University of Oregon MBA venture team of Michael Chisholm, Nha Ha, and Jed Womack won $50,000 and the University of California, Berkeley Cleantech University Prize (CUP). Their startup, Feros Freight Innovations, will add batteries and electric motors to freight trailers to realize cost savings and reduce emissions.

“This is a well-earned accolade for a team that has done amazing work during the past six months to take their idea and make it reality," said Nathan Lillegard, program manager of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship.

The competition for the Berkeley CUP was fierce with many cleantech entrepreneurs in the San Francisco Bay Area vying for the prize. In addition to winning $50,000 grand prize, Feros Freight Innovations advances to the Department of Energy's Cleantech University Prize National Conference for chance to win an additional $100,000 in prizes.

The win at Berkeley is the latest in a string of successes for the MBA team. Chisholm, Ha, and Womack also won third place and $6,500 CAD in the University of Manitoba Stu Clark Investment Challenge, third place and $5,000 in the University of Washington Alaska Airlines Environmental Innovation Challenge, and $3,000 as a finalist in the Bangkok Business Challenge at Sasin.

“A win in Berkeley, third place in Seattle as the top non-University of Washington team, and global momentum for an idea that can change the world—I'm thinking we've got some Pac-12 bragging rights," said Lillegard.

Congratulations to the team and a special recognition to instructor Al Cochrane, who teaches the Lundquist College of Business's graduate-level venture startup course. Cochrane's work preparing teams for competitions this year and his efforts to organize mentors and advisors for our program have been invaluable.