HomeDx Takes Second at Reynolds Tri-State Business Plan Competition

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HomeDx is congratulated by Lamar Smith deputy chief of staff for Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe (middle, holding trophy). HomeDx includes Daniel Cherry (left to right), Will Swearingen, Calvin Smith and Max Mahler.

A team from the University of Arkansas that would provide at-home diagnostic tests for influenza and other ailments finished second in the graduate division at the 2013 Donald W. Reynolds Tri-State business plan competition.

HomeDx won $20,000 for finishing second and another $2,000 for winning the elevator pitch competition at the event, which wrapped up Tuesday in Las Vegas.

HomeDx describes itself as the first company to focus strictly on providing rapid over-the-counter in-vitro diagnostic tests for influenza, food intolerances, sexually transmitted diseases and other infectious diseases directly to the consumer through retail channels.

Invitations the Tri-State business plan competition were extended to the first- and second-place finishers in the Donald W. Reynolds Governor's Cup competitions in Arkansas, Nevada and Oklahoma.

HomeDx is comprised of master of business administration students Max Mahler, Audra Mazzeo, Calvin Smith and Will Swearingen; and master of accounting student Daniel Cherry. The team won $15,000 for its second-place finish at the Arkansas Governor's Cup in April and $7,000 for winning the Global New Venture Competition in March at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

The U of A's Picasolar, which won the graduate division in Arkansas and more recently $250,000 for wining the MIT Clean Energy Prize, also competed at Tri-State but did not place.

Both teams formed in the New Venture Development graduate course taught by Carol Reeves, associate vice provost for entrepreneurship at the U of A.

Under the guidance of Reeves, the university has fielded competitive graduate student teams at state, regional, national, and international business plan competitions since 2002. During the past decade, students have won more than $1.7 million in cash at these competitions. 

In the last five years, the entrepreneurship program in the Walton College has launched 10 startup ventures that grew to become high-growth businesses. Those firms employ roughly 100 Arkansans and have raised more than $16 million in private investments, grants and incentives.

Reeves holds the Cecil and Gwendolyn Cupp Applied Professorship in Entrepreneurship in the Sam M. Walton College of Business.