Regnier student venture contest returns Friday with virtual finalist pitches, real-world prize money

When the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge returns Friday, the competition’s newly virtual format will still reflect its commitment to fostering innovation in early entrepreneurs, said Bryan C. Boots. 

Bryan Boots, UMKC’s Regnier Institute

“The virtual RVCC will look different from what we’ve done in the past, but it will nonetheless provide an opportunity for practicing entrepreneurship, for gaining feedback on venture concepts, and for winning prize money to advance students’ venture ideas,” explained Boots, managing director for venture creation at the Regnier Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. 

The “vRVCC” finals are set to be available to view via Zoom 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday.

Ten student teams — culled from among 50 applications to the competition from high school and college students from seven different regional colleges and universities — are set to present Friday on two parallel tracks: a general track, and a Healthcare Innovation track, sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas City.

Keep reading for a full list of competitors and their project descriptions.

“Students’ ideas range from AI-driven systems to wearables for cattle to better fishing lures,” said Boots. “Additionally, we selected five specialty category winners based on first round evaluation scores that will not present, but will be honored at the closing ceremony.”

A slot in the general track competition also was added for a community business finalist — Kanbe’s Markets, led by Max Kaniger, a University of Missouri-Kansas City graduate — to show support to small businesses in light of COVID-19 challenges. Typically only students can compete.

Click here to read more about the RVCC which is, for the first time, welcoming high school competitors. 

As the world — and some of its hardest hit industries, including the education system — look to the future, virtual takes on established events like RVCC are becoming the new normal, Boots noted. 

“In this time of rapid change and adjustments in our students’ lives, we hope that continuing to offer some version of our decade-old RVCC will provide some good news for them, and our community,” he said. 

Editor’s note: The following finalist and award winner descriptions were provided by the competitors in the Regnier Venture Creation Challenge.

General track finalists

• Calving Technologies (Mizzou) — Calving Technologies is an animal agriculture startup, providing monitoring and predictive sensory technology for producers to track the health of their livestock. Our first product is a multi-sensory collar that measures various biomedical parameters of late-gestation cows, predicting the timing of calving events hours in advance — ultimately decreasing calf mortality rates and increasing producer margins. The product designed by Calving Technologies packages multiple sensors that when paired together, generate a calving prediction score. Our easy to implement system equips any farm or ranch with an efficient management system, by drastically reducing labor efforts to support operations while they live out their legacy.
• ChordaWorm Lures (Iowa State University) — ChordaWorm Lures, LLC solves one of the largest problems in the fishing industry. The current soft plastic fishing lures on the market are not durable and they are easily ripped off the hook by fish. These lures only last for two to four fish catches each. This is a massive problem for bass fishermen because it gets very costly, not to mention it is extremely frustrating.  We have invented an internal strengthening system for soft plastic fishing lures that allows our lures to be eleven times more durable than our competitors. On average, our lures last for 33 catches each, compared to the other soft plastic fishing lures which only catch two to four fish before breaking.
• Interplay (UMKC and E-Scholars) — Interplay is working toward automating pet interaction by providing dog owners with an automated dog crate that will allow them to operate it from their smartphone. With the Interplay dog crate, dog owners will be able to see and talk to their dog, dispense food and water to their dog, and open and close the crate from their phone while they’re away from home. My company is aiming to make the lives of dog owners easier with our dog crate. The ability to interact with their dog while they are away will allow dog owners to stress less about their dog while they are away. It will also help to reduce the separation anxiety dogs develop due to their owner’s frequent absence.
• Jensen Applied Sciences (Iowa State University) — Jensen Applied Sciences (JAS) provides Cloud Technology Solutions to local communities, currently focused on the craft brewing industry. JAS utilizes cloud computing, IoT (Internet of Things), and machine learning, to provide value through efficiency and insight, to other businesses. JAS provides Plug-and-Play devices for Craft Breweries, as well as custom solutions to any industry. 

Community Business finalist

• Kanbe’s Markets (UMKC graduate) — Founded in 2016, Kanbe’s Markets is a 501c3 nonprofit organization with four full-time employees and three part-time employees that developed an unmatched food distribution model in the Kansas City region. The Healthy Corner Stores (HCS) model was designed to enhance equitable food distribution by intervening on hunger issues for the 400,000 food-insecure individuals and families living in Jackson County food deserts.

