North Iowa Area Community College student Caleb Renner was named one of the top three winners at the John Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition. The 2025 John Pappajohn Student Entrepreneurial Venture Competition was held on Friday, April 25, at the University of Iowa Pappajohn Education and Events Center in Des Moines. The final presentation round consisted of 18 students presenting 15 business ideas to a panel of judges.
“John Pappajohn launched this student competition 25 years ago, and entrepreneurial students continue to innovate and present the most amazing businesses year after year. The competition brings student entrepreneurs together from across the state. They enjoy the opportunity to connect and support each other. To make it to the finals of this competition is a great achievement for these young entrepreneurs” commented Judi Eyles, director of the Iowa State University John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center.
Student entrepreneurs entering the competition came from Drake University, Iowa State University, North Iowa Area Community College, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa. The following three businesses emerged as winners of this year’s competition, each winning venture receiving $5,000.
Caleb Renner (Renner Ag Solutions) and Candi Karsjens (NIACC Pappajohn Center Director)
Renner Ag Solutions — Caleb Renner, North Iowa Area Community College (Klemme, IA)
Caleb Renner is a 5th generation farmer and the innovator behind the AgriNet, a revolutionary technology that cleans out grain bins with the press of a button. The AgriNet provides a safe alternative to grain bin sweeps, eliminating the need for farmers to enter the grain bin during the clean-out process and saving both lives and limbs.
Archaneon Supplements — Tyler Graham, University of Iowa
Archaneon Supplements is a supplement brand created by lifters and backed by science.
Casmium — Henry Shires, Iowa State University
Casmium is an intuitive software platform for youth sports that provides statistics collection and analytics tools.
Other finalists, each receiving $500, included Davis Stelzer (University of Northern Iowa), North Lindell (University of Northern Iowa), Noah Bronk (University of Northern Iowa), Josh Hanson (NIACC), the team of Christopher Madsen, David Roman, and Ethan Kudej (NIACC), Gabe Howard (Drake University), Dorian Boyland (Drake University), Diego Munoz (Drake University), the team of Alana Corwin and Jamal Beavers (Iowa State University), Spenser Leise (Iowa State University), Michal Brzus (University of Iowa), and Emmanuel Akor (University of Iowa).
The competition is a collaborative effort among the Iowa John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Centers located at Drake University, Iowa State University, North Iowa Area Community College, the University of Iowa, and the University of Northern Iowa.
