It took more than a freak December snowstorm to keep dedicated entrepreneurs from participating in the 2013 edition of the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship's annual Graduate Venture Quest investment competition.

Each MBA or graduate student member of the six competing teams showed up, along with nearly all the competition's judges—no small accomplishment, considering the slippery road conditions.

The competition's top spot went to the Nemies team: Lindsey Arkfeld, Alec Hankins, and Derek Schloss. Their venture is a leading-edge education software application that helps children learn phonemes, the building blocks of reading and writing.

Team Nemies also garnered the award for best elevator pitch. And clearly their peers were impressed as well because the Nemies also walked away with a second elevator pitch prize—the MBA Choice for Favorite Elevator Pitch, an award that debuted this year.

This year's runners-up were Huburb, a new approach to housing from Nathaniel Rotta and Chris Watkins, and Upward Oregon, an app for civic action from Todd Milbourn.

We thank the college's staff, faculty, and students, as well as the extraordinarily accomplished—and determined—business people who made up this year's judges panel.