Oct. 3, 2025
Photos by Izzy Martin
University of Missouri students showcased their bold, innovative ideas at a Sept. 23 pitch competition that determined which teams would land a spot in the Entrepreneur Quest (EQ) program and a chance to win funds from a $30,000 prize pool.
Offered by the Griggs Innovators Nexus, EQ has invested more than $223,000 in student ventures since 2018.
“Our mission with Entrepreneur Quest is to help students launch and grow real businesses while still on campus,” said Kelsey Raymond, executive director of entrepreneurship programs. “EQ empowers them with the knowledge, skills and mentors that we hope sets them up for long-term success.”
Kelsey Raymond, executive director of entrepreneurship programs, celebrates with Vital Track team members Harley Whitaker, Brock Schofield, Dane Bishop and Ted Krause. They were chosen as the audience favorite and won $2,000 from Hawthorn Bank.
At the beginning of the fall semester, about 50 teams of undergraduate and graduate students from across campus applied for a chance to participate in EQ. Leaders from the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem selected the teams that took part in last month’s pitch competition.
The Vital Track team, which is developing a system that uses wearable wrist devices like Fitbits to monitor the vital signs of older adults, was voted audience favorite and won $2,000 during the competition.
“Our team plans to use the award to fund our first batch of wearable devices for beta testing in senior living facilities,” Ted Krause said. “By piloting the technology in a real-world environment, we hope to refine the product and demonstrate its impact on resident safety.”
Judge Amanda Quick, founder and small business strategy coach at Cultivator, asks one of the EQ competitors a question. Other judges on the panel were Anna Swacker, CEO and proxy product owner, Novique (left); Sam Dudenhofer, cofounder and head of operations, Appreciate; Jeremyah Grigery, director of digital marketing, Veterans United Home Loans; Alyssa Patzius, vice president of sales, Intero Digital; and Foster Honeck, founder, FDH Projects and Consulting.
EQ workshops and coaches guide students through the process of refining their business ideas based on customer needs. It challenges them to take advantage of a multitude of industry and marketplace resources at Ellis Library and to validate and test their ideas using customer interviews and surveys. The teams also receive services through the School of Law’s Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic and coaching from campus and community experts.
Contestants Chinyere Omeife and Cailey Blackmer watch their peers present ideas ranging from affordable housing, hygiene products and farm data insights.
This year's panel of judges chose the following finalists for the intensive EQ education program:
Green Society, quality houseplants to support sustainability and health
- Cailey Blackmer, senior in plant science, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
RgentAI, AI-powered RStudio assistant providing context-aware code help, debugging and insights for researchers
- Nathan Bresette, graduate student in bioinformatics, School of Medicine
Golden HomeShare, connecting homeowners with vetted live-in help while creating affordable housing
- Malaki Doubet, junior in finance, Trulaske College of Business
- Nathan Smith, junior in accountancy, Trulaske College of Business
SidewalkScan, AI to detect sidewalk hazards, prioritize repairs and improve accessibility
- Hang Du, graduate student in civil and environmental engineering, College of Engineering
AcreView Analytics, converting complex farm data into clear insights for farmers
- Noah Graham, junior in agriculture systems technology, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Members of the student teams that competed for a spot in the EQ program are from biological engineering, accountancy, finance, business administration, natural resources, plant sciences, agriculture, veterinary medicine and other degree programs.
Vital Track, Empowering senior citizens and caregivers with proactive health monitoring
- Ted Krause, junior in finance, economics and music, Trulaske College of Business / College of Arts and Science
- Dane Bishop, senior in information technology, College of Engineering
- Brock Schofield, junior in accountancy, Trulaske College of Business
- Harley Whitaker, junior in natural resource science and management, College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
Quiet Night ER, supplemental veterinary education resources for students
- Scott Miller, graduate student in veterinary medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine
Sencare Medical Solutions, products that alleviate symptoms for individuals with chronic skin conditions
- Chinyere Omeife, sophomore in biomedical engineering, College of Engineering
State Street Spices, authentic spice blends from different parts of the United States
- Andrew Rubin, freshman in business administration and statistics, Trulaske College of Business / College of Arts and Science
Element IV, accessible hygiene products, including a novel back washer
- DeShawn Sutton, graduate student in biological engineering, College of Engineering
- Peter Dailey II, senior in mechanical engineering, College of Engineering
- Quentin Rodney, senior in electrical engineering, College of Engineering
- Stephen Ike, graduate student in biological engineering, College of Engineering
- Rayna Bowman, senior in mechanical engineering, College of Engineering
On Nov. 18, the students will compete in a final EQ pitch competition. The first-place venture will receive a $15,000 investment, second place will receive $10,000 and third-place will receive $5,000.
“The long-term vision for the program is that students who launch their businesses while at Mizzou through programs led by the Innovators Nexus come back years later as expert mentors and judges for the next generation of students,” Raymond said.
“It actually happened this year with former CEO club president and Appreciate Cofounder, Sam Dudenhoeffer, who came back to judge last month's competition!”
EQ is sponsored by the employees of Veterans United Home Loans and U.S. Bank. Hawthorn Bank was the audience favorite sponsor.