Top 24 Announced in 2017 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge

High school entrepreneurs across the state of Utah, ages 14-18, are competing for $30,000 in cash and prizes in the 2017 High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. Today, the competition announced the top 24 teams that will be moving on to the final stage of the competition. This competition is hosted by the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute, a division of the David Eccles School of Business at the University of Utah, and sponsored by Zions Bank.

Each high school team faced the challenge of identifying a problem and proposing a creative solution.

“This completion has offered an opportunity to so many high school students to get creative and be introduced to entrepreneurship,” said Stephanie Gladwin, the student director of the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge and an international studies student at the University of Utah. “We are so impressed with the quality of the applications. We know that this year’s top 24 business ideas are even more competitive than last year.”

The top teams are competing with ideas ranging from hammocks and potato-chip dispensers to apps and healthcare devices. Find a complete list of the finalists with descriptions below.

These 24 teams will advance to the final round, where they will meet for a final judging event and a public awards ceremony on April 15 at Lassonde Studios on the University of Utah campus. All are invited to the public ceremony on that day at 4-6 p.m.

“We’re thrilled about the statewide growth and participation for HSUEC,” said Anne Bastien, a director at the Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute. “We think this is the tip of the iceberg for high school innovation and entrepreneurship in the state. We can’t wait to host the top teams at the final award ceremony at the University of Utah.”

The High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge is the youth version of the collegiate Utah Entrepreneur Challenge, which offers $100,000 of cash and prizes.

Learn more about the competition at lassonde.utah.edu/hsuec.

High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge Season Timeline

• Monday, Dec. 5, 2016: Submissions open
• Wednesday, March. 1, 2017: Application submission deadline
• 2-March 15, 2017: Online judging
• Thursday, March 16, 2017: Top 24 announced.
• Saturday, April 15, 2017: Private Judging & Mentoring at the Spencer Fox Eccles Business Building from 7:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. Public Showcase & Awards at the Lassonde Studios from 4-6 p.m.

High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge Top 24 Teams

Here are the top 24 teams in the High School Utah Entrepreneur Challenge. These teams will advance to the final event. They are listed in alphabetical order:

• 123Hammock – Skyridge High School (Lehi) – Aims to revolutionize the hammock industry by providing a hammock that has easily attachable parts.
• Air Scare – Beehive Science & Technology Academy (Sandy) – Innovative small, portable and nonpolluting air dancers (ADs) make a positive impact by making air travel safer and saving birds’ lives by scaring them away from airports.
• AptiTekk – Bingham High School (South Jordan) – All-in-one business solution makes it easy to book rooms, equipment and more.
• BacteriaPets – Maser Prep Academy (Orem) – A fun classroom lab designed for elementary school classrooms. Using bacteria, students can create their own “pets,” or bacteria cultures, in a safe environment, while learning about bacteria at the same time.
• Board Buddy – American Preparatory Academy (Riverton) – Board Buddy makes it impossible for beginner snowboarders to catch their edge. The product is made of hard plastic that prevents the riders downhill edge from touching the snow.
• CoderKeys – Pine View High School (St. George) – An app to teach kids how to type more efficiently for computer programming – and it’s fun.
• ColoClean – Rowland Hall (Park City) – ColoClean is an alternative colonoscopy preparation kit. Their mission is to provide an effective, humane, personalized colonoscopy prep kit that keeps prep less burdensome for the patient.
• DeFlame Wrap – West High School (Salt Lake City) – The wrap will provide support and compression on muscles during exercise. After exercise the wearer may chill the wrap to ice any inflamed muscle areas.
• Discount Driver – West High School (Salt Lake City) – An app that tracks phone usage while driving through the use of accelerator and NFC sensors.
• GovGush – Riverton High School (Riverton) – GovGush is a unified technology platform, via mobile and web engagement app, for the public, political representatives and governments.
• HeadShot: Concussion Diagnosis – Hillcrest High School (Midvale) – Help athletes know how to better care for and handle their concussions. The technology used measures brain activity of regions of the cortex.
• Health For All – Park City High School (Park City) – A line of clothing and accessories that integrates a type of subwoofer (tactile transducers or bass shakers) to be used for new-age healing techniques as well as a cutting-edge musical experience.
• Multi-Use Backpack – Timpview High School (Provo) – A backpack with an inflatable mattress and pump. Allows buyer to be able to sleep more comfortably on the go.
• My Lunch – Herriman High School (Herriman) – Parents and students can pre-order delicious, wholesome lunches from the My Lunch app and select a nutritious meal with quality fruits and vegetables.
• One Heart One Home – Kearns High School (Kearns) – It starts by giving the homeless a place to call home, and a community they care about maintaining. The primary goal is to design and construct tiny homes for those who have no place to go.
• PocketFab – Skyridge High School (Lehi) – This is a simple product: a pocket. This pocket will be able to hold your phone and other items in a place of your choice.
• pRaise the Pringle – Park City High School (Park City) – Created a lift so that as Pringles are removed from the top, the lift pushes new Pringles to the top of the can.
• Puzzle Panels – Academy for Math, Engineering & Science (Salt Lake City) – Portable solar panels that would eventually be able to be sent to emergency sites and set up very quickly.
• Self-Image Mirror – Timpview High School (Provo) – What if instead of only providing our reflection, our mirror could let us know that we’re looking good, that our hair is impeccable and our outfit stunning? The Self-Image Mirror will provide this service.
• Stadium Chair – Skyridge High School (Lehi) – Seats in the stadium that are heated and cooled for when it is cold or hot outside.
• StraightShot Apparel – Kearns High School (Kearns) – Adaptive apparel/clothing company to provide ease in accessing areas to administer medications by injection, port, feeding tube or other ways.
• The Curb Climber – Copper Hills High School (West Jordan) – A base that will be built into the bottom of motorized chairs that will use motors and wheels to lift the chair over the curb.
• The Great Traffic Stop De-escalator – Skyline High School (Millcreek) – A robot that acts as an intermediary between the police officer and the civilian for traffic violation stops.
• Valle – Bingham High School (South Jordan) – Valle is a high-end clothing brand for urban and street wear designs.