2012 - 2013 OPPORTUNITY QUEST WINNERS 

1st Place: Liyen

Team Leader: Chris Ciacone

Team Members: Cristela Hernandez, Jackson Murphy

Contact Information:

(801) 645-5050

cvc0922@westminstercollege.edu

       At LIYEN Inc, we create life devices that inspire the mind, empower the body, and ignite the spirit.  The SLYDER, a revolutionary new inhaler device for asthmatics, is our first life device in driving our vision: To lead a movement of "Liberation From Limitation!"  The SLYDER was created by Chris Ciancone, a lifelong asthmatic, and will be the first flagship product for LIYEN, a local startup driven by Chris and cofounder Jackson Murphy.

2nd Place: Daakye

Team Leader: Abby Speicher

Team Members: Zach Wright

Contact Information:

(570) 677-8552

abby@daakye.com

Company Overview

       Daakye sells purses and wallets handmade in Ghana, Africa.  One purse funds one child in Ghana's education for one week.  Daakye launched on November 28th, 2012.  They have already sold 350 purses which is over $6,000 in revenue.  So far, Daakye has sold enough purses to fund ten children's education for a year.

Mission

       We dream for a brighter future for Ghana's children.  Daakye stimulates the economy in Ghana by creating jobs for unemployed seamstresses, creates advocates in the United States by allowing Americans to get to know the kids they are helping, and funds the future of young people in Ghana.  We are creating a long term solution out of poverty for a small community.

Social Entrepreneurship Winner: Daakye

Team Leader: Abby Speicher

Team Members: Zach Wright

Contact Information:

(570) 677-8552

abby@daakye.com

Company Overview

       Daakye sells purses and wallets handmade in Ghana, Africa.  One purse funds one child in Ghana's education for one week.  Daakye launched on November 28th, 2012.  They have already sold 350 purses which is over $6,000 in revenue.  So far, Daakye has sold enough purses to fund ten children's education for a year.

Mission

       We dream for a brighter future for Ghana's children.  Daakye stimulates the economy in Ghana by creating jobs for unemployed seamstresses, creates advocates in the United States by allowing Americans to get to know the kids they are helping, and funds the future of young people in Ghana.  We are creating a long term solution out of poverty for a small community.

Opportunity Quest 2012-2013 Finalists

 Finalists are listed in alphabetical order, not by ranking.  All finalists will pitch their concept in front of judges on Friday, January 18.  Company descriptions are listed below.

Social Category 2012-2013 Finalists

Company Name	Company Overview
Daakye	Through Daakye, Abby Speicher contracts with Ghanaian seamstresses to create purses which are then sold in the United States. Daakye’s profits go to provide scholarships to kids in Ghana.
Harmony Autism Center	Karlie, hopes to build a facility for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders; the facility would help children develop sensory skills, release stored energy and introduce new social and behavioral skills.
Sugar Doodle Kids	Sugar Doodle Kids is a company which sells children’s sleepwear, the designs of which are from children and artists. A portion of the company’s profits go to help hungry children.

 

General Category Finalists

2011 - 2012 OPPORTUNITY QUEST WINNERS 

1st Place Winner: Inside & Out Cosmetics

Can saving the world be sexy? Inside & out Cosmetics says yes! I&O has married an all-natural, USDA certified organic product to sophisticated branding and luxury packaging to create the sexiest and greenest cosmetic line. The back-bone of I&O is commitment to social responsibility; a portion of proceeds from every item goes to support a cause dedicated to women. They also use minimal packaging and incentivized recycling programs to reduce their impact on the environment. Their debut of moisturizing lipsticks and lipglosses are formulated with organic butters, botanical extracts and essential plant oils that deliver antioxidants and moisture to your lips, enhancing them with all antural beauty. Green's the new black and I&O could never turn their backs to glamour.

2nd Place Winner: Monolith Management

Monolith Management is a band management company that provides a largely underserved market of small bands with management support - no matter where they live, how many fans they have, or what type of music they play. For $200 per month, Monolith's customers have the benefits of working with an established management company that has the connections and resources of a major artist agency. Since its inception in March of 2011, Monolith has acquired a larger customer base than all of its competitors, with over 75 domestic and international customers.

3rd Place Winner: SLC9, Stephen Mahnken

SCL9 clothing stands for Straight Lines and Corked Nines. In the snowsport culture these terms represent having fun and doing what you love. SLC9 is rooted in creating clothing that is meant to keep you warm and comfortable by using the newest and softest fabrics available. The name also has a double entendre, by using SLC it shows people that the company is based out of Salt Lake City and connected to the ski/snowboard community. The brand is built around seeking out and finding the things that bring us joy and comfort in life. When a person chooses to wear an article of clothing, a part of their soul guides them to that attire. The goal is to create those articles of clothing that the heart sets out for, but the mind does not know exist. SLC9's main goal is to make sweatpants cool again to the young hip market, through innovative design and unique features, like ventilation, zippered pockets, iPod holders, adjustable foot strings, and even patented molecular fiber that will keep the customer warm and dry.Their specialized sweatpants, called "Snowswetz" are a unique product that separates them from the rest. These pants will be available in multiple colors and styles to snowboarders and skiers for use under snowpants and for hanging out around the house.

