Congratulations to the winners of the 2016 West Texas A&M University EnterPrize Challenge!
An inspiring and diverse group of Amarillo entrepreneurs competed this year. Get to know the three winners.
EasyMath App
EasyMath App was started in the summer of 2016. The secure, mobile math application provides one-on-one tutoring with the snap of a picture.
Founded and developed by Alejandro Magallanes, EasyMath App offers students access to hundreds of tutors on demand, making learning easy and fast. Within minutes of submitting an image of their math problem, students are connected with a qualified tutor. A soft release of the product to Texas Panhandle students is expected this spring, with a public release in the fall semester of 2017.
Alejandro, who was born in Mexico and raised in Amarillo, graduated from West Texas A&M University in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics. He is also the president of Spirit Solz, which partners with non-profits looking to raise money by providing a fully customized pair of shoes at wholesale price. For each pair sold, Spirit Solz donates a pair of shoes to children in need in Mexico or Texas.
In the fall of 2016, Alejandro represented the business community of Amarillo at the INC. 5000 Conference & Gala in San Antonio.
Tech Know Solutions
James Schmidt and Jedidiah Stitzel established Tech Know Solutions in December 2015. Its monitoring system serves small oil producers, providing them with affordable and dependable monitoring and automation services.
Many small oil producers struggle with information lag concerning collection tank levels on their oil and water tank sites. Tech Know’s system, which monitors collection tank levels in real time, helps producers prevent spills, optimize the production process, reduce costs, and employ data and trend analysis. Producers can not only view oil production in real time, but they can also receive live data via text or email alerts.
James earned a degree in CIS from West Texas A&M. He has worked for a technical company startup for the past 4 years. Jed graduated from Odessa College with a degree in Instrumentation and Electronics in 2014. He is experienced in automation and oil extraction industries levels and has worked with automation and as a pumper.
Biti Pies
In Amarillo, everyone knows what a Biti Pie is, but soon, one of the Texas Panhandle’s favorite sweet treats will spread its name. Biti Pies, which is owned and operated by the Huffaker family, formed in 2003 in order to provide homemade, old-fashioned pies to consumers. The management team consists of Mike and Jeuleda Huffaker, and Aaron Huffaker.
Biti Pies will shift focus to its Itty Biti Pies and Cakes, which were specifically created for mass production, future scalability, and the wholesale and convenience / hospitality business models in mind. Itty Biti Pies and Cakes are the highest-quality products available in the sweet snack and grocery categories.
Biti Pies aims to market these individually wrapped, single-serving snack pies and cakes to the convenience and hospitality markets, which are beginning to offer higher quality, unique products.
About The Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge
The Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge is a program created by the West Texas A&M University Enterprise Center and funded by the Amarillo EDC. The program is designed to help local entrepreneurs expand their current business or start a new one. All participants receive business-planning training and access to exclusive workshops. Winners receive a portion of the $500,000 capital funding grants.
Since 1995, the EnterPrize Challenge has:
- Awarded 83 cash grants to start-ups and existing businesses as much as $100,000 each
- Created 683 jobs
- Invested more than $5.6 million of grant funds
- Invested a total of $16.9 million in additional equity capital
- Invested an average of $204,385 per business
- Brought $129.5M to the Amarillo economy
- Helped local businesses generate $115 million in revenue for the Amarillo economy
*Figures as of 2016. Learn more about the Amarillo EnterPrize Challenge.
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