Winners Announced in Ninth Annual UNC Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge
March 28, 2018
Five winners of the ninth annual University of Northern Colorado Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge were announced during the final competition Tuesday at the University Center on UNC’s campus.
The first-place winner of the challenge is Boogaloo Beds, second-place winner is Snow Shed Wax Company, third-place winner is Give and Go, fourth-place winner is Brainitz and the fifth-place winner is Parkit.
Winners received a total of $50,000 in prize money, and business incubator services from UNC BizHub, the business incubator at UNC.
The finalists presented their business plans to a panel of seven judges including Jay Andersen, founder and CEO of Top-Line Xceleration, adjunct professor at Monfort College of Business; Murray Arenson, CEO of Pluribus Capital; Bill Dieterich, executive director of Social and Advisory Group for Entrepreneurs (SAGE); Kari Gallegos-Doering, special projects coordinator, marketing and public relations manager for Gallegos Sanitation; Karol Jones, CFO of Colorado Lending Source; Ross Shell, founder and CEO of Red Idea Partners; Michael Trotter, president of Front Range Roofing Systems. The host for this year’s event was Paul Bobrowski, dean of the Monfort College of Business.
First-place winner of $25,000 is Boogaloo Beds, based in Denver. The company products focus on improving sleep, safety, and sensory environments for people with special needs. “The prize money will go into manufacturing our first selling unit—there’s quite a bit of up-front cost so this will help us register with the FDA and manufacture our first bed,” said Caleb Polley.
Second-place winner of $15,000 is Snow Shed Wax Company, from Carbondale, maker of a water-based, anti-stick spray that is used to reduce snow and ice buildup on topsheets, climbing skins, and bindings. Snow Shed is also readily biodegradable and is considered non-hazardous to the environment, according to OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard. “With this award, we will expand our marketing and advertising and streamline our distribution and help finance some of our new products for next year,” said Peter Arlein. “Getting feedback from the judges was very valuable and hearing about their ideas for our growth was very helpful.”
Third-place winner of $5,000 is Give and Go, from Boulder, which developed a video editing tool that helps sports coaches win more games through automated video editing. This is a software solution that affordably revolutionizes not only sports analytics, coaching, and performance, but also how fans view the game.
Fourth-place winner of $2,500 from Colorado Springs is Brainitz, offering a web-based tool that allows teachers to take recorded lessons and embed questions throughout the video to ensure understanding. Unlike traditional videos, Brainitz checks for understanding throughout the video and reteaches the student as needed.
Fifth-place winner of $2,500 is Parkit, a Fort Collins based startup, providing an online platform that connects university students and staff to nearby homes and businesses with empty parking spaces and driveways. The business automates and simplifies a process that is currently informal and inefficient.
Generous partners and supporters of the Monfort College of Business Entrepreneurial Challenge include, The Monfort family, BizWest Media, Colorado Lending Source, Colorado SBDC, KUNC and UNC BizHub Collaborative.
To learn more about the finalists who competed in this year’s challenge, visit their respective websites.
- Boogaloo Beds, boogaloobeds.com
- Brainitz, LLC, brainitz.com
- Give and Go, giveandgofilm.com
- Parkit, LLC, parkit.market
- Snow Shed Wax Company, snowshedwax.com
For more information about the competition, visit www.mcb-echallenge.com.
About the Monfort College of Business
The Kenneth W. Monfort College of Business at the University of Northern Colorado
is recognized for delivering excellence in business education. The college has been
accredited by AACSB International for 20 years—the “gold standard” for accreditation.
The College is one of an elite few worldwide that are accredited in both business
administration and accounting. Over 10 successive years MCB’s graduating seniors have
scored in the top 15 percent on nationwide standardized exit exams. It is the first
and only business program to receive the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award from
the Office of the President of the United States (2004). For more information, visit
MCB’s website at mcb.unco.edu.
About UNC
UNC is a doctoral research university with premier programs in education, health sciences,
business and the performing arts. Founded in 1889 as the state teachers' college,
UNC has always worked to promote human understanding and enrich lives. With approximately
13,000 students enrolled, UNC focuses on five areas of engaged learning: research
and creative work, civic engagement, global experiences, leadership and professional
experience.
