Walton Graduate Teams Keep Earning Top Honors

Graduate business students from the Sam M. Walton College of Business are gaining national recognition for venture ideas developed in the classroom, earning top placements and prize funding across a series of high-profile pitch competitions this academic year.

From medical diagnostics to child safety innovation, student-led teams representing multiple Walton graduate programs have translated coursework into real-world impact — competing against top universities and presenting to panels of investors, entrepreneurs and industry leaders.

These results reflect a broader trend across the Walton College ecosystem, where interdisciplinary collaboration and venture development are central to the graduate experience. Students from programs including the Master of Science in Product Innovation and Executive Master of Business Administration are not only building companies, but validating them on competitive stages with support from the college’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

Among the standout ventures is Altaris MedTech, a startup focused on developing a painless, non-invasive diagnostic experience for Strep A testing. The team, which includes Executive M.B.A. student Lance Lockwood and Joey Hobbs, a master’s student in biomedical engineering, has built significant momentum across multiple competitions.

Altaris earned first place in the High-Growth/Technology Division Graduate Track at the Arkansas Governor’s Cup, securing $20,000 in prize funding. The team also previously won the SEC Pitch Competition and Ole Miss’ “Servin’ the South” competition, and placed fourth at the prestigious Rice Business Plan Competition — one of the largest and most competitive graduate-level startup competitions in the country. The team was also one of three student-led startups that earned top honors during the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s inaugural Made@UofA Week, a capstone event highlighting campus entrepreneurship.

Of his experience competing, Lockwood said, “We’ve learned to tell a really good story up on stage. It still blows me away how many judges connected with us on a personal level or how many people would come up to us to share their own stories of how they were affected by having Strep as a kid. Connecting with your audience is extremely important.”

Another high-performing venture, BubbyBand, emerged from the M.S.P.I. program with a mission to prevent toddler drownings through a wearable system that creates an “invisible rope” between parent and child. Designed to balance safety with independence, the product reflects the program’s emphasis on human-centered innovation.

The BubbyBand team earned second place in the same Governor’s Cup division, winning $10,000 and secured first place in the elevator pitch competition within its category. The venture was developed by a cross-disciplinary team of graduate students, including multiple M.S.P.I. participants and students pursuing additional graduate credentials.

Beyond traditional pitch competitions, Walton graduate students are also making an impact in emerging innovation spaces. In the AI Innovation & Integration Challenge, graduate participants showcased applications of artificial intelligence across business contexts — further demonstrating the breadth of ideas being developed across Walton programs.

Together, these outcomes highlight a consistent theme: Walton students are not waiting until graduation to test their ideas. Instead, they are actively building, iterating and competing — using pitch competitions as a proving ground for ventures with real market potential.

The success is closely tied to the resources and mentorship provided through the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, which plays a central role in supporting student entrepreneurs across the college.

“Walton students are uniquely positioned to take ideas from concept to competition because of the ecosystem we’ve built around them,” said Phil Shellhammer, executive director of the OEI. “Through OEI, students gain access to mentorship, hands-on experiences and competitive opportunities that not only strengthen their ventures, but prepare them to lead in uncertain and rapidly evolving markets.”

As Walton continues to expand its focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, student participation in competitive forums is expected to grow. With each competition, students gain not only recognition, but also the experience and confidence needed to bring their ventures to life.

For many, the awards are just the beginning.

Altaris’ Lockwood and Hobbs are preparing for an FDA pre-submission meeting and finalizing the design of a feasibility study, to be followed by a trial with regional healthcare provider Community Clinic. Of the experience, Lockwood said, “The EMBA program has been amazing to give me the foundation I need to talk business on a national stage. It’s given me the confidence I need to stand in the ring with other big schools.”

About the U of A Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation: The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, a division of the Sam M. Walton College of Business, creates and curates innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students across all disciplines. Through the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, McMillon Innovation Studio, Startup Village, and Greenhouse at the Bentonville Collaborative, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation provides free workshops and programs — including social and corporate innovation design teams, venture internships, competitions and startup coaching. OEI also offers on-demand support for students who will be innovators within existing organizations and entrepreneurs who start something new.

About the Sam M. Walton College of Business: The Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas is one of the nation's leading public business schools, serving more than 10,300 students across undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs. Through applied learning, impactful research, and deep industry partnerships, Walton prepares leaders to compete and innovate in a global economy.

About the University of Arkansas: As Arkansas' flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $3 billion to Arkansas’ economy  through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research and Economic Development News.