Bobcats sweep the podium at business startup challenge

The lights on Montana Hall were lit Tuesday, April 19, in honor of MSU teams securing $42,500 in prize money at the 33rd annual John Ruffatto Business Startup Challenge. MSU students representing Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, College of Letters and Science, College of Architecture, Norm Asbjornson College of Engineering and the Honors College traveled to Missoula, Montana to pitch their best business ideas at the 33rd annual competition on Friday, April 15.

The competition was open to all students attending college in Montana and a total of 12 teams were invited. Students reaching the final round presented to a group of over 250 business professionals and had the opportunity to network with potential investors and other successful entrepreneurs. 

Zariah Tolman and her teammates pitched their business idea, Positivity Outward, which is an app designed to improve the mental health of rural youth by connecting them with mentors. Positivity Outward won second place and received the Brandon Speth Award for Passion, Poise and Charisma as well as the Athena Award, which is given to the team with the most compelling female participation.

“There was a lot of really awesome networking,” Tolman said. “We got to interact with business professionals with really great backgrounds and connections and there’s a few I will be staying in touch with. Leveraging the expertise that was there has already been really helpful.”

In addition to insights and advice from professionals, the weekend offered affirmation for Tolman. “I felt really seen and validated in the work that I’m doing,” Tolman said, describing one connection with an observer who was deeply impacted by the mission of Positivity Outward. 

Each team gave their 10 minute presentation to four different panels of judges. The presentations were followed by a 10 minute question and answer period. Four teams from both MSU and UM made it to the final round. 

All four MSU teams received awards. Morel Technology took first place and was also named Most Innovative for their idea of helping restaurants become more competitive by creating apps for online orders. Bloom Technologies, a venture focusing on making environmentally friendly fertilizer, was awarded third place, the People’s Choice Award and the ESG Award. The ESG award recognizes the business idea that most aligns with principles of environmental, social and corporate governance. Telepathy Inc., working on lidar technology in self-driving vehicles, took fourth place and was awarded Best Elevator Pitch.