Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition
The John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition contest is intended to encourage and promote entrepreneurial activity and create greater awareness of the resources available to entrepreneurs in Iowa. We encourage innovative, new ventures to participate. Judges selected by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers will review all submissions. Participants will be judged on the basis of their written submissions and, for participants who advance to later rounds, presentations to the judges. Judges will rank participants and, subject to certain limitations, the top three will be awarded. Prospective participants must read and comply with the rules of the competition set forth below to enter and participate in the John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition. The John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition is void where prohibited by law.
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The 2025 John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition is co-hosted by the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers and the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
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2025 Competition Timeline
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March 12, 2025 | Competition goes live
May 12, 2025 | Application due by 11:59 pm
May 30, 2025 | Applicants notified if they've advanced to Round 2
July 14, 2025 | Round 2 application questions due by 11:59 pm
August 8, 2025 | Finalists Notified
August 22, 2025 | Final Round Pitch and Awards Luncheon (Ames)
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2024 Winners:
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First Place: Repaint Studios, $40,000
Second Place: Rise Energy, $25,000
Third Place: HUDU, $15,000
Honorable Mentions:
($10,000) NeuroPred, Inc.
($5,000) Upvote, Inc.
($5,000) Upcycling+
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Contact Us
Please contact one of the John Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship (JPECs) below if you have questions about the business plan competition or would like some assistance developing your business plan. We encourage participants to contact these centers when developing their plans to help create a well written executive summary. There are also many other resources for participants to take advantage of, such as our VentureNet Iowa and Iowa Department of Economic Development accelerators and other service organizations which are listed to the right. For general questions and inquiries please contact your nearest Pappajohn Center, listed below.