University of Tulsa teams sweep High Growth Divisions, OSU-OKC wins Small Business
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Concepts proposing an innovative putter for golfers, an alarm for parents of children suffering from asthma and a mammoth shooting sports range all were recognized Thursday as top business plans presented in the 10th annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup competition for Oklahoma college students.
For the second consecutive year, a team from Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City was named first place winner in the Small Business Division, while University of Tulsa teams also swept first place in both High Growth Division categories for a second consecutive year.
The top three teams in the Small Business and High Growth Graduate and Undergraduate Divisions were revealed in a gala awards dinner at the Bricktown Events Center in Oklahoma City. Oklahoma State Treasurer Ken Miller presented trophies to the winners and addressed the audience of nearly 500 community leaders, academia and entrepreneurs.
The Governor’s Cup requires student teams to identify a concept, research the market, write a business plan and present it before a panel of judges. Winners emerged from two days of oral competition last week at the Oklahoma City offices of i2E, Inc., which manages the event.
Team X-Pert Shot from OSU-OKC claimed $10,000 as Small Business Division first place winner with a business plan that proposed a large shooting sports complex and training center. X-Pert Shot team leader was Shane Barlow, and team members were Jennifer Bradley, Amanda Sandoval, Mayra Tello and Mario Young. Faculty advisor was Amber Hefner.
The Small Business Division was limited to teams from Oklahoma’s 2-year, regional or private universities. Students could write business plans around any business concept as long as it was unique or innovative.
Also for the second consecutive year, both first place teams in the High Growth divisions were from the University of Tulsa, with each winning a $20,000 cash prize.
Top winner in the High Growth Graduate Division was AeroHead from the University of Tulsa, which wrote a business plan around an innovative putter and bladed cartridge, which is inserted into the head of the club to create overspin on a golf ball for increased accuracy when putting.
AeroHead team leader was Philip McCoy, and team members were Se Yeon Kim, Bryan Kinzer, Kristina Merkle, Gann Swan and Yang Zhao. Faculty advisor was Steven Tipton.
In the High Growth Undergraduate Division, Owlpal Healthcare from TU claimed first place with a technology for diagnosing and monitoring asthma in children at night.
Owlpal Healthcare team leader was Jordy Albert, and team member was MacKenzie Ward. Claire Cornell was faculty advisor.
High Growth Division teams were required to write and present business plans around concepts that show the potential for rapid job and revenue growth.
Second place teams and prize money in each division were: Small Business, LockWall, East Central University, $8,000; High Growth Graduate, Driven Analytics, University of Oklahoma, $10,000; and High Growth Undergraduate, Valoshade, University of Tulsa, $10,000.
Third place teams and prize money in each division were: Small Business, NEO 2014, Northeastern Oklahoma College, $4,000; High Growth Graduate, Aerofusion, Oklahoma State University, $5,000; and RoadWatch, University of Oklahoma, High Growth Undergraduate, $5,000.
Three students were awarded $1,000 each for delivering winning pitches during the oral presentations. Winners from each division were: Small Business, Chase Sheffield, LockWall, East Central University; High Growth Graduate, Philip McCoy, AeroHead, University of Tulsa; and High Growth Undergraduate, Zach VanMeter, Inspire Ink, University of Oklahoma.
Also recognized at the Awards dinner were three winners of $5,000 Oklahoma Business Roundtable Paulsen Award scholarships. The recipients were: Small Business, Samantha Slater, Rogers State University; High Growth Graduate, Michael Walser, University of Oklahoma; and High Growth Undergraduate, MacKenzie Ward, University of Tulsa.
High Growth Division teams also participated in a one-on-one Interview with national industry experts in the field of their particular concept. The experts selected the team in each field in which students displayed knowledge of their concept, market and displayed competency across the team. Winning Interview teams earned $1,000 each.
Interview category winners were: AT&T IT/Communications Category, Driven Analytics, University of Oklahoma; Greater Oklahoma City Chamber Healthcare Category, Get People Moving, University of Central Oklahoma; i2E Student Generated Category, AeroFusion, Oklahoma State University; OG&E Positive Energy and Environmental Category, WellBot, Oklahoma City University; and Oklahoma Business Roundtable Manufacturing, Material Sciences and Transportation Category, AeroHead, University of Tulsa.
The top two teams in the High Growth Graduate and Undergraduate divisions advance to compete for more than $118,000 against teams from Arkansas and Nevada in the Tri-State Competition May 22-23 in Las Vegas, Nev.
The Governor’s Cup is underwritten by the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation and more than two dozen local sponsors.
Governor’s Cup trophies were presented to winners by State Treasurer Ken Miller. Veteran Oklahoma City newscaster Ed Murray was emcee of the event.
More than 1,350 students from 31 Oklahoma campuses have participated in the nine years of the Governor’s Cup competition, writing business plans around nearly 450 innovative ideas and competing for more than $1.4 million in cash awards, scholarships and fellowships.
“Over the last decade, we have seen multiple successful entrepreneurs emerge from college campuses across the state, which shows that Oklahoma students have grasped the concepts needed to start a business and pitch the concept for investment dollars,” said Scott Meacham, i2E CEO. “We’re proud that through the Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup we are building a deeper pool of leaders prepared to take their place at the helm of growing companies across the state.”
i2E receives funding from a variety of federal, state and private sources, including the federal Economic Development Administration, the Oklahoma Center for the Advancement of Science and Technology, the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber, the City of Oklahoma City, the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, the Presbyterian Health Foundation and the Oklahoma Business Roundtable.
2014 GOVERNOR’S CUP WINNERS
Small Business Division
First place, $10,000: X-Pert Shot, Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City
Second place, $8,000: LockWall, East Central University
Third place, $4,000: NEO 2014, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College
High Growth Graduate Division
First place, $20,000: AeroHead, University of Tulsa
Second place, $10,000: Driven Analytics, University of Oklahoma
Third place, $5,000: AeroFusion, Oklahoma State University
High Growth Undergraduate Division
First place, $20,000: Owlpal, University of Tulsa
Second place, $10,000: Valoshade, University of Tulsa
Third place, $5,000: RoadWatch, University of Oklahoma
Pitch Winners, $1,000 each
Small Business Division: Chase Sheffield, LockWall, East Central University
High Growth Graduate Division: Philip McCoy, AeroHead, University of Tulsa
High Growth Undergraduate Division: Zach VanMeter, Inspire Ink, University of Oklahoma
Oklahoma Business Roundtable Paulsen Award winners, $5,000 each
Samantha Slater, Rogers State University
Mackenzie Ward, University of Tulsa
Mitchell Walser, University of Oklahoma
