Last week’s Innovators Remix from Pipeline brought some of the best and brightest entrepreneurs and community builders to Omaha for an inspirational daytime event unlike any other.
The first ever Pipeline Innovators daytime event included pitches from graduating Pipeline Fellows, talks from seasoned Pipeline entrepreneurs and national advisors, entertainment, networking and more. Hundreds from around the Midwest, and around the country, attended.
The day featured Inspire Talks throughout the day from members of the Pipeline family sharing stories with the crowd about what they’ve learned over their careers.
These 2018 Fellows also took the stage to share their experiences over the past year, while they anticipated who among their ranks would earn the coveted title of Innovator of the Year:
- Ali Schwanke – Founder & CEO of BrandPlan (Simple Strat), Lincoln
- Dennis Doerfl – Co-Founder of Fourstarzz Media, Lincoln
- Andrew Barnell – CEO & Co-Founder of Geneoscopy, St. Louis
- Trevor Crotts – President of Buddy Brands, Wichita
- Glen Dakan – Founder & CEO of Prestio, Kansas City
- Robin Rath – Co-Founder & CEO of Pixel Press Technology, St. Louis
- Bryan Sapot – CEO of SensrTrx, St. Louis
- Ben Schultz – Founder of LaborChart, Kansas City
- Linda Van Horn – President & CEO of iShare Medical, Kansas City
- Colin Nabity – Founder of LeverageRx, Omaha
Innovator of the Year is awarded to a current Pipeline Fellow based on three components: Performance during the year, scores from retooled business plans post-Pipeline, and their presentations given on-stage.
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2018 Fellows presented their businesses to a panel of Presentation Judges (Renee Cohen, Elizabeth Yin, Angela Martinez and Lauren Flanagan) in a capstone-style format. Their score from the presentation was part of the overall score to determine who would claim the title of Innovator of the Year.
Plan Judges (Julie Lenzer, Adam Koopersmith, Sonya Kerr and George Arida) also evaluated the final business plans submitted by the Fellows. The plans were formatted thesis-style based on their year-long experiences within Pipeline and were another element used in evaluating how well the Fellows performed over the last year.
Pipeline’s Innovator of the Year pitch presentation included three students representing Pipeline’s university partners. The students were selected by their respective universities after competing in pitch competitions and contests as both college students and entrepreneurs:
- Danny Griffin – University of Kansas
- Walker Arce – University of Nebraska
- Greyson Lampley – Washington University
Andrew Barnell claimed the title of Innovator of the Year for his business Geneoscopy, based in St. Louis.
Geneoscopy is currently developing a diagnostic test for the detection and prevention of colorectal cancer in human and a diagnostic test to differentiate GI lymphoma from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in cats. Geneoscopy is also exploring the use of its technology for other gastrointestinal applications in both humans and animals.
