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Charling's Startup Wows in National Competitions

Kurtis Charling graduated in December with an MBA from the College of Business Administration and a budding career with the Lindsay Corporation in Omaha, Nebraska, after strong performances in two national startup competitions.

The staff in the Center for Entrepreneurship encouraged him to enter his Strategic Management of Agriculture Related Technologies (S.M.A.R.T.) business in contests sponsored by Forbes and Farm Bureau, to showcase his ideas which will impact the agriculture industry.

kurtis-charling
Charling at CBA
Charling has two patents including one for an irrigation technology which he entered in both competitions. Over 2,500 entrepreneurs applied for the Forbes $1 Million Global Change the World Social Entrepreneurs Competition which focused on entrepreneurial pursuits aiming to solve the world’s most dire issues.

Charling’s technology focuses on preserving water, the earth’s largest natural resource. He was among the top 50 in the competition and was invited to attend the prestigious Forbes Under 30 Summit in Philadelphia in October. That month he also won $10,000 as a semifinalist for the Farm Bureau Rural Entrepreneurship Challenge announced at the American Farm Bureau Board of Directors Meeting in Washington, D.C.

“The staff at the Center for Entrepreneurship is very supportive of young entrepreneurs and found these competitions to help with funding for my business,” said Charling. “Being invited to the Forbes Under 30 Summit is a huge honor. I was able to network with the top entrepreneurs in the world which will help move my business forward. I am also proud to be a Farm Bureau award recipient because I see my future in agriculture and improving ways to feed the world.”
Published: December 29, 2015