BABL AI, a company that employs certified independent auditors to ensure systems comply with the AI regulation landscape, and its owner, Shea Brown, won first place and $25,000 at the University of Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) Innovation Challenge Awards.
The award ceremony took place April 18 at Black Box Theater in the Iowa Memorial Union in Iowa City.
Iowa JPEC is the hub for entrepreneurial education and outreach at the University of Iowa, and helps students, faculty, staff, and community members launch and grow businesses.
This year, Iowa JPEC awarded a total of $135,000 in three divisions to support innovation across campus and beyond, and BABL AI placed in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division.
Placing second in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division was Daniel Infield and his research and development engineering firm Halide Biologics, Inc. with $15,000.
Third place and $10,000 went to Aaron Brake and APEX: AI Patient Experience, an advanced AI-driven platform poised to transform patient education in healthcare.
SeatStock, a company that safeguards clients when buying and selling student tickets, was the biggest winner in the undergraduate division and placed first for Best Technology/High Growth, earning $10,000.
First place in the alumni division went to Zachary Grasso and Pesche, earning $12,500. Pesche specializes in health-conscious mocktails catering to the lifestyle-oriented market.
A total of 29 startups won a cash prize at the Spring Innovation Challenge. Six winners in the faculty/staff/graduate student/incubator startup division shared $60,000, 20 winners in the undergraduate division shared $50,000, and three winners in the alumni division shared $25,000.
To see a full list of winners, visit https://iowajpec.org/news/2024/04/babl-ai-wins-25000-top-prize-spring-innovation-challenge.
