UMKC awards students $75K in prizes at Regnier Venture Creation Challenge
May 8, 2019 | Austin Barnes
Student startups are growing rapidly on the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus, said Bryan Boots.
Bryan Boots, UMKC’s Regnier Institute
Such acceleration has been further propelled thanks to the recent distribution of $75,000 in prize money, awarded to a series of winners of the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge Competition May 2-3, split across events at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and UMKC.
“[The challenge is a chance to] support the students and see what the next generation of entrepreneurs in Kansas City are doing,” Boots said of the school’s mission to elevate young entrepreneurs and promote their ventures through real-world exposure, feedback, and financial support.
Divided into two categories — the primary Regnier Venture Creation Challenge track and the BlueKC Healthcare Innovation track, which celebrates innovation and community impact in healthcare — the competition’s main event produced six winners who run seed-stage or early growth startups.
Air Traffic Awareness
Among the event’s top prizes, $20,000 winners included: Air Traffic Awareness, a product for reducing danger of in-air collisions for novice pilots; and BlueKC winner DeepLens, a computer vision product that helps blind people navigate the world around them.
“Winning the RVCC 2019 was a great thrill, but it’s not the end point; it’s the beginning. It was the result of many long nights of hard work toward creating a new technology to assist people who are visually impaired,” said Gharib Gharibi, DeepLens founder.
Bionic Bowel
Other prize winners include: Blockchain Water, $10,000; DeltaTech, $5,000; Spatial Insights, $2,500; and Bionic Bowel, the second place BlueKC winner of $10,000.
“The RVCC truly expands the depth and breadth of students’ entrepreneurship experience and prepares them to become leading innovators,” Gharibi added.
Additionally, DeepLens took home one of two $500 prizes during the competition’s student expo, chosen by attendees.
Six-thousand dollars in speciality awards were handed out to startups delivering significant social impact and sound business plans, UMKC explained.
Beyond leadership skills, incorporating the BlueKC track into the competition helps students understand the community need for innovative products that create change, he noted.
Student entrepreneurs went through several competitions to land a spot in the challenge, Boots explained.
Click here to read about the Entrepreneur Quest accelerator and EQ Pitch Competition
Past winners of the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge include: Mobility Designed, RFP360, and Healthy Hip Hop.
Check out photos from UMKC’s May 2 student venture expo below.
Featured Business
2019 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
Lager: Why I quit my cushy job for a broke startup
It’s 4:03 a.m. My bedroom is still dark and the late August heat leaves me little need for a blanket. I lay here wide-awake, arms crossed behind my head on a pillow that’s too thin, while the rest of the world sleeps in deep peacefulness. I hear nothing, save for the wind occasionally singing outside…
90 on the Clock with Mighty Handle
90 on the Clock with Mighty Handle By John McGrath, KCPT, and Bobby Burch, Startland News Ed’s Note: Flatland and Startland News have partnered to highlight Kansas City’s innovators and entrepreneurs, all in 90 seconds. This is the fifth and final episode in the series. Think of Mighty Handle as your digital defender. No, Mighty Handle is not anti-virus…
Gooding: Create your own market — don’t compete in someone else’s
“It’s a $100 million dollar industry, all I have to do is capture 1 percent of that market and I’ll make a million dollars.” After working with hundreds of startups, I have heard this statement countless times. This way of thinking is held by many business owners regardless of their industry, background or target market.…
From Mizzou to Spike TV, Tommy Saunders’ ab rollers hit national stage
Tommy Saunders is serious about fitness — one glance at his eight-pack and pythons for arms makes that clear. But the Kansas City entrepreneur is also serious about business, a fact he plans to prove as part of a reality-competition series debuting Tuesday on Spike TV. A former University of Missouri football standout, Saunders recently…