Local Company Wins UW Ellbogen Entrepreneurship Competition Daniels Fund Ethical Startup Award

Dalton Gregory, a recent University of Wyoming graduate from Sheridan, and his company, O3, received the Daniels Fund Ethical Startup Award at the recent John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition, sponsored by the UW College of Business.

O3, a Sheridan-based company dedicated to helping small businesses implement artificial intelligence-driven marketing technologies, was presented the award for the startup company with the best plan for creating an ethical culture within its organization. The Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative at UW sponsors the annual award.

Gregory's company distinguished itself among the competition's finalists with a comprehensive strategy centered on the Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative principles: integrity, trust, accountability, transparency, fairness, respect, rule of law and viability. The leadership team at O3 outlined a detailed approach to embedding the principles into its business operations, particularly focusing on cultivating transparency and ethical practices.

The winning proposal committed to using the $2,500 prize to further develop the company's ethical framework and support community initiatives. Specifically, O3 plans to allocate $1,500 of the award toward promoting its transparency tools and ethics training programs.

Additionally, Gregory says he and his team have pledged $1,000 to support the Sheridan Community Land Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving open spaces, healthy rivers and creeks, working ranches, wildlife habitats and the rich history of Sheridan County while expanding recreational opportunities.

"Winning the Daniels Fund Ethical Startup Award is an incredible honor for O3," he says. "It reaffirms our commitment to ethical business practices and allows us to give back to the Sheridan community, which has always been close to my heart."

Gregory, O3's founder, recently graduated from UW with a bachelor's degree in entrepreneurship, with a minor in blockchain.

The annual John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition is designed to encourage college students across the state to act on their talents, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow's leading businesses. The competition awards cash prizes to outstanding teams of student entrepreneurs who submit their business plans for new ventures showing significant business potential.

Open to both UW and community college students, the competition encourages teams to compete by providing business consulting expertise, mentorship, financial mentorship and a strong entrepreneurial network of investors and potential partners.

Eight teams competed for $50,000 in Ellbogen prize funds and $15,000 in other awards for the development of their businesses during the past spring semester's 24th annual competition.

For more information about O3, visit https://o-3.io/about-us/.