
Team Leader: Cassandra Coleman; Team Members: Kindra Beaumier and Rebecca Boyd
Faculty Advisor: Laura Marshall
Concept: BC and K Consulting is an interior design, marketing and public relations business that enables other areas businesses to have more eye appeal, marketing strategies and financial assistance.
Business Inventory Solutions
East Central University
Team Leader: Andrea Nuzzolillo; Team Member: Colton Nohelty
Faculty Advisor: Stacey Bolin
Concept: Business Inventory Solutions is an automated inventory tracking service that will work with various mobile point-of-sale systems for small businesses.
LockWall
East Central University
Team Leader: Brandon Holt; Team Members: Sara Folsom, Cameron King and Chase Sheffield
Faculty Advisor: Stacey Bolin
Concept: Lockwall is a unique composite panel system designed with strength and versatility, providing superior lateral support that is ideal for multilevel facilities.
NEO 2014
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
Team Leader: Kyla Guinn; Team Members: David Stephens and Kongmeng Xiong
Faculty Advisor: Brenda Lucas
Concept: NEO 2014 is bringing back an historic hamburger restaurant called Dairy Ranch 66 with an all new “green” solar facility on Route 66 near the Buffalo Ranch.
ONE Decor
St. Gregory’s University
Team Leader: Chanel Edwards; Team Members: Joy N’diaye and Aminadou Ouattara
Faculty Advor: Mayda Shorney
Concept:The Alpha Décor Box is a novel decorative gift product with a “puzzle” aspect that is composed of a two-sided box in which identical letters fit together.
TargetLite
St. Gregory’s University
Team Leader: Felix Caceres; Team Members: Alex Knoan, Stacy Lee and Kalie Lucas
Faculty Advisor: Mayda Shorney
Concept: TargetLite is a light source designed to be small and lightweight, allowing hands-free capabilities when using different everyday tools.
X-Pert Shot
Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City
Team Leader: Shane Barlow; Team Members: Jennifer Bradley, Amanda Sandoval, Mayra Tello and Mario Young
Faculty Advisor: Amber Hefner
Concept: X-Pert Shot is an outdoor shooting sports and training facility that will offer membership services to shooting sports enthusiasts and skilled professionals.