Blue KC healthcare innovation

• Flyover Counseling (E-Scholars) — Flyover Counseling is a telehealth agency providing mental health counseling currently serving Kansas and Missouri. Plans to scale include providing services in all 50 states.
• Norah Health (Mizzou) — Norah Health developed a patent pending AI powered software solution to improve the patient experience. Currently, $3 Billion per year of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) value-based purchasing reimbursement is allocated based on patient experience survey results. Approximately, 1,000 hospitals in the United States lose out on CMS reimbursement every year due to low patient experience survey scores. The Norah Health product is designed to help hospitals maximize their reimbursement and provide a better and more tailored patient experience to each of their patients. This startup’s MVP is fully developed and is entering the proof of concept phase of the business cycle, as the product will be tested and results subsequently published at a major academic healthcare facility in Missouri.
• Striae Away (Missouri Science & Technology) — Striae gravidarum, stretch marks that occur during pregnancy, affect between 55 to 90 percent of women. The market is currently saturated with treatment methods that utilize lotions, oils, transdermal abrasions, lasers, and/or prescriptions. It is documented that since B.C. time, women have felt distress over the body dysmorphia following pregnancy and have tried many alleviating products. Our product, Striae Away, utilizes bioactive glass and its scar-free healing properties in order to treat striae marks post-pregnancy. We are not a cosmetic product, but rather a medication due to the healing components within the glass. Contained within a lotion vehicle, we hope to reduce discoloration, eradicate the scars, and restore the affected skin to normal composition. Striae Away, heal-don’t conceal.
• The GuideLine (Missouri Science & Technology) — The GuideLine is a first-of-its-kind device to improve upon the still relatively primitive lumbar puncture (LP) technique. This device has the capability to ensure accurate punctures across a range of comorbidities, including obesity and scoliosis, that typically give clinicians the most difficulty in performing the procedure. The GuideLine will make an immediate impact in rural healthcare markets, as well as city hospitals and as a trainer for medical students.
• WartPatch (UMKC) — WartPatch is an immunotherapy-containing dissolvable microneedle patch for the treatment of viral warts.

Specialty award winners

• Generation Green (UMKC and Enactus) — Generation Green is a new venture founded by students from UMKC Enactus. We are focused on repurposing old plastic to create new products that help teachers engage students in interactive learning. Through researching, testing, and improving on our processes, we have found a way to turn plastic waste into dry/wet-erase boards that add value to teachers across the city. We are doing this through Bottle Boards. With 3 unique customer segments and a dedicated team, we are making strides for our non-profit and making a difference in our community. We have repurposed 90 pounds of plastic in our first two months of business and 103 Bottle Boards sold, we have proven our business model and are ready to increase production capacity to meet the needs of our community.
• Linda Tong Planners (Iowa State University) — Linda Tong Planners is a business that provides completely handwritten and personalized planners that are customized to each individual person. Customers have many options of customization ranging from minimalist and artistic styles and can also choose four pages per month to personalize according to their lifestyle. These pages can range from categories of health (mood trackers, fitness logs, sleep trackers), productivity (practice logs, homework logs, task lists), and miscellaneous pages such as coloring pages, crossword puzzles, and even sudoku. Due to the high demand of customers in the previous year, Linda Tong Planners is working on scaling the business into mass production and providing personalized planners in print based on customer feedback and their personal preferences.
• Dart (UMKC, E-Scholars and Enactus) — Dart gives old bikes new life by repurposing them into affordable, high-quality e-bikes. We target people between the ages of 50 and 75 who are looking for ways to increase their activity levels – they are identified as the top market for e-bikes in the United States. For customers wanting to buy an affordable e-bike without having to sacrificing quality and performance, a Dart e-bike delivers. Dart also provides upward mobility through personal mobility by empowering those struggling with transportation challenges. We partner with city governments and community agencies to drive forward a more equitable urban transport system.
• MARGOLOH (Blue Valley CAPS) — MARGOLOH is a hologram that uses water vapor diffusers and fans to create a tornado-like shape in an oval shaped structure. From there, videos and images can be projected on the vapor to create a three-dimensional hologram that is high quality, yet relatively inexpensive.
• Vivas y Muerto (Kansas City Art Institute) — My venture is called Vivas Y Muerto. It is a sustainable and eco-friendly jewelry line. Currently, I am focusing on creating wearables that engage in a conversation about climate change, fast fashion, and the ethics of working conditions. I aim to expand beyond wearables to further the dialog about sustainable design. Furthermore, Vivas Y Muerto wishes to create partnerships amongst other Non-Profit Organizations to engage in a deeper conversation. I call my wearables “Catalysts for Conversations” as they are meant to spark a dialog similar to the way a work of art does. The body is a mobile gallery and I aim to expand this dialog beyond the walls of academic and the fine art world.