e-Fest 2022: Here’s What a $50,000 Idea Looks Like

Ninety-six entries, 250 students and 58 different universities later, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship officially wrapped e-Fest 2022 by awarding $215,000 in cash prizes.

The $50,000 grand prize was awarded to HydroPhos Solutions from the University of New Hampshire for its solution to extract phosphorus from wastewater so that it can be sold to fertilizer companies. The team also received the Global Impact Award after competing in the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, the marquee event of the national college entrepreneurship competition.

Two St. Thomas teams also competed in the April 28-30 event at the Schulze School’s downtown Minneapolis campus. Among the St. Thomas teams in the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge, business management major Hao Taing ’22 was part of the first-place winning team in Friday night’s Innovation Challenge. During this event, students formed teams with members of other universities and had three hours to complete a challenge and pitch to a panel of judges. The team took home $20,000.

Here is the full list of winners from e-Fest 2022 (for more information on each of the Top 25 teams that participated in the finals, visit eiexchange.com):

$50,000 Grand Champion:

HydroPhos Solutions from University of New Hampshire: Jason Plant, Katie Remeis, Matt Oriente, Daisy Burns and Derek Long
Adviser: Ian Grant

$30,000 Runner-up:

Reboot Reforestation from University of Alabama: Dalton Morris, Hunter Cejka and Bryan Gyenes
Adviser: Gina Simpson

$20,000 Third Place:

Manser Edbrooke Technology from FAMU - FSU College of Engineering: Patrick Manser, Charlie Edbrooke and Mario Vega
Adviser: Kaitlin Simpson

$15,000 Fourth Place:

Casgains Terminal from the University of Chicago: Caleb Chan and Kasen Yip
Adviser: Lucas Peralta

$10,000 Fifth Place:

Resense from Grove City College: Luke Gilligan and Ethan David
Adviser: Logan Hammerschmitt

Social Impact Award:

Conserve from Georgia State University: Nicole Toole and Minal Dalwadi
Adviser: Dr. Isabelle Monlouis

Global Impact Award:

HydroPhos Solutions from University of New Hampshire: Jason Plant, Katie Remeis, Matt Oriente, Daisy Burns and Derek Long
Adviser: Ian Grant

Pitch Slam!

The top 25 finalist teams arrived at the University of St. Thomas on April 28 and kicked off the weekend with the Pitch Slam! No slides, no props, no videos, just a microphone and 90 seconds to pitch their business ventures to the audience. All 25 teams delivered 90-second elevator pitches, with the top three teams sharing prize money totaling $17,500.

First Place - $10,000:

Let’s Tap In, LLC from Towson University: Ryan Rutkowski and Conrad Brake
Adviser: Patrick McQuown

Second Place - $5,000:

Reboot Reforestation from the University of Alabama: Dalton Morris, Hunter Cejka and Bryan Gyenes
Adviser: Gina Simpson

Third Place - $2,500:

Fit Oven from Florida Atlantic University: Brandon Feinstein and Jonathan Soberon
Adviser: Kevin Cox

Innovation Challenge:

On the evening of April 29, students formed teams with members of other universities and had three hours to work through a challenge and create a presentation to pitch to judges comprised of our university advisers. The top three teams shared prize money totaling $35,000.

First Prize of $20,000: