From music for the masses to flight simulation: CSU students pitch next great start-up

The Venture RAMS Business Showcase pitch competition brought together students multiple disciplines who vied for thousands of dollars in prize money. (Photos | John Eisele, CSU Photography)

Coming up with an idea is hard. Making sure it’s a good one is even harder – and it all starts with persuading someone else to believe in that idea as much as you do.

Enter the Venture RAMS Business Showcase, an April 18 event where seven Colorado State University student start-ups (and one small business founded by an entrepreneurial local 12-year-old) faced off in a fast-paced competition for thousands of dollars in prize money to turn their ideas into realities.

“Entrepreneurship is hard, and giving a pitch is hard,” said Scott Shrake, the executive director for entrepreneurship in the CSU College of Business. “It’s so inspirational to see these students putting themselves out there and trying to make an impact on the world.”

Each team had five minutes to pitch its start-up, which was followed by a Q&A session with a panel of judges that included legendary CSU Animal Sciences Professor Temple Grandin. With a $5,000 check up for grabs for the winning team, there was a lot at stake – and the entrepreneurs had to quickly get over their fear of speaking in front of hundreds of people to succeed.

Learn about the ventures

At the end of the semester, plenty of unwanted furniture with “free” signs linger on the sidewalks of Fort Collins. Some of it might be picked up, but often, the items just end up in the trash. Senior apparel and merchandising major Ethan LaBorde thinks there’s a better way. That’s why he came up with Run It Back, a startup aimed at picking up and then refurbishing unwanted furniture – all under one roof. “We will be effective and efficient at reducing waste from the landfill every year,” he said.

Lauren Little, Lodgeit — While it isn’t something that regularly comes up in public conversation, a vast majority of women can relate to the sheer discomfort of a yeast infection. Lauren Little, a junior business administration major, hopes that this becomes something less stigmatized – and thanks to a treatment passed down by her family, she has a way to help alleviate some of the pain from the ailment itself. Made of boric acid and gluten-free, dissolvable capsules, Little’s product Lodgeit will come in reusable jars. She’s been distributing it among the women at her sorority already, and says it’s gotten rave reviews. “Help me help a woman you know,” she said.

Trevor Olsen, Captain Bob Flight Simulation — While freshman engineering major Trevor Olsen is color blind and medically disqualified from flying, he can still experience the thrill that comes along with being a pilot, thanks to his unique simulator that has all the same gauges and controls as a real cockpit. He first built the simulator in 2018 when he was 13 years old. It’s now in its third iteration, and Olsen has amassed thousands of followers on YouTube along the way, including an aspiring pilot in his 90s who was inspired to build his own version. Olsen’s simulator costs less than others on the market, and is customizable, depending on how much space is available (his currently sits under his dorm room bed). The physical controls connect to a video game that allows pilots to see views from the cockpit. “I want to inspire the next generation of pilots and engineers with this project,” Olsen said.

Rachel Masters, De-stressVR — As a senior computer science major, Rachel Masters knows all too well what it’s like to spend all day looking at code and not enough time outside. That’s why she built De-stressVR, which offers immersive experiences in nature through a virtual reality headset. Her goal is for the product to help people with hectic jobs – like ER nurses and EMTs – to destress, as well as to create custom experiences for those with special needs. In fact, in the future, she hopes it can be used by those undergoing treatment for conditions like PTSD or addiction. “Nature, even imaginary, does so much for people,” she said. “These experiences are tailored specifically to reduce stress.”

Elliot Matlack and Matthew Huntingdon, Ruck Moto — No matter how you do it, commuting to campus isn’t the easiest experience. Drivers have to deal with finding parking, and people who ride bikes have to deal with a lack of storage and sometimes perilous road conditions. That’s why mechanical engineering students Elliot Matlack and Matthew Huntington pioneered Ruck Moto, which builds durable electric bicycles with internal storage and better safety features than other products on the market. The goal is to launch the company in Fort Collins and later expand to Austin, Texas. They are able to build the bikes for $2,000 and sell them for $5,000, with the goal of reinvesting the profit back into growing the business. “We think people want these products so bad they’ll be more than willing to pay for them,” Huntington said.

