The Riata Center for Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business has awarded OSU students $45,000 in prize money in the 2020 Riata Business Plan Competition.

Students claim $45,000 in prize money in Riata Business Plan Competition

Thursday, February 6, 2020

Mainstreet — Riata Center Director Marc Tower (second from left) presented the first place award to the winners of the Main Street Lifestyle business track (from left) Joshua Martinez, Josh Hawkins, Katie Kuzdak and Daniel Archer.

The Oklahoma State University School for Entrepreneurship and the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship have named winners of the annual student competition to create business startups at the event finals Jan. 31. The Riata Business Plan Competition at the Spears School of Business promotes entrepreneurship and small business development by focusing on student created, managed and owned ventures.

This year’s competition, which was open to any OSU student regardless of discipline, attracted 30 business plan entries submitted by individuals and teams competing for $45,000 in prize money in three business tracks: Main Street Lifestyle businesses with products or services for a larger market; High Tech businesses with an intellectual property or technology component; and Social Enterprises that offer solutions to social, cultural or environmental issues. Student entrepreneurs where required to produce a 10-page written business plan and a traditional slideshow presented to a panel of judges in the finals.

The winning High Tech team of William Colton (center) and Beau Blanchard accepted their first place award from Tower.

“The Riata Business Plan competition was very successful this year,” said Marc Tower, executive director of the Riata Center. “We had a record number of applicants and the high quality of the student ventures this year is a reflection of their hard work and the excellent advice they’re receiving from faculty and community mentors.”

Winners (major) and business name:

Main Street Lifestyle

1^st – Joshua Martinez (Master's in Business Administration), Josh Hawkins (Master's in Business Administration and Marketing Analytics), Daniel Archer (Chemical Engineering and Premed) and Katie Kuzdak (Master's in Business Administration), Deox
2^nd – Austin Patton (Accounting), Tom Campbell (Finance) and Dalton Dison (Agricultural Business), Mont Capital Partners
3^rd – Reid Riseling (Entrepreneurship) and Michael Buckley (Entrepreneurship and Marketing), Rip Dip Sip

High Tech

1^st – William Colton (Microbiology) and Beau Blanchard (Master's in Entrepreneurship), Paldara, Inc.
2^nd – Henry Cannon (Marketing and Nonprofit Management), Whisk
3^rd – Brittany Laub (Master's in Business Administration) and Alvin Ngo (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Ndiglo Therapeutics

Social Enterprise

1^st – Rachel Brown (Entrepreneurship and Nonprofit Management), Strides
2^nd – Angela Peter (Chemical Engineering), EmPads
3^rd – Muwanika Jdiobe (Master's in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering), Jdiobe Food Industries

First-place winners received $6,000 followed by $3,000 for second place and $2,000 for third. Semifinalists were awarded $1,000 each.

Jackson Moore, founder of the business BikeSafe, was the winner of the $3,000 Richard L. Tourtellotte Family Scholarship, awarded to encourage business creation in Oklahoma and academic study of how governments and the private sector can work together to grow local economies and create jobs.

To learn more about the Riata Center for Entrepreneurship at the Spears School of Business visit https://business.okstate.edu/riata/index.html.

Media contact: Jeff Joiner | Communications Coordinator | 405.744.2700 | jeff.joiner@okstate.edu