A rich history of funding Wyoming's Entrepreneurs
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25 YEARS OF SUPPORTING INNOVATION

2000
With contributions from First Interstate Bank and the Woodson Family Foundation, the UW $10K Competition through the College of Business saw eight teams compete.

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2005
In 2005, First Interstate Bank made a commitment that was matched by the state of Wyoming, and in 2010 the John P. Ellbogen Foundation made a commitment that was also matched by the state of Wyoming.

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2011
After 10 successful years of competition, the prize money increased to $30,000, and the event was renamed the John P. Ellbogen $30K Competition.

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2017
In 2017, First Interstate Bank and the John P. Ellbogen Foundation made additional commitments matched by the state of Wyoming that would increase the cash prize given each year, so the name changed once more to become the John P. Ellbogen $50k Entrepreneurship Competition ($50k EEC). The $50k EEC and Entrepreneurship Programs at UW College of Business have benefited from the creation of several other entrepreneurship-related endowments from donors including G. Russell Mortenson in 2006, Charles A. Micale Foundation in 2008, Gary P. McDaniel in 2017, Patrick C. Rile and Kathleen L. Rile in 2020.
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PAST WINNERS

2001

First Place: Rocky Mountaineering Inc.
Marvin Perry, Joe Pawlicki, and Lacey Songer

Second Place: Windswept Energy Solution
Mather Barry

2002

First Place: Heartland BioComposites
Heath Van Eaton

Finalists:

  • Birch Enterprises: Shane Birch, Hong Zhao, Scott Robinson, and Jacalyn Neely
  • Extreme Angles: Zach Orenczak
  • weRamerica.com: Lauren Colaric

2003

First Place: Windswept Energy Solution
Barry Mather

Finalists:

  • CMS: Ole Axvig, Lisa Schrage, Lusine Ghevondyan, and Wei Kang
  • Kiwi Industries: Ben Brooks, Kellie Fairbanks, John Conder, Leo Sano, and Keenan Hendon
  • MapShare: Dan Randolph, Terri Watson, and Clay Mizer

2004

First Place: Table Mountain Vineyards
Patrick & Amie Zimmerer

Second Place: Magnetic Ray’s
Bryan Ray and Shane Buller

Third Place:

  • TST, LLC: Eric Coates
  • MLB: Brian Bartlette, Lyndi Preator, and Matt Bryce

2005

First Place: WyoBigen
Mandy Kinnan, Ben Brooks, and Dina Dudley

Second Place: Wonders of the Old World
Julija Zommere and Anton Rebguns

Third Place: Cowboy Book Swap
David Primus, Zach Parrie, and Jacob Dolence

Finalists:

  • Changing Leaf Designs: Scott Hunter
  • Leisure Journals: William Maxwell
  • Slice Industries: Ken Wilhelm, Shaun Wilhelm, and Carl Wilhelm

2006

Winner: Growing Gorgeous Seed Jewelry
Betsy Mock and Erin Bratton

Second Place: Rainbow Dressings
Dan Jones and Krista Jones

Third Place: Gilliards
Darek Farmer, Stephen Sprinkle, and Kate Kaltenheuser

Finalists:

  • Mobile Oil Change: Jesse Sevier and Josh Hoch
  • PooPatrol: Kate Kaltenheuser and Darek Farmer

2007

Winner: FireWise Forest Management
Jeff Smith

Second Place: H.S.S. Mecates
Sean Cannady and Heather Grimm

Third Place: Chip ‘n Dip

Finalists:

  • Platte Valley Decoy Company
  • Trace Detection Technologies
  • Verge Omnimedia

2008

Winner: Green Construction
Joe Killpack and Jared Killpack

Second Place: OxiSense Marine
Luke Schneider and Weston Welch

Third Place: Proof Foundry
Josef Pohl

2009

Winner: United Plastics
Keegan Delaney, Michael Shirley, Rene Alber, and P.J. Shumway

Second Place: Dinner Maid Simple
Cortney Thoren

Third Place: Sensor Technologies
Shipra Mehta and Yekaterina Minaicheva

Finalists:

  • Olympus Mons Sporting Goods: Chris Askin, Tyler Gentry, Mandy Fabel, and Katelyn Kovacik
  • Region Careers

2010

Winner: Boost Audio Sound Systems
Erik Gjording

Second Place: BigStar Livestock Images
Kassi Bauman

Third Place: Ballistic Motion Athletics
Brian Sinner

Most Creative Business Plan: BigStar Livestock Images

Best Presentation: BigStar Livestock Images

Finalists

  • Weatherization Software Solutions: Jeff Fife

2011

First Place (Two-Way Tie):

