From the size of the prize to the event venue to the contest winner, this year’s University at Buffalo Henry A. Panasci Jr. Technology Entrepreneurship Competition aimed to raise the bar.
In front of a crowd of a few hundred at the UB Center for the Arts, RHM Innovations was named this year’s winner of the region’s premiere collegiate entrepreneurship challenge. The startup develops assistive bathing technologies to help alleviate strain on caregivers while improving the quality of life of the shower recipient.
This is the business’ third time being in the competition, on the heels of being named last year’s second-place winner and receiving $10,000.
As this year’s winner, RHM Innovations won $25,000 cash and another $40,000 of in-kind services, including business counseling from Atlas Alignment Growth Partners; legal services from Colligan Law LLP; accounting services from Lumsden & McCormick LLP; website development services from 360 PSG; product design and manufacturing services from Tresca; Intellectual Property legal services from Stake and co-working space from the UB Office of Business and Entrepreneur Partnerships.
Last year at UB’s Incubator @ CBLS space, Real Talk, a tech-enabled way to deliver training, generate suggestions based on employee feedback and then monitor that progress, won $25,000 cash and another $30,000 worth of in-kind services.
RHM Innovations aims to start with a business-to-business model targeting care facilities and plans to later on partner with distribution companies to reach more customers in a shorter amount of time.
“It’s extremely exciting how this opportunity can really bridge the gap to where we are now to achieving our dreams has full-time entrepreneurs,” said Brandon Burris, who started and runs RHM Innovations with his wife Courtney, who goes by CJ.
Exergi, a company that’s developing a compact alternative to residential solar panels, won second place and $10,000 in cash seed funding.
The People’s Choice Award, based on audience votes, went to Totelly Lined, which produces adhesive liners to protect the inside of luxury handbags. The prize is $1,000.
