More than 100 teams of college and university students from across Idaho entered the eighth-annual Idaho Entrepreneur Challenge (IEC), hosted this spring by Boise State University’s Venture College and College of Innovation and Design. Four teams with students from College of Western Idaho (CWI) were among the 24 selected as finalists to compete for more than $50,000 in prize money and services to advance their startups during the April 7 event at Jack’s Urban Meeting Place (JUMP) in downtown Boise.
Congratulations to CWI Business major, Ethyn Williams, and his teammates, Luke George, a student at Boise State University, and Emily House, from Idaho State University, who finished first in the Services Track earning them $5,000 for their business, Lower Gear Cycles. Established in 2020, Lower Gear Cycles is a full-service, mobile cycle repair and tuning shop. The team plans to use the money to complete their mobile shop trailer.
“The competition was awesome! We met a lot of great people, made fantastic business connections, and got to raise awareness about the importance of cycling in Idaho and it’s accessibility to all,” said Williams. “Completion of our mobile shop will allow us to visit races, sponsor youth teams, offer coaching, and more while also providing additional space for us to stock parts, work on more bikes, and carry more specialized tools. By the way, we offer a 10% discount to college students! Find us Facebook or Instagram @lowergearcycles.”
Congratulations as well to CWI Cybersecurity student, Cameron White, and his teammates, Alex Mitchell and Tatum Jones, students at Boise State University, who finished as runners-up in the Software Track winning them $1,000 for their business, TAC Security.
“The IEC was an amazing event,” shared White. “We had the opportunity to learn from and make valuable connections with several successful business people and startups and businesses founded by college students across the state. We competed against students from Boise State, College of Idaho, University of Idaho, Brigham Young University-Idaho, College of Southern Idaho, and others. In pitching our business idea, we were provided with mentorship, feedback, and resources that will help us expand our network and move these ideas forward.”
Shout out to all the CWI students who were part of this year’s event!
