Sixty-four student teams competed for nearly $85,000 in prizes during the 38th annual New Venture Competition at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship, the two-day business plan tournament featured undergraduate and graduate students from all 10 of the university’s colleges and 38 majors.

“This competition showcases the creativity, resilience and drive of Nebraska students. It puts a spotlight on the entrepreneurial activity at the university that helped Nebraska debut at No. 42 in the world in The Princeton Review^® entrepreneurship ranking earlier this year,” said Samuel Nelson, Bauermeister Family Presidential Chair in Entrepreneurship, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship and associate professor of practice in management. “We’re proud to see these teams from across campus take the stage to pitch ideas that could make real-world impact.”

Jackson Donley, a sophomore management major and member of the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator from Bloomington, Minnesota, earned first place and $15,000. His business, SomeGuys Services, focuses on door-to-door sales and comprehensive window cleaning services.

"My entrepreneurial journey started in high school and took off at Nebraska,” Donley said. “The Center for Entrepreneurship gave me the tools, support and mentorship I needed to grow. I’ve been able to work with people like Tom Welter, who runs nine home service companies and has been an incredible mentor through the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator. That guidance, along with the workshops and peer connections, made all the difference.”

Donley and the other winners may be considered for additional investments of up to $25,000 from the Husker Venture Fund, a student-led fund in the College of Business. Additional finalists included:

• Second Place ($12,500): J&D Lake Services LLC – Joseph Weinberger, sophomore Clifton Builders management major from Bull Valley, Illinois. J&D Lake Services LLC offers eco-friendly lake weed removal services to clients like HOAs and golf courses.
• Third Place ($10,000): Alpha Omega Pickleball – Andreas Katsaounis, freshman business administration major and Entrepreneurship Catalyst from Waterloo, Nebraska. Alpha Omega Pickleball specializes in high-performance, affordable pickleball paddles, targeting the $2.2 billion U.S. market.
• Fourth Place ($7,500): PROTO – Brody Marr, sophomore electrical engineering major from Lincoln, Nebraska, and Patrick Stolinski, junior civil engineering major from Omaha, Nebraska. PROTO aims to empower STEM education by providing accessible robotics programming and kits for educators and after-school programs.

The competition also featured the Advanced Traction Bracket, a track for returning competitors with operational businesses. Judges awarded $15,000 at their discretion among the following:

• First Place ($8,000): FuturHerd Solutions, LLC – Brooke Parrish, Ph.D. student in animal health, welfare and precision management from Elmwood, Illinois, whose livestock tech company addresses caretaker challenges with innovations like the Nursery Nanny robot.
• Second Place ($5,000): InfoFilm – Madison Kreifels, senior agricultural and environmental sciences communication major from Syracuse, Nebraska, whose venture aims to close the gap between agriculture and consumers.
• Third Place ($2,000): TeachFront – Lena Lankas, junior computer science major from Lincoln, Nebraska, and Nathan Ray, junior supply chain management major from Omaha, Nebraska. The students are part of the Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science & Management and are building tools to support mastery grading in classrooms.

Parrish plans to use the $8,000 prize to fund a pilot research study this summer using the university's NUtrack Livestock Monitoring System.

“When we pitched in the competition last year, it was only my second time ever pitching, so I’ve grown a lot since then,” she said. “This competition helped me refine my pitch and shift my mindset. I used to view judges’ questions as something to fear, but now I see them as supportive and constructive. Presenting in a high-pressure environment like this has made pitching to investors feel more natural and less intimidating.”

A new Judges’ Choice Award recognized eight standout teams for their potential and strong presentations. Each team received a $2,500 prize thanks to the Bauermeister Family:

• Scrappy Woodworks – Seth Wright, senior agribusiness major from Petersburg, Nebraska (Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator, Engler Agribusiness Entrepreneurship Program)
• Cadet Golf – Camden Jauert, freshman business administration major from Saint Bonifacius, Minnesota, and Gavin Schneider, freshman business administration major from Waconia, Minnesota
• Eco-Wrap – Lance Jones, junior agribusiness major from Stapleton, Nebraska
• FindU – Kenny Morales, sophomore software engineering major from Grand Island, Nebraska and Wilson Overfield, sophomore computer science major from Ralston, Nebraska
• Halal Meats – Yamen Seanwan, senior business administration major from Lincoln (Nebraska Entrepreneurship Accelerator)
• Pairr – Mohanad Elsharif, senior software engineering and data science major from Lincoln, and Ayan Hussain, junior computer science major from Lincoln
• Safeguard Solutions – Adam Khattak, sophomore computer science major from Lincoln and Aaron Wohleb, junior computer science major from Lincoln (Raikes School)
• Sandhills Biochar – Treaven Scheideler, senior mechanized systems management major from Scotia, Nebraska

“We consistently hear from judges how tough it is to choose just a few teams to move forward, as so many are deserving,” said Amanda Metcalf, assistant director for the Center for Entrepreneurship. “Thanks to a donor, we're able to give $2,500 to eight standout teams that judges believe are especially worthy of funding to help grow their businesses.”

Co-founders Kenny Morales of Grand Island and Wilson Overfield of Ralston—both sophomores in the Raikes School—also received the Thomas G. Guy Startup Team Award and $2,500 for FindU, a college-matching app. The award honors their outstanding organization and collaboration as a team throughout the competition.

Students took full advantage of the center’s resources to prepare for the event. Sixty percent of teams engaged in coaching, workshops or coursework with center staff and faculty.

“Our team is always here to support students at any stage of their startup journey, whether they need feedback on a pitch deck, help refining a business plan or just someone to talk through ideas with,” said Mallory Krenk, student engagement and recruitment coordinator. “While we host workshops ahead of the competition, it’s the ongoing, one-on-one support that makes the biggest impact. This year, that access paid off, with more teams competing and entering the event prepared and confident.”

Nelson also highlighted the long-term economic impact of the competition on Nebraska and beyond.

“Our student entrepreneurs are launching real businesses and gaining valuable experience. These businesses create jobs and generate economic activity within the local economy,” Nelson said. “Since joining the center in 2012, I’ve seen students go from simply exploring an idea to launching ventures that drive real change. Watching founders like John Wirtz, Luke Bogus or Grant Stahla scale their startups is incredibly rewarding. What makes it even more impactful is the support from our community—people like Tom Welter, Erica Wassinger and Bill Champion—who invest their time and mentorship to help our students succeed. This competition doesn’t just spark ideas, it builds the future of Nebraska’s economy.”