Jack Murray, a VM-2 in the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, recently competed and advanced in the 2021 Entrepreneur Quest Student Accelerator Competition at Mizzou. The competition began with a pool of applicants from across multiple disciplines and was narrowed down to just 15 students. The 15 who were chosen gave a three-minute elevator pitch on Nov. 17 to promote their venture ideas. Murray presented his Murray Kennel Company project, alongside his dog, Heidi.
Murray’s venture idea, Murray Kennel Company, is a three-step, space-saving dog kennel that folds up against any wall. It is similar in concept to a Murphy bed. Murray says that the inspiration for his idea, which he began working on in March 2020, came from needing to save space in his apartment.
“I’m a poor graduate student who lives in a small apartment with roommates,” Murray said. “With my busy schedule I wouldn’t always have time to go to the gym and work out, so I’d do a quick workout in my room. The kennel was always in the way, and after going through the process of putting up the kennel, pinching my fingers and getting frustrated a few times, I decided to look up something easier. There wasn’t really a product that could fold up and get out of the way quickly, so that was the idea and motivation behind it.”
Murray’s pitch was impressive enough to earn him a spot among the final 10 contestants, who will now refine their projects through an eight-week education program throughout January and February. Through the program, students receive mentorship from entrepreneurial leaders, investors and experts on how to prepare their projects for the next round of judging. That next round will take place in March, when the first-place pitch will receive $15,000 in startup funding, second place will receive $10,000 and third place will receive $5,000.
In 2019, Libby Martin, now a fourth-year veterinary student, not only won first place in the MU Entrepreneur Quest competition, she went on to win first place in the UM Systemwide competition. In total, these competitions netted her $30,000 in startup funding for her venture, Calving Technologies, which equips cattle producers with technology to reduce calving mortality and increase their production.
Along with moving onto the next round for his venture idea, Murray also won the $1,000 Crowd Favorite Award, which was chosen by the audience. “It means a lot to me,” Murray said. “Other people do believe in what I’m working on here. I’ve had some negative feedback on this, but I’ve probably had twice as much positive feedback. A lot of my classmates showed up to support me. We are a tight-knit community and even as an industry, veterinary medicine is a close-knit community. I think it shows a lot about the culture and community of the veterinary school.”
As far as next steps for his project, Murray says he has been working with an engineer out of St. Louis, and is looking for a local engineer or student to help him finish the design, manufacture a prototype and potentially source larger scale manufacturing. He will also pursue the eight-week education program in preparation for the next round of judging.
Murray says he is proud to represent the College of Veterinary Medicine and believes that this competition helps show the diversity of skills that veterinary students possess. “There isn’t just one way to be a veterinarian,” says Murray. “Libby Martin won the whole thing a few years ago. Veterinary students have won it before and we can do it again. We’re a catch-all group and we’re hard-working people.”
By Nick Childress
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