Mar 9, 2023

Wellness Wear, a clothing brand that promotes mental health in a stylish way, won first place and $1,000 at Startup Games final pitches on March 5 at Hilton Garden Inn in Iowa City, Iowa. The spring edition of Startup Games kicked off March 3 with 35 participants who pitched 28 ideas. Eight teams were formed and the four-minute final pitches were performed March 5 in front of three judges. The students started planning for their business Friday evening, then spent all day Saturday assigning roles, doing research, customer discovery, and meeting with business coaches. Safe Cycle was the biggest financial winner of the games, taking home second place and $750, as well as the People’s Choice Award for $500. Safe Cycle provides relief by ensuring safety and security of a bicycle. Placing third and winning $500 was AutoCompete, an auto parts comparison website that saves small businesses time and money. Startup Games is sponsored by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, the hub for entrepreneurial education and outreach at the University of Iowa. TEAM MEMBERS (Major in parenthesis): WELLNESS WEAR: Daniel Aguilera (mechanical engineering), Alexis Elwood (economics and finance), Simon Glazer (enterprise leadership), Euan McDermid (enterprise leadership), Alyssa Miner (enterprise leadership). SAFE CYCLE: Karthika Kelat (second year Ph.D., biomedical engineering), Andrew Lukz (management), Kathleen Taback (communications), Geno Tanquilut (entrepreneurial management), Nathan Wedemeyer (enterprise leadership). AUTOCOMPETE: Aly Bishop (enterprise leadership), Christian Johnson (informatics: human-computer interaction), Will Kamentz (pre-business). Gallery