Montana State University students showcased their entrepreneurial spirit at the annual Big Idea Challenge on Nov. 7, earning $10,000 in prize money for innovative projects ranging from sustainable food products to medical equipment.
The competition, hosted by the Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship and MSU’s Blackstone LaunchPad, featured 12 finalist teams selected from 44 applicants. Students from seven MSU colleges, including the Honors College, competed in four categories: agriculture and food innovation; social, cultural, or climate impact; health and life sciences; and general products and services.
Each team presented their ideas in four minutes or less to a panel of judges, followed by a Q&A session. The judging panel included industry leaders such as Marc Hamilton, vice president at NVIDIA; Denay Solis, director at Oracle; MSU alumnus Michael Mawn, founder and CEO of Posted and StandBy; and MSU management professor Brooke Lahneman.
Top Innovators Across Categories
Agriculture and Food Innovation
- First Place ($1,000): AFRO Montana Fusion, Bello Yunusa, graduate student in sustainable food systems from Nigeria.
- First Place ($1,000): Crunchy Seeds, Marina Adelmann, Bozeman-based student in integrated lens-based media.
Social, Cultural, or Climate Impact
- First Place ($1,250): Includify, a team of computer science, accounting, and finance students focused on fostering inclusivity.
- Second Place ($750): International Education Networking Initiative, Enkhchimeg Sharav, Ph.D. student from Mongolia.
- Honorable Mention ($500): Share Your Work., Jonathan Onken, studying fish and wildlife ecology and film.
Health and Life Science
- First Place ($1,250): H2Oasis, a project by three Master’s in Innovation and Management students.
- Second Place ($750): Maxillofacial Rehab, a biomedical engineering team from North Dakota and Montana.
- Honorable Mention ($500): PeakMotion, a biomedical engineering team with members from Montana, Wisconsin, Colorado, and Idaho.
Products and Services
- First Place ($1,250): Huevo Paints, a sibling duo studying architecture and business.
- Second Place ($750): TerminusDetail, two architecture graduate students from Washington and Montana.
- Honorable Mentions ($500 each): MORREST, a mechanical engineering project; and TableWorks Gaming, a gaming initiative by students from Spokane, Washington.
Supporting Innovation at MSU
The event highlighted the diversity of MSU’s academic programs, with participants from various disciplines collaborating on innovative ventures. Trevor Huffmaster, director of MSU Blackstone LaunchPad, praised the finalists’ creativity and interdisciplinary teamwork.
The Jake Jabs College of Business and Entrepreneurship, which reported an enrollment of 2,306 students this fall, offers a range of programs, including undergraduate degrees, minors, and master’s degrees in business and innovation. Meanwhile, the MSU Blackstone LaunchPad provides mentorship and resources for aspiring entrepreneurs from all fields, fostering innovation across the university.
This year’s Big Idea Challenge once again underscored MSU’s commitment to empowering students to turn creative ideas into impactful solutions.
By: DNU staff