Fetch Food was named winner of the 2014 Opportunity Quest Competition (OQ), receiving a $5,000 cash prize. On Friday, ten collegiate teams presented their business ideas to a panel of five judges at the University of Utah. Sagebin Air and Grade Right were awarded $3,000 and $2,000 cash prizes for second and third place, respectively.
Fetch Food, a Salt Lake City based start-up, offers free restaurant food delivery. They utilize a patented routing algorithm to make deliveries efficient and inexpensive.
“With the $5,000 we are planning on hiring a sales force and expanding to Sugar House,” says Karthik Raman of Fetch Food who is pursuing a Ph.D. in bioengineering at the U. “We are actively looking for students to drive sales and innovation with us.”
Raman is working with Amrish Kapoor, who studied computer science at the U. Kapoor is currently an adviser on the team.
To learn more about the company, visit www.fetchfood.net.
Sagebin Air was runner-up with a prototype for an in-flight entertainment streaming system that runs off an intranet rather than the internet. Grade Right created an app for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) companies to improve technician services.
Opportunity Quest takes place at the University of Utah and 11 other participating Utah colleges. Each campus has representatives who direct the competition and manage the awarding of cash prizes. Participants receive an educational forum to aid in developing a professional, competitive executive summary. Opportunity Quest is managed by students through the Utah Entrepreneur Series, a division of the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and the David Eccles School of Business.
The top-10 finalists from the University of Utah were:
- GoPack: improved, on-the-go food packaging.
- Grade Right: a web-based app for HVAC technicians identifying hidden problems in a heating and cooling system and explaining the problems to a customer in an easy to understand format.
- Lunch Box: a free mobile app connecting companies with college students through the use of free food.
- Doxy.me: a simple, secure web-based solution for healthcare providers to remotely interact with their patients.
- Fetch Food: a free food delivery service.
- Material Trunk: an online construction materials database and design system that enables users (primarily architects, interior designers, contractors, and homeowners) to source building products and generate design ideas.
- AutoReply: a device that connects to a vehicle, and disables specific phones while a vehicle is in motion.
- VizApply: creates a 360 degree profile of job applicants, which includes a video interview, up front in one step. The software then analyzes the entire applicant pool for emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills and quantitative skills based on manager prescribed weighting.
- Sagebin Air: an on-board media storage drive, server, and Wi-Fi hotspot that can be accessible to any Wi-Fi enabled device, in order to steam entertainment in-flight.
- ZolSco Apps: an interactive way to communicate with individuals within a business to ask short, direct questions and receive timely responses.
“The 2014 OQ competition brought in many innovative submissions,” says Justin Stevens, director of the 2014 Opportunity Quest Competition. “These teams are motivated, dedicated and truly represent the entrepreneurial spirit that is shaping our future. We wish each of the teams the best of luck.”
The third and final event in the Utah Entrepreneur Series is the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge (UEC). In this event student entrepreneurs from across the state, submit a comprehensive business plan for an opportunity to win a $40,000 grand prize. The UEC is sponsored by Zions Bank and offers business services to the winning team. Student entrepreneurs are encouraged to submit their executive summaries and videos by Jan. 29th, 2014.
For more information on the Utah Entrepreneur Challenge and to enter a submission visit http://www.ues.utah.edu/ues-competitions/uec/