  • Bright Agrotech: Paul Bennick and Nate Storey
  • glycoBac: Christoph Geisler

Third Place: SeppCo Insurance Solutions
Shantel Seppla

Most Creative Business Plan: Ghost Owl Myconautical Industries
CJ Stewarts and Bennett Simpson

Best Presentation: glycoBac

Finalists:

  • SEC Mobile Lifestyle Fitness: Sarah Clark

2012

Winner: PlanktOMICS Algae Bioservices
Levi Lowder, Jacob L. Miller, Min-0Hyung Ru, and Stephen K. Herbert

Second Place: Vertikle Enterprises
David Thayer, Qihang Sun, Walter Wilson, Breandan Bryant, Douglas Wilson, Zhouyan Sun, and Sharlee Mahoney

Third Place: 7200 Ft Productions
Emily Robinson and Daniel Adams

Best Presentation: How Power Yoga
Cheyenne Wortham and Mallory Wortham

Most Creative Business Plan: 7200 Ft Productions

Student Choice Award: PlanktOMICS

Finalists:

  • Greek Me: Zeb Fross and Odion Oisamoje
  • MudSlideTech: Jeff Watters

2013

Winner: Rave Nation
Shawheen Amirkhizi

Second Place: Ky[E]nterprise LLC
Kyle Thoman

Third Place: Pollution Control Technologies
Kaspars Krutkramelis and Rdolfo Monterroso

Best Presentation: Rho Zero Fermentation
Elizabeth Hiatt, Dr. Mary Thorsness, Dr. Peter Thorsness and Dr. Brian Francis

Most Creative Business Plan: Eos Labs
Min-Hyung Ryu, Gavin Lawlis, Mark Gomelsky

Student Choice Award: Ky[E]nterprise LLC

2014

Winner: Bridge Sense
McKenzie Danforth and Mike Jung

Second Place: Snuffi Candle Company
Natalie Hurst

Third Place: BusMark
Brad Kovach, Conner Hunsaker, and Zane Erickson

Best Presentation: Kid Routine
Ben Sims and Travis Gardner

Most Creative Business Plan: Pharm Decision, LLC
Luke Wood, Joshua Hall, Rebecca Pullos, and Lisa Ohnstad

2015

Winner: Cruxx Climbing Company
McKenzie Danforth, Tabitha Briscoe, and Mike Jung

Second Place: Spigot
Laurel Winkenwerder

Third Place: Vee Bee Farm
Carrie Ver Burg, Mark Ver Burg, Steve Ver Burg

Best Presentation: Wyoming Skills Academy
Aaron Tyser

Most Creative Business Plan: Catering Calculator
McConnel Kenneth and Michael Astleford

Other competitors:

  • Crowdfunding: Duncan McLaurin
  • Project Central: Bethany Adams
  • Study Sense: Haylee Hornbeck

2016

Winner: SanMon
Trevor Trouchon

Second Place: Paradox
Vinay Ramakishnaiah and Ye Feng

Third Place: Cowboy Performance and Manufacturing
Kyle Kuhn 

Video Pitch Fan Favorite: RotiMagic
Dilraj Kaur

Other Competitors:

  • Truck Foods: Duncan Mclaurin
  • Guard the Grey Matter: Julia Wickerath
  • $ave My Health: Levi Kelly
  • AdFluence: Domenic Damico
  • GuardFraug: Rolf Schuster
  • Paradox: Vinay Ramakrishnaiah
  • Hound: Tabitha Briscoe
  • Elevate Crate: Vince Sleep
  • MED BOW Skis: Weston Walker 
  • ExpeditionDe: Chelsea Hampton 
  • Rocky Mountain Character Factory: Justin Roe 
  • Precision Probiotics: Boris Plotkin 

2017

First Place: Lev’Sonic
Levente Pap

Second place: Valued Energy Platform
Greyson Buckingham and John Lee

Third Place: Atmosphere Marketing
Dallin Cooper

Video Pitch Fan Favorite: PhotoHound
Keegan Haukass, Jack Murdock, Samuel Robertson, and Jordan Bates

Other Competitors:

