GVSU teams win money at MWest Challenge

Three student teams from Grand Valley State University won prize money at the 2016 MWest Challenge, a competition that allows entrepreneurially minded students to develop and grow new ventures based on their own ideas. 

The event was held April 1 at the Eberhard Center on Grand Valley's Pew Grand Rapids Campus, hosted by the Richard M. and Helen DeVos Center for Entrepreneurship in the Seidman College of Business. 

More than 50 startup teams were featured, representing 130 students from Grand Valley, Aquinas College, Calvin College, Kendall College of Art and Design, Cornerstone University, Davenport University, Grand Rapids Community College, Kuyper College and Hope College. 

Students were competing for $40,000 in prize money; each team had eight minutes to present their idea to the judges.

The Grand Valley team, Boot Strap Innovations, won the Northwestern Mutual Grand Prize Master Class Award of $6,500. Team members include Daniel Diem Rylaarsdam and Preston Smith. Smith presented the idea — a system that enables farmers to produce ice without electricity. The portable system, which utilizes zeolite absorption, has no moving parts and only requires the application of heat from fire or sunlight to recharge the system.

The Mechanical IV Pump team from Grand Valley won the Spectrum Health Care Innovations Award of $5,000. Team members include Nicole Lorenz, Nelson Schrader and Christian Yap. Schrader and Yap presented their idea for an automated IV system that is compact, portable and allows patients to administer their own treatments.

The team Simply Conquer won a $1,000 Impact Award. Team members include Taylor Groenhout, Jordan Vanderham, Tyler Jones and Zoe Bruyn. Jones and Bruyn presented their idea for an adjustable high-heel shoe. The technology allows the user to wear one pair of shoes that can be altered to various heights.

The competition was judged by more than 45 experienced entrepreneurs, executives and business leaders from the West Michigan community. Final round judges were Denise Graves, university relations director at MEDC; JoAnn Chavez, vice president and chief tax officer at DTE Energy; Jon Brickner, chief development officer at Northwestern Mutual; Tina Bain, director of Global Special Events at Amway; and Rick Baker, president and CEO of Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

This year's competition was presented by Northwestern Mutual, along with Spectrum Innovations, GR Current, Spartan Innovations and Amway.