The culmination of the CYstarters program came Wednesday as the fifteen companies in the 2018 cohort presented their ideas to an audience of nearly 100 people.
CYstarters is a 10-week program that provides students with financial support, professional resources and educational workshops for startups.
Inside the Iowa State University Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, each company presented about a problem they identified, their business idea, product, financial projections, marketing strategy and ability to scale. Each presentation was roughly four minutes long.
“This is one of the best days of the year for the entrepreneurship programs at Iowa State and quite frankly for Iowa State in general,” said David Spalding, Raisbeck Endowed Dean of the Iowa State University College of Business.

The companies in the 2018 CYstarters cohort were:
Aloha 21st Century Boomboxes
Aloha 21st Century Boomboxes shifts the paradigm by creating a new listening experience without creating another attachment for smartphones. By creating a boombox device using the Internet of Things, Aloha focuses on harmonious sound quality using a hollow acoustic center.
Ash Avenue Prints
Ash Avenue Prints offers custom-designed posters and prints for Greek organizations, including sororities and fraternities at Iowa State University.
CNB Games
CNB Games creates the ultimate experience for table-top games (Dungeon & Dragons) through a monthly subscription service offering single-story boxes and a campaign box for the game aficionado.
Deadeye BBQ
Deadeye BBQ Products sells high-quality barbecue sauce and gluten-free seasonings without MSG, and with a focus on millennial buyers. Deadeye BBQ products can currently be purchased at Hy-Vee, Fareway, Amazon, and their online store.
Full Circle Living
Full Circle Living helps the geriatric population by providing wellness services to break the notion that a doctor is the only person who can provide wellbeing. Full Circle Living will focus on the 7 dimensions of wellness: physical, emotional, social, spiritual, occupational, intellectual, and environmental.
Home Painter
Home Painter plays matchmaker to home owners looking to receive an accurate estimate and connects qualified painters to receive additional bids, while increasing their market reach.
LivSuite
LivSuite connects the gym goer to their fitness community by use of swipe technology to offer classes, personalized routines and provides added value to fitness memberships specific to their local gym or fitness center.
Lotus
Lotus works to advance shaving technology for women using a 360-degree architecture composed of circular blades to mirror the contour of the one-of-a-kind female body.
Minerals to Algae
Minerals to Algae uses algae-based technology, patented from Gross-Wen Technologies, to enhance micronutrient effectiveness to be absorbed into the body. Minerals to Algae aims to work within the multivitamin and supplement industry by partnering with homeopathic nutraceutical companies.
Lunchsox
Lunchsox sells fun, festive and comfortable socks, while 100% of the profits are donated to nonprofits that provide meals for kids in need. Currently, Lunchsox sells through an online store, with plans to expand in retail channels.
Riverside Events
Riverside Events caters to weddings and special events, with a proposed venue located in Algona, Iowa.
Spotlight
Spotlight helps small retail businesses by connecting customers using location-based advertising for daily deals and special events.
Swoon Event Studio
Swoon Event Studio helps event planners and newly engaged couples with creating unique tablescapes by providing a do-it-yourself online design studio with drag and drop software. Swoon aims to be the ONE shop to rent all design elements by partnering with affiliate decor companies and wedding vendors.
Up the Ante Productions
Up the Ante Productions helps event professionals, small businesses, organizations, and real estate companies market by using aerial videography for promotion and brand awareness.
Woof Rider
Woof Rider is a business built for dog people by dog people. Woof Rider helps dog owners who travel with their dogs by providing a safe and reliable restraint system for personal vehicles.
Award winners
For the first time in CYstarters history, awards were given at the end of the presentations. Five undercover investors sat among the audience and each of them awarded $1,000 to one of the companies at the end of the day. In addition, two alumni awards were given out to people who participated in previous cohorts of CYstarters and have seen continued success since then.

The two Alumni Awards were given to Steven Brokshus, founder of Farmland Finder, and to Clayton Mooney, co-founder of Nebullam and Kinosol.
The selected winners from this year’s cohort were Lunchsox, Home Painters, Aloha 21st Century Boomboxes, Lotus and Ash Avenue Prints.