  • SAMC: Andrew McLaughlin
  • Precision Probiotics: Boris Plotkin
  • Brad J. Orr: Brad Orr
  • Clear Skies Planning: Kenneth Brenneman
  • Dialogued Data: Patricia Claire Dinneen
  • Calendar Connect: John Lee
  • Skeye: Matthew Lehmitz
  • Hill Family Crawfish: David Hill
  • 1883 Ranch, LLC: Jace Linke
  • emmi: Jessenia Abarca
  • Wyoming Wheels: James Francis
  • AquaLux: Justin Oborny
  • WY Events Company: Joseph Sanchez
  • The Uglies Organics: Kenna Johnson
  • Inland Energy: Levi Kelly
  • BioScanCam: Maja Gorsic
  • Cronin Construction & Resource Management, LLC: Matthew Cronin
  • Queens Players Theatre Troupe: Micaela O’Connor
  • Wyoming Coatings/ Powder River Resdiential Services (PRRS): Jordan Moffet
  • McKim Publications: Connor McKim
  • Tribridge: Mustaffa Raja
  • BodyFuel Fitness: Mia Zaffarano
  • Stirling Robyns Publishing, LLC: Oscar Lilley
  • Integrated Vehicle Solutions: Omar Raddaoui
  • Irukleanji: Paul Bonifas
  • Increase: Phillip Thomas
  • FROOM: Yan Pang
  • travlr feed: Roshan Kumar
  • Pokes Pickup: Hunter Perala
  • MicroFlight: Shane Cornell
  • Apex Outdoors: Seth Holcomb
  • Harms Way Boarding, LLC: Tanner Harms
  • The Doggery: Taylor Murray
  • Misfit Makeup Artistry: Tristen Morrison
  • GoRound: Trystan Bennett
  • Estudiamos: Christopher Walker
  • Coast to Coast: Matthew Oolman
  • Self Sustaining Gardens: Claire Ratcliffe
  • AutoPrev: Mhamed Samat
  • Bold & Cursive: Kshama Lakshmi Rangantha
  • Elite Chick: Debalina Maitra
  • PurpleCat: Anne Loyd
  • Tall Tree Hardware: Steven Mcarthur
  • U-Park: Abby Rose
  • Tylor Bond: Tylor Bond
  • Velocity Speed Ways: Shamila Kumara Ranjan

2018

Business Track Grand Prize Winner: IOTherm
Kennan Oyen, Joey Oyen

Social Enterprise Track Grand Prize Winner: GROWyoming
Claire Ratcliffe, Bryan Jewell

John P. Ellbogen Entrepreneurial Distinction Award in Social Enterprise: Sunao
Jerica Hunter

John P. Ellbogen Entrepreneurial Distinction Award in Business: Medical Device Advisors
Grace Tena De Lara

Bill Daniels Business Ethics Winner: Growyoming

2019

First Place: Scitech Energy
Morteza Akbarabadi and Vahideh Mirchi

Second Place: Autosense
Braxton Cooper and Kyler Lunberg

Third Place: Torch Creamery
Tesa Halter and Tea Hill

Bill Daniels Business Ethics Winner: Torch Creamery

Other Competitors:

  • Ivie Welding Fabrications: Aaron Ivie
  • Food Finder: Auston Larson and Trevor Trouchon
  • Menuly/Auduinoworkshop: Ahmed Balogun, Heather Baker And Aishat Balogun
  • Cowboy Geophysical: Anthony Moraes
  • Pools Magnic: Adam Raddaoui
  • Financial Services: Amanda Smith
  • The Black Butterfly Record Company: Abbigail Williams
  • Localist: Bryce Lidtka
  • Campus Pleebr: Pyi Maung, Coldon Kramer, Chase Wilson, Chunjin Guo, Kaitlyn Hill
  • Autosense: Dalton Hass
  • Not My Cookin’: Darci Laird
  • Crystalpore: Bruce Mastorovich, Phuoc Hoang-Hanh Duong, and Valerie Kuehl
  • Diversify: Emiliano Mendez Ii, Jose Garcia
  • Real Asian Fashion: Eric Van Wig
  • Company One: Garrett Bietz
  • Work Before Play: Grant Mader
  • Parkspace/Parking App: Jake Koney, Krishna Sai
  • Buffalo Go: Kinkoye Duhart, Noah Meridith
  • Real Asian Fashion: Raphael Homer
  • Avba: Kathleen Shuster
  • Revitalized Materials: Todd Muller
  • Countree Cutie Boutique: Yahsmin Gorji
  • 7220 Pet Services: Tara Cottrill

2020

First Place: Resono Pressure Systems
Johnathan Naughton and Pourya Nikoueeyan

Second Place: CellDrop
Benjamin Noren and John Oakey

Third Place: Landseer
Erica Belmont and Kurt Stahlfeld

Fourth Place: Nexus Reliability
Chas Ogden, Fritz Ogden, Steve Bagley

Bill Daniels Business Ethics Winner: Torch Creamery

Top Submission, Community College Team: EvolvED
Brett Ralston, Chris Larsen, and Samuel Riggs

Top Submission, Female Entrepreneur: Step-up Strategies
Ty Shockley and Ashley Hyche

Top Submission, Social Enterprise: Build Mothers Build the World
Abby Lozano, Kyrie Blaney, Carole Boughton, and Dilnoza Khasilova

Top Submission, Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming: Build Mothers, Build the World.

People’s Choice Award: CellDrop

Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Award: Build Mothers, Build the World.

