On April 27, 25 teams of undergraduate students from across North America will gather in Minneapolis for the seventh annual e-Fest business competition, which has awarded more than $1.5 million to hundreds of young people. entrepreneurs since its inception in 2017.
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Sponsored by the University of St. Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship, e-Fest is a national business competition for any undergraduate student pursuing any degree at any four-year college or university in North America. The three-day event provides a unique learning experience and immeasurable networking opportunities for young entrepreneurs. With $215,000 in prize money, e-Fest is also one of the top prize money competitions in the country.
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In addition to competing and connecting with other entrepreneurs, students will have the opportunity to participate in workshops led by industry experts and receive feedback on their businesses from experienced entrepreneurs who serve as judges in four different competitions. Richard M. Schulze, founder and executive chairman of Best Buy, will be the keynote speaker at e-Fest 2023. And this year’s panel of esteemed judges includes:
- Shawntera Hardy, former commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development
- Angelina Lawton, founder and CEO, Sportsdigita
- Damian Novak, board chairman, Fresh Vine Wine
- Tim Welsh, vice chair of Consumer and Business Banking, US Bancorp
- Ann Winblad, co-founding partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners
Minnesota universities were well represented, with three teams from across the state competing. And for the second year in a row, two teams from the University of St. Thomas was chosen as the finalists.
The three teams from Minnesota are:
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Chemco, University of St. Thomas
Chemco recovers raw materials from lithium-ion batteries in an efficient and sustainable manner.
![](https://news.stthomas.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Epiblock_University-of-St.-Thomas1-1024x556.png)
Epiblock, University of St. Thomas
Epiblock is a medical device inserted in the mouth that restricts the flow of blood in the nasal cavity and the surrounding area. Its main function is similar to a tourniquet for the nose, stopping nosebleeds at the source, but it also helps in a wide variety of surgical and cosmetic facial procedures.
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Greenscapes, University of Minnesota-Crookston
Greenscapes brings sustainability to the golf industry by converting recycled glass into sand for course bunkers and topdressing maintenance. As the world’s first and only alternative to natural sand, we are pioneering a new use for America’s unused bulk recyclable glass and helping to alleviate our global sand shortage.
The number of new businesses in the US has grown significantly since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the Census Bureau’s Business Formation Statistics, nearly 5 million new businesses were created in 2021, which is an increase of 55% compared to 2019. That trend is expected to continue, and the University of St. Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship is delighted. to welcome the next generation of entrepreneurial minds to campus.
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“We are excited for another great year of celebrating and rewarding talented undergraduate entrepreneurs across the country,” said Jessica Cooley, interim associate dean of the University of St Thomas Schulze School of Entrepreneurship. “e-Fest gives students the opportunity to showcase their businesses, sharpen their pitches, expand their network, and receive valuable feedback and seed capital to take their businesses to the next level .”
The 25 teams that will participate in this year’s competition are:
- 4U Medical Designs, Rowan University
- Brainable, Loyola Marymount University
- Transcending Crucial Boundaries, LLC, Western Michigan University
- Chemco, University of St. Thomas
- DioTeX Diagnostics, Johns Hopkins University
- Elythea, Brown University
- Epiblock, University of St. Thomas
- Eventor, Beloit College
- FullFlock, University of Pennsylvania
- Greenscapes, University of Minnesota-Crookston
- Just a pause, Grove City College
- Lectra, West Chester University
- Menta, Loyola Marymount University
- Mitey Bites, State University of New York at Plattsburgh
- NextMed, University of British Columbia
- NIX Labs, LLC, Florida Gulf Coast University
- All, Auburn University
- OnPoint Ventilation, Johns Hopkins University
- ParaWave, Ohio State University
- Rarities Market, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
- ReadyCloth, Florida Gulf Coast University
- Reproduced by Rey, University of Northern Iowa
- Smart Dorm, University of Montana
- Sprout to Life Microgreens, California State University Sacramento
- Tadpole, Northeastern University
The e-Fest is sponsored by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, and EIX.org, a nonprofit online platform for entrepreneurship education.