HIGH POINT — A pharmacy student from Jamestown won first place and $10,000 for her business startup idea in High Point University’s 12th annual Business Plan Competition.
Ivana Korankyi, who is on track to receive her doctor of pharmacy degree in 2024, designed Flasky Labware, a specialized tool that collects the medication that researchers and drug companies are usually unable to reach on the interior walls of a round-bottom laboratory flask. She believes Flasky Labware could save researchers and drug companies substantial amounts of money.
“Having this experience with HPU’s Business Plan Competition has been incredible,” she said. “It has been an opportunity to challenge myself and to transform alongside my business. It has helped me realize that there is always a reason to do better, think bigger and do things differently.”
During the competition, five finalists competed for startup funds for their businesses by presenting to a panel of business leaders serving as competition judges.
Second place and $8,000 went to Jack Hammond for The Fish Stick, which is designed to retrieve expensive fishing lures from trees and underwater structures. Sean Martin earned third place and $6,000 for his product, Kap Popper, which helps people with poor gripping ability open screw-top caps.
Two runners-up entries, each earning $3,000, were the team of Jordan Rubin and Addison Antico for the MJ Bottle, an all-in-one baby formula feeding bottle, and Alexander Malyszko for Your Personal Jeweler, which is designed to help independent jewelers with accounting, marketing and other business services.