Special Commitment by the John P. Ellbogen Foundation to Build Mothers, Build the World, as a nonprofit organization

2021

First Place: LifeGlass
Bettcher Ryan and Boothby Thomas

Second Place: WireDraw, LLC
Jared Henderson

Third Place: AI Understand U
Bowman Stephanie

Top Submission, Community College Team: Cooking With Community
Madera Amy, Nolan Amelia, Niedo Brittney, Jimenez-Vasquez Rodolfo, Jimenez-Solario Jair, Chambers Oliver, and Roche Stephanie

Top Submission, Female Entrepreneur: B3
Sanders Brayton, Meeks Perri

Top Submission, Social Enterprise: AI Understand U

Top Submission, Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming: Cooking With Community.

People’s Choice Award: B3

Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Award: LifeGlass

Special commitment by John P. Ellbogen Foundation: Cooking With Community

Finalists:

  • FabSampler: Dutta Debashis, Mahmud Sakur, Ramproshad Sarker, and Deb Rajesh
  • Bedrock Outdoors: Dixon Emma and Davis Taylor
  • Armour Glove: Jensen Matthew and Hartman Teegan
  • Orman’s Sweets: Roberts Story

2022

First Place: UplinkRobotics LLC
Brady Wagstaff, Christian Bitzas, Oreoluwa Babatunde, and Zoe Worthen

Second Place: LIMS
Nicholas Case and Dr. Shannon Albeke

Third Place: GigaChar LLC
Alexandra Howell and Erica Belmont

Fourth Place: GS Solar
Grant Serbousek

Top Submission, Community College Team: IVIE Farms
Aaron Ivie

Top Submission, Female Entrepreneur: GigaChar

Top Submission, Social Enterprise: GigaChar

Top Submission, Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming: IVIE Farms

People’s Choice Award: Carving the Future
Talia Atkins

High School Choice Award: UplinkRobotics

Ethical Startup Award: Carving the Future
Talia Atkins

Special commitment by John P. Ellbogen Foundation: IVIE Farms

Other Competitors:

  • Virtual Reality Athletics: Rhett Muchmore

2023

First Place: BAST Manufacturing
Clayton Auzqui, Carly Keller, and Jared Clapper

Second Place: Inspira Nutrition
Evan Eversole

Third Place: EdgeFlyte
Tate Schrock

Fourth Place: Purely Persistent
Michelle Schutten

Top Submission Award, Community College Team: Heart to Heart – WY
Rilei Farmer, Tatiana Farrington, and Thea Farrington

Top Submission Award, Female Entrepreneur: Purely Persistent

Top Submission Award, Social Enterprise: Wyoming Rail Yard
Dayton Hammel

Top Submission Award: Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming: BAST Manufacturing

The People’s Choice Award: Wyoming Rail Yard

Daniels Fund Ethics Initiative Collegiate Program Award: MC Cares
Aram Maljanian, Benjamin Wilkin, Clayton Auzqui, and Jared Clapper

Other Competitors:

  • OneHealth: Carter Kirkbride, Cameron Schoening, and Noah Forbes

2024

First Place: FINA Custom Work
Ana Acevedo and Jesus Acevedo

Second Place: MayPall
Leo Gomelsky, Lucas Wall, and Mark Gomelsky

Third Place: Power Theory Inc.
Luke Macy, Isaac Almejo-Ponce, Erik Rivera, Katie Fisher, and SungHa Kim

Top Submission Award, Community College Team: Southern Soul Kitchen
Evelyn Rodriguez

Top Submission Award, Female Entrepreneur: UniquiClay Creative Studio
Susan Noah

Top Submission Award, Social Enterprise: Wyoming Rail Yard
Dayton Hammel

High School Choice Award: Power Theory Inc.

Jon Benson Award for Best Ability to Positively Impact Wyoming: MayPall

The People’s Choice Award: Wyoming Rail Yard

Ethical Startup Award: O3
Dalton Gregory

$50k EEC Winner Spotlight Presentation Award: MayPall and FINA Custom Work

2025

First Place: Cowboy Country Milling
Stuart Lerwick, J.D. Corson, Emily Jarrell

Second Place: Carbonado Technology LLC
Chooi Kim, Kam Weng Ng

Third Place: DeWitt Aerotech Inc.
Korbin DeWitt, Nolan Nachbar, Nile Young

Daniels Fund Ethical Startup Award: Prene Outdoors
John Beier

First Interstate Bank Audience Choice Award: Cowboy Country Milling
Stuart Lerwick, J.D. Corson, Emily Jarrell

Benson Innovation & Impact Award: RenU Fuel Solutions
Jacob Kirby, Anh Hoang Minh Nguyen

Small to Medium Enterprise Award: Skála
Zachary Pinc, Sarah Drewry

Micale Community Award: Prene Outdoors
John Beier