Kansas State University

MANHATTAN — A grand prize valued at $50,000 will be on the line for the 10 business startups of Kansas State University's Launch a Business, or LAB, program. The winner will be selected at the LAB Launch Party from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 12, at the K-State Alumni Center.

The party is open to the public, as well as alumni and supporters of the university and the regional startup community.

At the event, the 10 Kansas entrepreneurs will pitch their businesses to the public. Each person attending will get to vote for his or her favorite startup. Voting will close at 6 p.m., with the top three moving on to pitch their company to a panel of judges that will determine the grand prizewinner.

"Each of the entrepreneurs is deserving of the grand prize, and no matter who wins, they all leave with new knowledge and connections to help them succeed in their venture," said Chad Jackson, director of the Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship in the university's College of Business Administration. "We couldn’t be happier with the outpouring of support from our alumni and friends for these entrepreneurs and this program.

The 10 startups selected for the inaugural Launch a Business program are: MeltPoint Environmental, Caldwell; NMotion UAS, Hesston; Impact Engineering, Jonah Ventures and Radiation Detection Technologies Inc., all from Manhattan; Aphrodite Apparel and Tikitum Sensory Learning Lab, both from Overland Park; VeriQuik Consulting and Services, Shawnee; and Sidesinger Custom Cabinets, Topeka.

The Launch a Business program, or LAB, is sponsored by KS State Bank and the college's Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship. The program has provided the ventures with five weeks of much-needed resources, including faculty-led courses, hands-on student research teams and access to the university's world-class alumni mentor network.

More information on the Launch a Business program and the entrepreneurs is available at http://www.k-state.edu/lab.