Two businesses with ISU ties win statewide Pappajohn Business Plan Competition

AMES, Iowa -- Two companies with Iowa State University faculty founders finished first and second in the second annual statewide John Pappajohn Business Plan Competition. It is the second consecutive year that companies with Iowa State ties earned the top two prizes.

EnSoft Corp. (http://www.ensoftcorp.com), founded by ISU Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering Suraj Kothari, took the first-place prize of $25,000.

EnSoft has developed methods for software analysis by developing tools that address specific challenges for software engineers and programmers. The company's first tool addresses the development of control software found in such products as anti-lock brakes, flight systems, elevators and toasters. The tool has been purchased by companies such as General Motors, Toyota, Siemens, Bosch, Chrysler, Honeywell and numerous others. Its second product helps software engineers and programmers analyze software code for comprehending how the code works and debugging it. That product has caught favorable attention from Microsoft, IBM, Cisco and Motorola.

EndoMetric -- which was co-founded by ISU computer science professors Johnny Wong and Wallapak Tavanapong, along with two others -- was the second-place winner of $15,000. The company has developed algorithms and software to analyze medical video with the purpose of determining whether a quality procedure was performed.

AIMSBio, founded by Colin Shepherd, an ISU graduate student in economics and business administration, earned honorable mention and a prize of $1,000.

The winning businesses were chosen from among 80 entries in the competition, which is co-sponsored among the five Pappajohn Centers in Iowa and funded by founder, John Pappajohn.

The awards were announced at the eighth annual Iowa Venture Capital & Entrepreneur Conference held on Wednesday, Oct. 11, in Des Moines.

Additional information on the ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship is available at http://www.isupjcenter.org/.

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