2014 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Winners Announced

Winners of the 2014 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup Collegiate Business Plan Competition that is managed by The Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation, an affiliate of The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group, were announced at a luncheon hosted at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock, AR on April 9, 2014. Craig O’Neill, news anchor for THV11, served as the master of ceremonies for the event, which hosted approximately 760 business leaders, students, educators and supporters from across the state for the 14th annual Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup. This year, 36 teams submitted business plans from 13 colleges and universities from across Arkansas for a chance to win a share of the $154,000 prize pool. First and second place winners of the undergraduate and graduate teams will compete against the top two teams from Nevada and Oklahoma for the Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State Award in May, where they will be competing to win a share of the $118,000 prize pool.

The 2014 Donald W. Reynolds Governor’s Cup winners are:

Undergraduate AT&T Elevator Pitch Award – $2,000 BioBotic Solutions, University of Arkansas and Hendrix College Graduate AT&T Elevator Pitch Award – $2,000 Datavis, University of Arkansas Undergraduate Delta Plastics Innovation Award – $5,000 BioBotic Solutions, University of Arkansas and Hendrix College Graduate Delta Plastics Innovation Award – $5,000 Datavis, University of Arkansas

Undergraduate Business Plan Winners

1^st Place – $25,000 Arleesa, John Brown University 2^nd Place – $15,000 BioBotic Solutions, University of Arkansas and Hendrix College 3^rd Place – $10,000 Funding Fathers, John Brown University

Graduate Business Plan Winners

1^st Place – $25,000 LumaDrop, University of Arkansas 2^nd Place – $15,000 Datavis, University of Arkansas 3^rd Place – $10,000 HemaNotics, University of Arkansas The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group of companies empower entrepreneurs by providing capital in conjunction with community banks to businesses through its capital availability products and advocating for entrepreneurs through capital, educational, and technological improvements. The Arkansas Capital Corporation Group serves as the platform from which new opportunities are launched. In addition to the flagship company, Arkansas Capital Corporation, there are seven affiliate and partner companies, including, Six Bridges Capital Corporation, Arkansas Capital Relending Corporation, Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation, Heartland Renaissance Fund, Connect Arkansas, Pine State Regional Center, and SouthWind Analytics. To learn more, visit www.arcapital.com. The Arkansas Economic Acceleration Foundation (AEAF) was established in 1999, and is a private, non-profit corporation dedicated to education-based initiatives that promote and foster the development of innovation and entrepreneurship within Arkansas. With broad support from the state’s business community, AEAF’s purpose is to nurture people and ideas to generate future Arkansas entrepreneurs.