Badger Venture highlights KCC’s innovative spirit

Six Klamath Community College teams competed for nearly $5,750 in prize money and bragging rights at the Fifth Annual Badger Venture entrepreneurial competition on campus Thursday night.

While not all walked away with prize money, all inspired the audience of about 50 people with their pitches for problem solving and business savvy.

The top prize winner was Gabrielle Martin with her Posy Wall prototype. Graduating from KCC this June with an Associates in Business Management, Martin took home $2,750 in prize money, including the Audience Choice award.

KCC President Dr. Roberto Gutierrez reminded the competitors that – just like a job interview – they must bring innovation, critical thinking and a way to improve a business in order to succeed in today’s business world.

“But you must be a good listener, too, and be able to motivate others,” he said. “Small business is at the heart of the American economy. We applaud you for your efforts.”

Martin’s Posy Wall is a prototype for a false wall, held up by floor-to-ceiling tension struts that can support a large flat screen TV and other electronics. A variety of “skins” or wraparound material covers the support poles for a stylish look.

“It poses as a wall, hence the name,” she said. “I live in a home built in 1927 and putting brackets into a lath and plaster wall is just not feasible. It won’t support a TV bracket and it leaves ugly holes in the wall. Plus, when you mount a TV, it has a whole set of ugly wires hanging from it. The Posy Wall solves those problems.”

The other prototype winner was the Noble Thunder team of Zane Hancock and Seth Wright, both graduating this year with Associates in Manufacturing Engineering Technology.

“The problem with construction contractors and do-it-yourselfers is that errors in drilling holes cause a lot of waste in construction materials,” said Wright.

The invention holds a drill in place and measures the exact depth a hole has to be drilled, alleviating errors that come from manual drilling.

Abigail Van Gelder, Director of Invent Oregon, invited both prototype teams to the Invent Oregon Bootcamp in May. There, they'll refine their concepts with mentors and vie for a chance to advance to the semi-finals. This could lead to competing for a spot in the June 27 Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge Finals.

In the Business Development Concept category, Overland Adventures took home the top prize of $1,500 for their camping rental and reservation concept. Kevvin Tiefenback and Jeffry Vinson, both Associates of Business Administration graduates this year – and outdoorsmen – want to offer people who may have no camping experience or equipment, a way to have their campsites reserved and set up for them – and taken down after they leave – so to avoid the hassles of packing equipment and finding unique spots to camp.

“We would partner with private landowners who would allow people to camp on their land,” said Vinson. The team hopes to launch their plan with their winnings.

Other team results:

• Rheanna Atkinson, a recent graduate in Business Administration for Dragon’s Roost, walked away with the second-place prize in the Business Development Concept category, a planned hybrid café selling sugar-free beverages, unique clothing, artwork in a family-friendly environment that is “nerdy, cute with delicious drinks,” she said. (Watch for her booth at Third Thursdays).
• Blue Rose Sweets & Treats by Tana Moore, who graduates this year with an Associates in Business Administration. She offers hand-crafted candy gift packages that include hard-to-find classic candies. Moore sells her product online, but plans to open a storefront.
• Project Paradigm by Diego Diaz and Asia Scott, both Associate Oregon Transfer students, who hope to help homeless youth age 25 and under, by building tiny homes. At present, there are more than 1,000 homeless youth in Southern Oregon, they said. The plan includes construction internships for students in middle and high school to learn the construction trade. A Seattle nonprofit is doing similar work with homes costing $4,500 each to build.

The event sponsors included: Klamath County, City of Klamath Falls, Klamath IDEA, InventOR, and the Associated Students of KCC.  The event was organized by the KCC Badger Venture Committee including KCC Administration, KCC Business & Engineering Departments, KCC Small Business Development Center, & volunteer pitch coaches of the Klamath IDEA. Judges were John Stanaland of Business Oregon, Reba Vanacker, local entrepreneur, and Scott Siracusa, managing partner of the Running Y. The emcee for the evening was Klamath County Commissioner Kelley Minty.