Venture Challenge 2005 Winners
1st Place : $15,000 Winner
CleanSmart - University of Oregon
CleanSmart is developing a breakthrough technology for safely and effectively decontaminating many of the world's most challenging waste streams. The initial target stream is wood that has been treated with a toxic preservative called Chromated Copper Asenate (CCA).
2nd Place : $3,500 Winner
Bigfoot Networks, Inc. - University of Texas-Austin
Bigfoot Networks, Inc. will be the first company to bring a Network Card designed specifically for online gamers to market. The GoNIC will make online computer gaming less frustrating by reducing lag, increasing frames-per-second, and helping to prevent online cheating.
3rd Place : $1,500 Winner
Poise - University of Michigan
Poise has a self-calibrating nanoliter capillary viscometer that offers several advantages over existing equipment: it is easy to use; requires only a micro liter to operate; processes in less than a minute; and is inexpensive. Blood plasma viscosity is useful to evaluate elevated serum immunoglobulins, multiple myeloma, mucosal bleeding, blurred vision or other symptoms suggesting hyperviscosity syndrome.
Golden Phone Award Winners ($1,000)
Eirgen Pharma Ltd. - University of Limerick
Eirgen Pharma Ltd. Is an Irish Pharmaceutical R+D company which specializes in the development of high barrier to entry products. The company will operate from a purpose-built facility to service global pharmaceutical markets.
INCA - University of Georgia
INCA seeks to become a leading developer and marketer of innovative netraceutical products that scientific testing has shown are effective treatments for medical diseases. INCA's first product is RejuvalinTM, a patent pending glucosamine cream for the treatment of osteoarthritis, America's #1 disability. RejuvalinTM is the only glucosamine product proven to be able to deliver over 50% of its active ingredient to the affected joint(s).
The Magic Bottle - Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship
Parents spend countless hours worrying about whether or not the milk and formula they feed their babies is the correct temperature. This product ends their worrying. The Magic Bottle is a bottle made out of regular polypropylene, safely modified to change color when the content reaches the appropriate feeding temperature.
Social Innovation Award Winner($1000)
BG Energia - Technológico de Monterrey
BG Energia is an enterprise dedicated to the design, installation and maintenance of biogas recovery systems for its application and use on sites with organic waste production. The goal is to implement successful biogas systems that will provide a renewable, inexpensive and convenient energy source.
Show Stopper Award Winner($500)
Believables - San Diego State University
Believables Corporation will be the first to successfully transition the meat alternative food category, a rapidly growing and proven $2 billion per year industry, from the retail grocery channel to the quick-serve industry through a chain of restaurants that appeal to up to 96 million Americans.
2005 Participants
Red = semi-finalist team
Blue = finalist team
Carnegie Mellon University
Presenters: Guy Robinson, Shivkumar Shankaran
Advisor: Thomas Hajduk
Description of Business: Onlog
This venture utilizes a new facial recognition approach developed within Carnegie Mellon to become a brand synonymous with convenient biometric identification and improved security. We seek to transform the biometric market by, at last, making facial recognition simple, inexpensive, ubiquitous and reliable.
Duke University
Presenters: Frank Shi, Nikhil Dhongade
Advisor: Guiseppe Lopomo
Description of Business: NanoCell Technology, Inc
NanoCell Technology, Inc. (NTI) designs and develops high density and low-cost semiconductor non-volatile memory chips used in explosively growing portable electronics systems, such as cellular phones, PDAs, mobile PCs, digital cameras, etc.
Georgia Institute of Technology
Presenters: Ree'L Street, Rosie Kwok, Jeff Rameaur
Advisor: Pat Dickson
Description of Business: ImmersiTech
Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) can now be assessed in the chaotic setting in which it often occurs. DETECT, a patent-pending technology, provides an immersive test-taking environment for evaluating head injury, ImmersiTech's technology will meet the needs of contact athletics, first responders and the military, to name few.
Rollins College
Presenters: A. Nicole Weaver, Dave Lampert, Randy Melton, Anna Alon, George Markward
Description of Business: WakeFresh
WakeFresh is a ground-breaking alarm clock which will go off after the REM sleep cycle is complete and will allow users to wake up rested and ready to tackle a brand new day. It allows users to customize their amount of sleep based on their individual sleep cycle.
San Diego State University
Presenters: Daniel Nagel, Blake Travis, Carlos Rodriguez, Vincent Di Nino
Advisor: Harvey Goodfriend
Description of Business: Believables
Believables Corporation will be the first to successfully transition the meat alternative food category, a rapidly growing and proven $2 billion per year industry, from the retail grocery channel to the quick-serve industry through a chain of restaurants that appeal to up to 96 million Americans.
San Francisco State University
Advisor: Richard McCline
Description of Business: College Workz
College Workz will revolutionize the problematic cost structure of the publishing industry through restructuring the distribution process of college book sales. CollegeWorkz.com will offer textbooks to students in a secured electronic format through subscription-based internet services.
Stockholm School of Entrepreneurship
Presenters: Magnus Sundin, Tahir Khan, Marcus Haglid
Advisor: Terrance Brown
Description of Business: The Magic Bottle
Parents spend countless hours worrying about whether or not the milk and formula they feed their babies is the correct temperature. This product ends their worrying. The Magic Bottle is a bottle made out of regular polypropylene, safely modified to change color when the content reaches the appropriate feeding temperature.
