UMKC’s Regnier Venture Creation Challenge awards thousands in cash prizes to student entrepreneurs

April 16, 2024

62 3 minutes read

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An annual business and pitch competition for student entrepreneurs with start-up ideas recently doled out over $80,000 in award money at UMKC.

The Regnier Venture Creation Challenge (RVCC) is an annual awards ceremony hosted each Spring at UMKC’s Henry W. Bloch School of Management. RVCC is a business plan and pitch competition for degree-seeking students located in Missouri and its bordering states, as well as any student who completes the Entrepreneurship Scholars Program in the Bloch management school.

The money serves as an equity-free prize to help entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses.

There were three separate tracks in this year’s competition. Here are the winners:

James & Rae Block Kansas City Startup Awards

Founded by David M. Block and Russ Cline, the James & Rae Block KC Startup Awards track celebrates Kansas City-based entrepreneurs and is limited to non-students.

First Place – Remodel Relief, $15,000 — Founded by Dr. Shelley Cooper, Remodel Relief advises and directs homeowners through their home maintenance and remodeling journey by providing a centralized portal to organize documents, pictures, receipts, and much more throughout the renovation process.
Second Place – AskSAMIE, $10,000 — AskSAMIE is a curated marketplace that helps people age comfortably in their homes by using adaptive equipment.
Third Place – MD MatchUp, $5,000 — MD MatchUp is a matchmaking app for healthcare that focuses on pairing patients with the most compatible doctors and medical providers.

3rd Place – MD MatchUp with Co-Founder, Bob Waddell

The Regnier Midwest Social Entrepreneurship Awards

The Regnier Midwest Social Entrepreneurship Awards track is focused on identifying those who are using entrepreneurship to create positive impacts in the world.

First Place – Advoteck, $15,000 — Advoteck, LLC is a cyber security company that safeguards the personal information and privacy of individuals who are susceptible to cybercrime through innovative, non-invasive technology.
Second Place – Festoon, $5,000 — Description unavailable.
Third Place – TrashTroopers, $2,500 — TrashTroopers is a community service that empowers students to take an active role in creating cleaner, greener, and more sustainable college campuses.

3rd Place – TrashTroopers with Co-Founders, Jack Pitts and Joshua Chan

The Regnier College Startup Awards

The Regnier College Startup Awards track is for college student entrepreneurs from Missouri and bordering states, This competition group is focused on scalable venture ideas.

First Place – MedCurate, $15,000 — MedCurate is a platform that allows medical professionals to be in control of when and where they work, and their earning potential.
Second Place – Brace Cap, $5,000 — Description unavailable.
Third Place – OfficeGenie, $2,500 — OfficeGenie is an AI tool that allows employees to ask questions about their company’s information to quickly get accurate answers and alleviate any knowledge gaps.