More than $100,000 in prize money was awarded to 19 companies this week through the second phase of the University of Iowa’s Iowa Innovation Challenge.
S5G Therapeutics, a pharmaceutical eye drop compound that provides ocular protection, took home $25,000 for first place in the Innovation Challenge graduate/faculty/staff/incubator startup division.
Winning a $15,000 second-place award in the graduate/faculty/staff/incubator startup division was PheeMed Industries (an at-home Pap test). The surgical simulation platform FX Systems, won $10,000 for third place.
In the undergraduate competition, a $7,500 first-place award in the innovative online business category went to Cedar Sales, a sales company through Amazon that utilizes wholesale techniques and pricing technologies. Winning $7,500 for first place in the best retail business category was ChordaWorms, a company that makes durable fishing lures. Two other first-place winners received $5,000 apiece: Simple Studios in the high growth potential category and Pitcher’s Plate in the best active lifestyle business category.
Simple Studios is a blockchain gaming studio, and Pitcher’s Plate is a product that records, displays, and stores data for baseball pitching practices.
Other $5,000 winners were the travel-planning digital platform Common Ground (fourth place, graduate/faculty/staff/incubator startup), Robinhood (second place, undergraduate innovative online business), Urban Waves Embroidery (second place, undergraduate best retail business), and StuTote (undergraduate best social impact).
Since the Fall of 2019, the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center has awarded more than $750,000 in seed money in Innovation Challenge competitions.
Following is a list of all the Spring 2022 award-winners:
Graduate/Faculty/Staff/Incubator Startup Division
| First | $25,000 | S5G Therapeutics, Inc |
| Second | $15,000 | PheeMed Industries |
| Third | $10,000 | FX Systems, LLC |
| Fourth | $5,000 | Common Ground |
| Honorable Mention | $2,500 | X-Ray Vision |
| Honorable Mention | $2,500 | Helios Loupes |
Undergraduate Division
| High Growth Potential | ||
| First | $5,000 | Simple Studios |
| Second | $3,000 | Callisto Vision |
| Innovative Online Business | ||
| First | $7,500 | Cedar Sales |
| Second | $5,000 | Robinhood |
| Best Retail Business | ||
| First | $7,500 | ChordaWorms |
| Second | $5,000 | Urban Waves Embroidery |
| Third | $1,500 | Skunk Aid |
| Best Social Impact | ||
| First | $5,000 | StuTote |
| Best Active Lifestyle Business | ||
| First | $5,000 | Pitcher’s Plate |
| Second | $3,500 | Actively |
| Third | $2,500 | PTXtension |
| Fourth | $1,000 | Casmium, LLC |
| Best Pitch | ||
| First | $2,500 | Kristoff Poole, Renovaré |