Travel Buddy, an app that streamlines group travel, took first place and $1,000 at the Startup Games final pitches at the Pappajohn Business Building in Iowa City on March 2.
The games began March 1 and initially involved 20 participants, with finals the following day, in which five teams gave five minute speeches before three judges.
Students brainstormed business ideas the first day, spending the following day assigning roles, doing research, customer discovery and meeting with business coaches.
Health Harmony, a wearable medical device that alerts caregivers to potential aggressive behavior in Alzheimer’s patients, took second place with $750.
Walkette, a company selling shoes tailored to female professionals, maximizing both style and comfort, placing third with $500.
Pet Time, a company that connects stressed and lonely college students with domestic animal companionship, received a $500 Judges’ Choice award and also earned a Customer Discovery acknowledgement for conducting 30 customer discovery interviews.
The Travel Buddy team consisted of Theoden Brandt, a business major, Letticia Hinojosa, a human physiology/pre-dentistry student, and Kartik Kalra, a business and pre-law student.
Startup Games is sponsored by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center, the hub for entrepreneurial education and outreach at the University of Iowa.
