Students pitching an idea at the Madden Challenge
On March 13, Entrepreneurship@DU wrapped up its winter quarter programming with another successful Madden Challenge. It was a night of innovation and celebration with some of Denver’s most exciting entrepreneurs and business professionals. Despite the poor weather conditions, the event still managed to attract a vibrant audience both in person and via livestream.
The quarterly competition at the Daniels College of Business tasks students of the Fourth Industrial Revolution course (BUS 1440) to identify a real-world problem. Once student teams have formed, they creatively solve that problem with a product or service. From there, the teams expand on their ideas, formulating a business plan and pitch that they submit to Entrepreneurship@DU for consideration. It was a competitive pool of applicants, and 19 teams were chosen to compete for the Madden Challenge’s cash prizes.
When the big night arrived, E@DU brought these budding innovators together with its signature “science fair” Madden Challenge layout. All nineteen selected teams set up their poster board business plans around the Community Commons event space. Friends, family and curious passersby were welcomed in and given the chance to roam throughout the room and hear about ventures addressing sustainability, mental health, online privacy and other current issues.
Students not only presented their business ideas to their peers — they also got to pitch their ventures to industry professionals, who later shared their firsthand entrepreneurial experience at the event. The panel of judges included:
- Sid Selah, director, McNeil Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation and teaching associate professor at the Colorado School of Mines
- Erick Mueller, executive director, Deming Center for Entrepreneurship and adjunct professor at the University of Colorado Boulder
- Jaclyn Tracy, founder of Sistain
- Katy Kappler, founder & CEO of InScribe
New this year, the event featured “secret judges” who anonymously made their rounds, scoring students on most innovative use of the 4th Industrial Revolution Technologies, best booth display and best idea that moves humanity forward. Two adjunct professors from DU, Phil McCarthy and Josh Cashman, were revealed as the secret judges and awarded the top team in each new category.
Once the science fair portion of the Madden Challenge concluded, judges deliberated and identified five of the top teams to advance to the final round, where they would pitch their business ideas to the crowd. The audience also voted for their favorite ventures, and the team with the most votes earned the chance to pitch their ideas and compete for cash prizes.
It was fierce competition between the final five teams of student entrepreneurs. The finalists included:
- Euphorifeed, controls social media feeds to promote positivity by reacting to a sensor designed to track brain waves, O2 and heart rate.
- Tyreworks, a 3D printed tire that provides an evergreen solution and diminishes the hassle of bike tire repairs.
- RadGuard, a band that monitors radiation, radon and UV ray exposure; alerting user when levels are high.
- Polaris, a patch that measures dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin levels, which allows for the detection of irregular patterns, mood improvement and suggested medications.
- The Porch Guard, a bench with an RFID key and video surveillance that protects your packages.
Winners in the new categories received a $50 gift card to Gustamo Group and customized 3D metals, those winners included:
Best booth display: Porch Guard
Best idea that moves humanity forward: Polaris
After careful consideration, the panel of industry judges chose the three winners of the Winter 2024 Madden Challenge:
3rd Place ($400): Polaris
2nd Place ($1,000): RadGuard
1st Place ($2,000): TyreWorks
Congratulations to all of the student innovators who made this quarter’s Madden Challenge a success! We’ll see you next quarter for a full slate of E@DU offerings, including Pop-Up Palooza and Entrepreneurship Week.