Montana State University Big Idea Challenge showcases student entrepreneurs

BOZEMAN - Montana State University students who presented their entrepreneurial ideas - ranging from oat-free granola to medical equipment - earned prize money totaling $10,000 at the annual Big Idea Challenge, held Nov. 7 on campus.

Twelve finalist ventures, chosen from 44 applicants, delivered pitches about their ideas during the competition, which was hosted by the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship and the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad. The teams included undergraduate and graduate students from seven colleges, including the Honors College.

During the competition, students pitched their ideas in four minutes or less to a panel of judges and answered questions to vie for the prize money. The judges were Marc Hamilton, vice president of solutions architecture and engineering at NVIDIA; Denay Solis, director of AI and strategic accounts at Oracle; Michael Mawn, a 2022 MSU graduate and founder and CEO of Posted and StandBy; and Brooke Lahneman, assistant professor of management at MSU.

Teams competed in four categories: agriculture and food innovation; social, cultural or climate impact; health and life science; and general product and services.

The teams and awards are listed below:

Agriculture and Food Innovation

• First Place ($1,000): AFRO Montana Fusion - Bello Yunusa, a graduate student from Jalingo, Taraba State, Nigeria, studying sustainable food systems.
• First Place ($1,000): Crunchy Seeds - Marina Adelmann, from Bozeman, studying integrated lens-based media.

Social, Cultural or Climate Impact

• First Place ($1,250): Includify - Kyla Andersen, from Belgrade, studying computer science; Molly Claussen, from Ham Lake, Minnesota, studying accounting and finance; and Eoghan Perkins, from West Linn, Oregon, also studying computer science.
• Second Place ($750): International Education Networking Initiative - Enkhchimeg Sharav, from Mongolia, a Ph.D. student in curriculum and instruction in the Department of Education.
• Honorable Mention ($500): Share Your Work. - Jonathan Onken, from Tijeras, New Mexico, double majoring in fish and wildlife ecology and management and film.

Health and Life Science

• First Place ($1,250): H2Oasis - Sage Dodier, from Amesbury, Massachusetts, Brady Ash, from Ellison Bay, Wisconsin, and Jack Hathaway, from Golden, Colorado, all studying in the Master of Science in Innovation and Management program.
• Second Place ($750): Maxillofacial Rehab - Casey Odegaard, from Bismark, North Dakota, Cody Berry, from Whitefish, and Jakob Ritzdorf, from Kalispell, all studying biomedical engineering.
• Honorable Mention ($500): PeakMotion - Spencer Kayser, from Belgrade, and Benjamin Matheson, from River Falls, Wisconsin, Kyra Herronen, from Thorton, Colorado, and Tyler McMillan, from Boise, Idaho, all studying biomedical engineering.

Product and Services

• First Place ($1,250): Huevo Paints - Moira and Aurora Espinoza Chaney from Camas, Washington. Moira is a graduate student in the architecture program and Aurora is studying management and marketing.
• Second Place ($750): TerminusDetail - Jill Reddick, from Snohomish, Washington, and Layne Algaard, from Laurel, both graduate students studying architecture.
• Honorable Mention ($500): MORREST - Eli Morris, from Denver, Colorado, studying mechanical engineering.
• Honorable Mention ($500): TableWorks Gaming - Tully Warren, from Spokane, Washington, studying finance, and Jonny Hughes, also from Spokane, studying computer engineering.

"We were impressed with the finalist pitches and the diverse experience on the teams, which included undergraduate and graduate students from so many different programs of study across MSU," said Trevor Huffmaster, director of the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad.

The MSU Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship offers four undergraduate options of study - accounting, finance, management and marketing - as well as five minors - accounting, business administration, entrepreneurship and small business management, finance, and international business. It also offers a master of professional accountancy degree, a master of science in innovation and management, a business certificate and entrepreneurship certificate. This fall, the college reported an enrollment of 2,306 students.

MSU's Blackstone LaunchPad helps MSU students succeed in entrepreneurship and in their careers. Open to students, faculty and recent alumni in all majors, the campus-based LaunchPad provides mentoring, opportunities for participants to grow their networks and find resources to help their businesses succeed.