John P. Ellbogen $10K Entrepreneurship Competition

Winners of the 2005 $10K Competition

WyoBigen

Team: WyoBigen, Mandy Kinnan (Lingle, WY), Sr .Mgt., Ben Brooks (Laramie,WY), PhD Molecular Bio., Dina Dudley (Buhl, ID), Sr. Ag Bus. & Acct.
The goal of WyoBigen is to create an ante-mortem blood test for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) to enable early detection of TSE diseases.

2005 $10K Finalists & Place Winners

After reviewing the seven business plans submitted for the 2005 $10K competition, the judges selected the following six teams to continue in the competition.

Changing Leaf Designs: Think Change 

Focused on developing backpacks for extended hiking adventures that meet the strength, volume, and versatility needs of serious hikers. Team leader is Scott Hunter (Casper, WY), Sr. Bus. Admin.

Cowboy Book Swap

(3rd Place winner of $2,500)
Combating high-priced college textbooks, this team proposes an online subscription service that will abet students' acquisition of lower-cost texts for their classes.
Team members include: David Primus (Laramie, WY), Jr. Finance & Mkt, Zach Parrie (Tie Siding, WY) Soph. English, Jacob Dolence (Laramie, WY) Jr. Phys. Ed. & Env. & Natural Resources.

Leisure Journals

Enhancing travel experiences by providing online information about activities, attractions, restaurants, and hotels/motels for specific destinations or travel routes is this venture's mission.
Team leader is William Maxwell (Laramie, WY), Sr. Mkt.

Slice Industries

Giving active parents opportunity to spend time with their children, this venture will produce single-wheel bicycle trailers for children.
Team members include: Ken Wilhelm (Laramie, WY), Sr. Kinesiology & Health Promotion, Shaun Wilhelm (Laramie, WY), M.S. of Statistics, Carl Wilhelm (Laramie, WY), Sr. Mgt & Mkt.

Wonders of the Old World

(2nd place winner of $5,000)
Appealing to discriminating palates, a unique and authentic Eastern European dining experience is the business concept for this entrepreneurial team.
Team members include: Julija Zommere (Salaspils, Latvia), M.B.A., Anton Rebguns (Liepaja, Latvia), M.S. of Computer Science.

WyoBigen

Creating an ante-mortem blood test for Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSEs) to enable early detection of TSE diseases is this team's entrepreneurial goal.
Team members include: Mandy Kinnan (Lingle, WY), Sr .Mgt., Ben Brooks (Laramie,WY), PhD Molecular Bio., Dina Dudley (Buhl, ID), Sr. Ag Bus. & Acct.