Technológico de Monterrey
Presenters: Fernando Garcia Menendez, Oralia Sáenz Ponce, Tania Villalobos Cruz, Adriana San Miguel Delgadillo
Advisor: Dolores González Saucedo
Description of Business: : BG Energia
BG Energia is an enterprise dedicated to the design, installation and maintenance of biogas recovery systems for its application and use on sites with organic waste production. The goal is to implement successful biogas systems that will provide a renewable, inexpensive and convenient energy source.
University of Georgia
Presenters: Michael Clark, Christopher Miller, Heard Robertson, Mary Ellen Thompson, Solomon Garner
Advisor: Charles Hofer
Description of Business: INCA
INCA seeks to become a leading developer and marketer of innovative netraceutical products that scientific testing has shown are effective treatments for medical diseases. INCA's first product is RejuvalinTM, a patent pending glucosamine cream for the treatment of osteoarthritis, America's #1 disability. RejuvalinTM is the only glucosamine product proven to be able to deliver over 50% of its active ingredient to the affected joint(s).
University of Hawaii
Presenters: Liangjie Dong, Shuliang, Jingbo Chang, Walt Atkins, Xiang Yee
Advisor: Robert Robinson
Description of Business: Hawaii Environmental Biosolutions, Inc.
Hawaii Environmental Biosolutions, Inc. (HEB) designs and manufactures unique and innovative Bionest reactors for dairy and other high organic content wastewater biological treatment. HEB also provides its customers Biopottery-Windmill systems for the in-situ bioremediation of polluted ponds, lakes and rivers.
University of Illinois at Chicago
Presenters: Colleen Fahling, Adam Smrha, Rob Bohmann, Jeff Cozzo
Advisor: Rod Shrader
Description of Business: The Stirred Chef
The Stirred Chef addresses the old question "what's for dinner?' by supplying easy-to-use gourmet dinner kits that provide quality and convenience. Only fresh, organic products are used and all ingredients are pre-measured and prepared to the cooking stage, allowing customers to cook gourmet meals in less than 30 minutes.
University of Limerick
Presenters: Patsy Carney, Tom Brennan
Advisor: Patricia Fleming
Description of Business: Eirgen Pharma Ltd.
Eirgen Pharma Ltd. Is an Irish Pharmaceutical R+D company which specializes in the development of high barrier to entry products. The company will operate from a purpose-built facility to service global pharmaceutical markets.
University of Manitoba
Presenters: Spencer Schellenberg, Maria Havelka, Richard Fyfe
Advisor: Robert Warren
Description of Business: eMedWatch, Inc.
Using its patent pending product, eMedWatch targets the traveling public to provide them with a secure and confidential process for uploading and securing personal health records that can be immediately accessed by medical professionals in emergency situations.
University of Michigan
Presenters: Rohit Pal, Nimisha Srivastava
Advisor: Paul Kirsch
Description of Business: Poise
Poise has a self-calibrating nanoliter capillary viscometer that offers several advantages over existing equipment: it is easy to use; requires only a microliter to operate; processes in less than a minute; and is inexpensive. Blood plasma viscosity is useful to evaluate elevated serum immunoglobulins, multiple myeloma, mucosal bleeding, blurred vision or other symptoms suggesting hyperviscosity syndrome.
University of Nottingham
Presenters: Rayhan Abdulmughnee
Advisor: Christopher Mahon
Description of Business: rezWidgets
While the independent hotels, bed & breakfasts and inns are the largest sector of the hotel industry, they have not been able to utilize the marketing potential of the Internet, losing revenue to the chain hotels. We will offer an innovative Internet-based system that will allow independent hotels to market themselves locally, regionally and globally.
University of Oregon
Presenters: David Grove, Will Glasson, Eric Brunsvold
Advisor: Donald Upson
Description of Business: CleanSmart
CleanSmart is developing a breakthrough technology for safely and effectively decontaminating many of the world's most challenging waste streams. The initial target stream is wood that has been treated with a toxic preservative called Chromated Copper Asenate (CCA).
University of Portland
Presenters: Dennis Moulton, Gabe Trif, Paul Schoen
Advisor: Heidi Sause
Description of Business: The Digital Wallet
The Digital Wallet provides consumers a personal financial interface that allows for increased security, improved access to information and streamlined procurement options. This dedicated handheld device communicates with multiple financial databases, providing a means to execute financial transactions more securely, conveniently and effectively.
University of Rochester
Presenters: Ashish Mendiratta
Description of Business: Biocash
Biocash envisions their own company to be a one-stop availability of a broadly diverse and enriched selection of biodiesel products and services. Biocash intends to become the leading supplier of biodiesel to the suburban and metropolitan markets.
University of Texas at Austin
Presenters: Harlan Beverly, Mike Cubbage, Bob Grim
Description of Business: Bigfoot Networks, Inc.
Bigfoot Networks, Inc. will be the first company to bring a Network Card designed specifically for online gamers to market. The GoNIC will make online computer gaming less frustrating by reducing lag, increasing frames-per-second, and helping to prevent online cheating.
Vanderbilt University
Presenters: Rajeev Gupta, Mark Garton
Advisor: Bruce Lynskey
Description of Business: Proactive Healthcare
With the rising medical costs, payers and providers will focus more on effective disease management. Proactive Healthcare provides the first platform which combines the latest in research and disease management approached and integration capabilities with multiple devices and user interface to quickly provide useful proactive health warning, diagnosis and management.