Manley Feinberg and Gabe Torres, Music by Masses — Marketing majors Manley Feinberg and Gabe Torres first came up with their idea during a snowy walk through the Oval, where they heard a lone pianist in the distance and wondered: “Is music not music if it’s not heard?” This led them to develop Music by Masses, an app that offers music discovery for consumers,allows venues and promoters to find up-and-coming artists that fit their needs, and uses a fully automated booking service. They’ve already helped book 20 concerts, and have the support of Chuck Morris – a longtime Colorado promoter who’s now the head of the music business program at CSU. “While everyone loves the top 1% of artists, this app is meant to help the other 99% get their foot in the door,” Feinberg said.

McKenna Petri, FanBase — Watching sports is a communal experience, and Impact MBA student McKenna Petri wants to make it easier for fans to find places to gather with those who have similar passions. FanBase helps users find local sports bars with the events they’re looking for, ranging from Formula 1 to cricket. In turn, bars can drive traffic to their restaurants – in an industry that’s still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. She plans to launch the app in Fort Collins this summer and later scale up to other markets in Fort Collins and beyond. “With your help, FanBase will transform local sports communities, making them stronger and more connected than ever,” she said.

McKay Anderson, Field Strips — Like most of us, McKay Anderson got bored while she was social distancing during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. But unlike most of us, she turned that boredom into something productive: Field Strips, a business that sells healthy dehydrated snacks for every adventure. She’s now 12 years old and sells Field Strips at local farmers’ markets as well as directly to hungry consumers, who love her banana bark and apple ginger creations. This summer, the venture will even be revenue-generating (after she pays off the loan to her parents), and she hopes to expand the business as she navigates licensing and growing her market. “We’re kid-owned and kid-made,” Anderson said. She got involved with the CSU Institute of Entrepreneurship through the SPARK Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference.

Venture Rams: Business Showcase winners

1st place ($5,000): Manley Feinberg and Gabe Torres, Music by Masses

2nd place ($3,000): McKenna Petri, Fan Base

3rd place ($1,500): Lauren Little, Lodgeit

Winner of Michael Best Most Promising New Venture Award ($1,000): Rachel Masters, De-stressVR

Winner of Temple Grandin Business for a Better World Award ($1,000): Trevor Olsen, Captain Bob Flight Simulation

Himes People’s Choice Award winner ($1,500): Elliot Matlack, Matthew Huntingdon, Ruck Moto

Student entrepreneurs take center stage throughout the day

Scenes from Demo Day on April 18. (Photos | John Eisele, CSU Photography)

The Venture RAMS Business Showcase was the final event during Entrepreneurship and Innovation Day, an annual event co-organized by CSU STRATA and the Institute for Entrepreneurship in the College of Business, where CSU faculty, staff and students – as well as alumni, business professionals and entrepreneurs – have the opportunity to share their ideas, and maybe even turn them into successful companies.

CSU President Amy Parsons led a startup herself before coming back to the University. During her keynote address ahead of the Venture RAMS: Business Showcase, she emphasized that encouraging entrepreneurship is a key part of CSU’s land-grant mission.

“We’re helping to create new businesses that fuel Colorado’s economy and make a global impact,” she said. “Learning entrepreneurship will help serve students wherever they go.”

This year, students presented dozens of displays during the Demo Day poster showcase, where aspiring entrepreneurs from all eight of CSU’s colleges shared their innovative ideas, which ranged from special equipment for the wheels of robots used by emergency responders to a material made out of the root structure of a mushroom.

“This is another great example of breaking down barriers across campus,” Shrake said.

About CSU’s College of Business

The College of Business at Colorado State University is focused on using business to create a better world.

As an AACSB-accredited business school, the College is among the top five percent of business colleges worldwide, providing programs and career support services to more than 2,500 undergraduate and 1,300 graduate students. Faculty help students across our top-ranked on-campus and online programs develop the knowledge, skills and values to navigate a rapidly evolving business world and address global challenges with sustainable business solutions. Our students are known for their creativity, work ethic and resilience—resulting in an undergraduate job offer and placement rate of over 90% within 90 days of graduation.

The College’s highly ranked programs include its Online MBA, which has been ranked the No. 1 program in Colorado by U.S. News and World Report for six years running and achieved No. 16 for employability worldwide from QS Quacquarelli Symonds. The College’s Impact MBA is also ranked by Corporate Knights as a Top 20 “Better World MBA” worldwide.

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From music for the masses to flight simulation: CSU students pitch next great start-up

Learn about the ventures

Venture Rams: Business Showcase winners

Student entrepreneurs take center stage throughout the day

About CSU’s College of Business

Allison Sylte