Welcome to the John Ruffatto Business Startup Challenge Winners Library!
Other prize winners in 2025:
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People's Choice Award - Hustle Fundraise
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Best Elevator Pitch - Spotless
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Brandon Speth Award for Passion, Poise and Charisma - Cam Fouts of QB Pocket Passer
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Athena Award - Claire McAtee of Marten Ultralight LLC
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Traction Award - Puppet Pandemonium
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ESG Award - AgTag
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Most Innovative Award - PeakLink
| Year | First Place | Second Place | Third Place | Fourth Place |
| 2025 | Remsight | GoalGetter | Spotless | K9 Conservationists |
| 2024 | StarSync Studio | ProSoles | Safe Haven Home Services | |
| 2023 | Lab 19 | Renewably | Pop-Ins Care Match | The Morning Tee (TMT) |
| 2022 | Morel Technology | Positivity Outward | Bloom Technologies | Telepathy Inc. |
| 2021 | Posted | Red Patch Outdoors | Bridgible | Samaritan |
| 2020 | High Morel | SporeAttic & Gallatin Visual Media | Will Care | |
| 2019 | The Ant Network | May West Milkweed | Kubed | Sellout Inc. |
| 2018 | Storysquares | Morphose | Ice Viper and Wage Sheets | |
| 2017 | Cowboy Cricket Farms | Ryffit | Clark Fork Charcuterie | Crepe Cuisine |
| 2016 | Zachary Falen - | Shae Stein & Seth Carlstrom - Second Nature | Marguerite Thordarson & George Gaines - | Matthew Gillespie, Alexis Schreder, & Colton Carter - Birds of a Feather Co. |
| 2015 | Chad Miller - Purus | Leo Esteves - Doces Brasil | Kyle Pucko - | Stephen Jenkins - United Methanol |
| 2014 | Matthew Gangloff, Kyle Marshall, Andrew Burrington - New Leaf Environmental | Weisha Song & Pei Pei- Nexus Consulting | Cliff Stolk & Claude Sammoury - PriceRight | Jason Newton - Ati Security |
| 2013 | Joseph McMahon - Magnet | Carlos Rivero - Feastro | Alex Crosby & Tim Reusch - Babylon Produce | Greg McDonnell, Jake Dunn, Heather Davidson, Kyle Marshall & Joseph Wienke - WeHaula |
| High Growth 1st Place | High Growth 2nd Place | High Growth 3rd Place | Lifestyle 1st Place | Lifestyle 2nd Place | |
| 2012 | Charles Bateman - Never Miss | Jacob Pelczar & Jonathon Marchi - Kinetic Tech LLC |
Ben Sokoloski, Brint Wahlberg & Suzanna Simmons - (Market on Front) |
Zack Boughton & Annie Roberts - 猎奇重口 Wild | Paul Stock - Next Level Athletics |
| 2011 | Emese Vitalis & John Beltrone - CreativiTea | Robert Reum - BackdropDepot.com | Zoey McRae & Curtis Wallette - Dance of the Sun | Tom Snyder - (Five on Black) | Eric Midtyling, Travis Linneman, & Colter Cumin - Good Times |
| 2010 | Scott Lester & Amy Xue - Moose's Organics | Hojamurod Hojaev & Saltanat Valiyeva - Global Opportunity, LLP |
Ray Castro & Steven Small - Sweet Grass Associates |
Michelle Schutten - ShellyCakes | Sarah Jean Goll, Amanda Haley, Heather Ireland & Summer Michaelson - Deaf-inite Resources, LLC |
| 2009 | Sarah Fitzgerald & Schuyler Mann - Openlink | Daniel Lande, Blake McWilliams & Jacob Marchi - Ninja Software | R. Scott Gray - EDEN Systems | Tina Engel, Jennifer Hess, Kayluh Menager & Virginia Tynen - Simple Space Solutions, LLC | Kristen Mansch - Ever After Elegance |
| 2008 | Moneesha Johnson & Matthew Bagley - Dirigente | Karli Vold, Aaron Blatt, John Ortstadt & John Klaboe - The Green House | Haley Clark & Hannah Reno - E and E Enterprise | Kate Meinig, Morgan Halvorson & Ariane Osorio - Verde Foods | Erin Hamilton, Briana Gilbertson & Sabrina Bakich - Property Resources |
| 2007 | Joseph Adams, Jason Glidden & David Jurenka - HomeTown Pharmacy | David Greenshields & Sarah Greenshields - Genre & Mode | Minot Maser - Rtribes.com: Real Community, Real Buying Power | Jennifer Prigge & Leo Prigge - The Uptown Market | Katie Black, Sabrina Burton & Cat Claro - Ataraxy Consulting |
| 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place | 4th Place | |
| 2006 | Cameron Deatsch, Cristine Folz & David Owenby - Thin Air Technologies | Chris Corbin & Christin Foley - White River Brewery (1st Place Tie) | Kalen Caughey - Guarana Energia, LLC | Fritz Daily & Jason Ludeman - Action Grain Marketing, Inc. |
| 2005 | Erika Nottingham & Nels Pearson - Great Northern Auto Finance | Rory Minjares - MazDog Archery | Jesse Lohse, Michael Barnes & Jon Boschee - Summit Manufacturing | Jim Guy, Deanna South, Douglas Schrock & Rita C. Brown - BreakFAST Cookie: Balancing Health and Life |
| High Growth 1st Place | High Growth 2nd Place | Lifestyle 1st Place | Lifestyle 2nd Place | |
| 2004 | Kelly Gatzemeier, Adrienne Mayer & Benjamin Mayer - Custom Rides and Racing | Joe Hettinger, Jesse Lakes, Cory Miller & Tim Ondrak - Big Sky Venture Fund | Melissa Schmitt - Wood Fusion Studio | Adam De Yong & Averiel Wolff - Enviro-Glass Solutions |