Eight Teams to Compete in UW’s John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition April 21-22

Eight student-led teams will vie for seed prize money to get their business plans off the ground in the John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition at the University of Wyoming.

The competition will take place Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, both in person in the UW College of Business Building and virtually via WyoCast. To register to attend the event, go here.

Sponsored by the UW College of Business, the competition encourages students to act on their talents, ideas and energy to produce tomorrow’s leading businesses. The competition awards cash prizes to outstanding student-led entrepreneur teams showing significant business potential.

“We are excited to have another outstanding collection of finalist teams,” says Patrick Kreiser, UW College of Business Rile Chair of Entrepreneurship and Leadership. “Experiential learning provides a great opportunity for students to create viable business models, and we know that the teams competing in this year’s competition will generate creative solutions related to a variety of customer needs. 

“Importantly, four of this year’s finalist teams have student members from Wyoming’s community colleges,” he adds. “We are confident that the teams in the 2023 John P. Ellbogen $50K Entrepreneurship Competition will offer innovative businesses for the Wyoming economy going forward.”

Teams enter the competition from various disciplines across the UW campus or Wyoming community colleges. The final eight student teams are creating startups with innovative business models. The UW undergraduate teams are enrolled in “ENTR 4700: Business Model Creation and Launch,” and each team has been paired with a mentor.

The eight team finalists, their business concepts, team members, majors and hometowns are:

-- BAST Manufacturing provides a sustainable, high-performance air filter that positively impacts communities and the environment. Team members are Carly Keller, a sophomore from Torrington majoring in veterinary technology at Eastern Wyoming College; Clayton Auzqui, a recent UW graduate from Clearmont, who studied economics and agriculture business; and Jared Clapper, a UW senior from Veteran studying finance.

-- Edge Flyte offers high-performance, edge-of-space atmospheric research equipment to academics and hobbyists. Tate Schrock, a freshman from Anton, Colo., is studying business and entrepreneurship at Laramie County Community College.

-- Heart to Heart - WY is a 501(c)(3) organization that works with youth and young adults living with mental illnesses. Team members are Thea Farrington, from Powell, who is studying psychology at Northwest College; Tatiana Farrington, a Powell High School senior taking coursework at Northwest College; and Rilei Farmer, a freshman from Cody, who is studying art at Northwest College.

-- Inspira Nutrition fuels your next journey with high-quality, proven nutrition that inspires. Evan Eversole, a UW sophomore from Douglas, is majoring in chemical engineering.

-- MC Cares provides monitoring technology that merges HIPAA compliance and data analytics to improve the care environments of those who are not always able to speak for themselves. Team members are Auzqui, Clapper, Aram Maljanian, a UW senior from Los Angeles, and Benjamin Wilkin, a UW junior from Denver, Colo. Maljanian and Wilkin are both majoring in computer science.

-- OneHealth connects rural communities to quality health care. Team members are Noah Forbes, a UW junior from Cheyenne majoring in business marketing and energy resource management; Carter Kirkbride, a UW senior from Burns majoring in business entrepreneurship and blockchain; and Cameron Schoening, a UW senior from Riverton majoring in business entrepreneurship and honors.

-- Purely Persistent LLC is a Wyoming-based, online education business focused on empowering adults to obtain a high school equivalency certificate, develop a satisfying career and create a rewarding life. Michelle Schutten, who holds a graduate degree, is a sophomore from Rock Springs studying digital design at Western Wyoming Community College. 

-- Wyoming Rail Yard is dedicated to providing terrain parks to the underserved skiers and snowboarders of Wyoming looking to progress and have fun. Dayton Hammel, a UW junior from Parker, Colo., is majoring in business entrepreneurship and sales.

For more information, email Josie Voight, project coordinator, at voight@uwyo.edu.