Impact Venture Challenge

04/22/2026

Oh what a night! The Impact Venture Challenge student entrepreneurs were amazing. Five teams presented their business concepts and proposals to a live audience.

The 1st prize of $5,000.00 was awarded to Grant Shreiner for his business, Coppsox, a performance apparel company addressing issues in performance socks with their patented copper-infused performance technology.

The 2nd prize of $3,000.00 was awarded to Zachary Brisson for his business, Boynt, a sustainable eyewear concept developing polypropylene-framed sunglasses that float naturally on the water.

The 3rd price of $2,000.00 was awarded to Ava Grower for her business, Eden & Earth Co., a herbal wellness brand offering teas to support the body.

The additional competition teams also presented strong business ideas and plans. Bridgepoint, a mission-driven venture providing individualized advocacy & consultation services to families navigating the IEP process and Trail Tracker, a trail app offering hikers a way to easily give feedback to trails and trail organizations to collect data for grants and donor funding.

04/21/2026

We hope to see you tonight at the Impact Venture Challenge finale at 7 PM in Parmer Hall! If you can't join us in person, you can connect through our Livestream link at https://ep.stretchlive.com/messiahadmin/player/event/781683/video

04/21/2026

04/18/2026

Learn more about the IVC finalists!
Business: Eden & Earth
Team/Entrepreneur: Ava Grower (Business)
Eden & Earth LLC. is an up-and-coming herbal wellness brand offering loose-leaf teas created to support digestion, women’s health, immune resilience, and sleep. Our products are designed to gently support the body, using ethically sourced, high-quality herbs from Monterey Herb Co., Mountain Rose Herbs, and JustJujubes. We aim to address the growing need among students and adults of all ages who are seeking gentle, natural alternatives to support their physical well-being while remaining grounded in faith-based values.

04/17/2026

Learn more about the IVC finalists!
Business: Coppsox
Team/Entrepreneur: Grant Shriner (Business)
Coppsox is a performance apparel company addressing a widespread but overlooked problem: heat buildup, moisture, odor, and circulation fatigue in the foot during high-intensity activity and extended periods on one’s feet. These issues negatively impact performance, comfort, and daily productivity, yet current solutions rely on passive ventilation or basic compression and fail to actively manage discomfort at its source. Coppsox solves this problem through patented copper-infused performance technology that actively transfers heat away from the foot and disperses it along the calf, improving thermal regulation, moisture control, and odor reduction.

04/16/2026

Learn more about the IVC finalists!

Business: Bridgepoint Advocacy
Team: Faith Seaman (Business), Alex Mohr (Psychology), Annie Simmons (Education)

BridgePoint IEP Advocacy is a mission-driven, for-profit venture providing individualized advocacy and consultation services to families navigating the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process. Families of children with disabilities are often overwhelmed, under-informed, and outnumbered in educational decision-making. BridgePoint addresses this gap by offering independent expertise, structured guidance, and collaborative advocacy that empowers families while fostering constructive relationships with school teams.

04/15/2026

Learn more about the IVC finalists!

Business Name: Boynt
Team: Zachary Brisson (Business)
BOYNT is a for-profit sustainable eyewear concept developing polypropylene-framed sunglasses that float naturally on the water without the use of foam inserts or other external flotation devices. Frames are manufactured in-house using injection molding, and lenses are outsourced as UV400 polarized TAC lenses, this allows BOYNT to maintain quality control while keeping production costs low. We aim to offer BOYNT sunglasses at an accessible $25-$50 price point across our 5 color ways (Matte Black, Ocean Blue, Drift Wood Sand, Storm Grey and my favorite Seafoam) Under our three frame styles The Classics, The Drifters, and The Currents.

04/14/2026

Congratulations to the Impact Venture Challenge finalists! Five teams will compete at the IVC finale on Tuesday, April 21st at 7 PM in Parmer Hall. The competition is open to the public and there will be time to “Meet the Entrepreneurs” and learn more about their businesses at 6 PM.

01/22/2026

Please join the 2026 Impact Venture Challenge to develop and launch a faith-informed business venture that addresses important societal needs.

There are workshops and mentors available to help you develop your business plan as teams will compete for 10k in prize money. Teams must have one current undergraduate or graduate student to participate. Students from all majors and programs are welcome. The "Shark Tank"-style competition began in 2015 and has provided an opportunity for student-led teams to compete for seed money to start and support their business ventures.

Please contact Dr. Babyak (ababyak@messiah.edu) for more information.