Social Category Winner: Inside & Out Cosmetics

  2011 - 2012 Top 10 Finalists (Aphabetical Order)

  2011 - 2012 Social Category Finalists (Aphabetical Order)

2010 - 2011 OPPORTUNITY QUEST WINNERS 

1st Place Winner: Massox

Massox is a sock manufacturer that brings therapeutic Asian wellbeing and combines it with classic American style. Massox is innitially launching mens designer dress socks that contain patent pending therapeutic, acupressure messagers on the inside surface of the sock. Scientific evidence proves that acupressure therapy can help maintain and improve overall health and vitality. Massox are made of 95% bamboo fiber. Bamboo is a revolutionary new resource that is as strong as steel, yet soft as silk. It is breathable and naturally anti-bacterial. Bamboo is extremely fast-growing, and therefore highly renewable. Bamboo can be grown commercially without dependence on pesticides or other chemical inputs. Massox uses wisdom from the past and technogy from the present to create sustainable socks of the future.

2nd Place Winner: Wenxani

Wenxani is an online software resource to help manage addiction recovery. It is primarily promoted as a suplement to professional counseling and the online tools help additcs change their lives by providing a means to track their daily tasks and goals, focus on positive progress, and provide continuous accountability to peers, mentors, families, friends, and professional therapists. Controlling an addiction is a process, not an event. Daily maintenance and accountability are essential for long-term success of the addict. Current long-term recovery programs lack the means to continuous accountability between addicts and their support network. Wenxani will provide the elemenet of continuous accountability that is missing in current recovery programs and enable greater effectiveness in recovery. Wenxani: What are you doing?

3rd Place Winner: Xazzu Rice Pudding

Xazzu is a start-up fast casual premium rice pudding dessert shop. Xazzu will serve a variety of rice pudding flavors accompanied by toppings of choice for customers. Flavors will include collections of fresh fruits to choclate and caramel based flavors common with ice-cream and frozen yogurt.Xazzu has the opportunity to create a new market for this traditional dessert in Utah. Many specialty ethnic restaurants serve rice pudding as a desert option. Xazzu will be the only fast casual restaurant of its kind in Utah. Company founders identified this opportunity after several visits to a successful east coast restaurant featuring a similar product, The long term strategic goal for Xazzu founders is to crearte and market a delicious product partnered with a hip, exciting, and unique brand that is well positionsed for scalability and sustainable growth.

  2010 - 2011 Top 10 Finalists (Aphabetical Order)

2009 - 2010 OPPORTUNITY QUEST WINNERS

1st Place Winner: Wireless Technologies aspires to be a premier retailer of wireless products and services in the Midwest Region, beginning operations in southeast, Texas.  This region contains some of the fastest growing rural communitities in America with wireless distribution trailing far behind the growth curve.  Wireless Technologies will provide an exceptional wireless experience by offering premium products and services from the most knowledgeable and genuine sales consultants in the industry.  With a service first mentality, Wireless Technologies will differentiate itself from all competition and be the favored shopping experience to that of the big box retailers such as Best Buy and Costco.  Wireless Technologies' customer commitment is:  "We'll make your wireless experience easy and enjoyable!"

2nd Place Winner: ZUTHE is a "better for you" consumer-goods product company.  The flagship product is the Zuthe throat drop, an all natural anti-viral throat drop.  Through the use of organic Oregon thistle honey and a proprietary combination of herbs, Zuthe throat drops will provide immediate relief, but the true unique aspect is the all natural anti-viral ingredients (coconut cream and Lo Han Kuo) that will attack the route virus causing the sore throat and cough.

3rd Place Winner: WeDo Entrepreneurs distributes 100% natural banana flour from Kenya to the United States allowing millions of Americans suffering from celiac disease the opportunity to eat a healthy, gluten-free alternative to wheat.  Simultaneously, we support small businesses and education in Africa by giving back 20% of all profits to communities in need.

2008 - 2009 OPPORTUNITY QUEST WINNERS

1st Place Winner: Chocolot
Chocolot is an artisan chocolate company that produces handcrafted, distinctive chocolates of superior quality. Chocolot is based out of Ogden, Utah, and was started by Ruth Kendrick in August 2008. Ruth possesses over 50 years of experience in the chocolate industry, and is widely regarded as one of Utah’s premier “foodies.” Chocolot’s small size enables it to be extremely responsive to customer needs, and it allows the Chocolot team to develop strong relationships with customers who appreciate unique, out-of-the-ordinary chocolates. Chocolot specializes in sales to retail partners as well as wholesaling to gift basket manufacturers. Our Core Values are: Responsible Growth, Honesty, Creativity and Innovation, Uniqueness, Service, and Hard Work.

2nd Place Winner: Sportster.com
Sportster.com is a unique and robust web-enabled database for athletes of all ages, abilities and disciplines to quickly and easily record, track and analyze their athletic achievements and training efforts throughout their entire sports career. Sophisticated, yet easy to use statistical tools allow athletes to visually analyze their performance through statistical matrices, charts and graphs. Users can compare their performance against competitors, friends or even professional athletes. Sports statistics on existing websites offer static data focused on professional and college level athletes. Sportser.com features dynamic, user driven data presented in a unique and interactive environment inclusive of all athletes at all levels. Monetizing the user base and membership comes in many forms. Primary revenue streams include premium service fees, advertising, affiliate sales, sponsorships, verified athletic resumes, and Goods Sports Training.

3rd Place Winner: Esthetica Labs
Esthetica Dental Labs is a service provider whose mission is to empower small dental laboratories with tools necessary to compete against larger dental labs in an evolving industry. Traditionally this has been a boutique industry run by artisans; however, as technology evolves and large labs gain strength with economies of scale, small labs find themselves with shrinking margins and without training, support and business savvy, and they may face possible extinction. Esthetica dental labs will provide small artisan labs with: access to discounted materials, access to high cost technology, sales/marketing/customer relations support, training from the industries top technicians, and business strategy & accounting support which will empower them with tools to grow and thrive into the future.