By Laura Roloff
Aug. 25, 2025
For University of Missouri students with bold ideas, Entrepreneur Quest (EQ) is the ultimate launchpad. Over the course of a semester, participants gain real-world business skills, one-on-one guidance from mentors and a powerful network of campus and community supporters.
Offered by the Griggs Innovators Nexus, EQ has invested more than $223,000 in student ventures since 2018. Even more impressive, however, are the enduring benefits EQ graduates carry with them. And often EQ is a springboard for additional competitions and business accelerators.
Success after EQ can take many different forms. Some students continue building their businesses on the side while working full time in a related industry to gain more knowledge and financial stability.
“Students involved in the program find that the real-world experience gained from launching a viable business and pitching it to win funding makes them attractive job candidates,” Kelsey Raymond, Mizzou’s new executive director of entrepreneurship program, said.
Others discover after conducting market research that they need to pursue a different business idea.
“An entrepreneur’s greatest strength isn’t just perseverance, it’s adaptability,” said Greg Bier, entrepreneur in residence at the Griggs Nexus, located in the Mizzou Student Center. “The decision to pivot isn’t a sign of failure; it’s a big picture move driven by evolving awareness. The entrepreneurial mindset is one of continuous curiosity — always scanning for unmet needs, emerging trends and new opportunities.”
Read on for updates from students who graduated from EQ in November.
Soundcheck Practice Studios
Founder and owner: Kiley Grimes, BSBA ’25
Location: 110 Orr St., Suite 104, Columbia, Missouri
Type of business: Soundcheck is a 24/7, fully equipped, on-demand studio that people can book for rehearsals, private lessons, recording sessions, intimate shows and more.
Grimes is the definition of a go-getter. She operates her business while working full time as a branch launch marketing program coordinator at EquipmentShare and part time as a Redbud VC content intern.
“I founded Soundcheck because I saw a gap in our local music scene,” Grimes said. “Too many talented artists didn’t have access to affordable, professional spaces. As a musician myself, I knew firsthand how limiting that could be.”
Milestones: Grimes now has two instructors and an in-house audio engineer to support growing demand. She also upgraded her recording capabilities by investing in new equipment and is strengthening partnerships with local organizations.
“In January, Soundcheck reached profitability, and since then, we’ve seen steady growth and strong loyalty from our customer base,” Grimes said. “Looking ahead, I’m exploring a larger space in Columbia, and I’m tightening down on an expansion model and the next city where I can replicate the concept.”
As a student, Grimes served as president of Mizzou’s chapter of the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization. She said being surrounded by a network of driven, like-minded peers gave her the courage to bet on herself.
“Soundcheck would not be where it is – it might not be anything at all – without Mizzou and specifically the folks who care about student entrepreneurs there,” Grimes said. “I'm forever grateful for my experience and connections made there.”
Schuler Brothers
Founder: Paul Schuler, master’s student in data science and analytics
Location: Home office
Type of business: Schuler Brothers specializes in helping fire and emergency medical services (EMS) build and improve data analytics for better patient care documentation, resource allocation, grant acquisitions and first responder support.
“I’ve always wanted to improve EMS delivery,” Schuler said. “That hasn’t changed since I was a lifeguard in high school, an EMT and paramedic during undergrad and now as a graduate student focused on EMS research.”
Milestones: When Schuler started his EQ journey, he pitched OptiChart, an automated data entry platform for EMS personnel. At the time, solutions he proposed weren’t available from major competitors.
“Just two months later, ESO (the most progressive vendor) launched an update with nearly identical features,” Schuler said. “It felt like a crushing defeat, but it also was encouraging. If we were thinking along the same lines, maybe I was on the right track.”
Schuler pivoted and formed a new company focused on maximizing EMS tools and systems of under-resourced agencies. He is currently in negotiations with two fire districts to provide analytics services and is growing web support and training offerings. He said his most impactful project so far was the launch of Missouri’s first GIS registry, which shows the number, type and location of ambulances statewide.
Schuler is grateful for the help he received at Mizzou from leaders such as Bier and Kelly Mattas, senior manager of entrepreneurship programs.
“Through them, I was connected to a wide network of brilliant, supportive people here in Columbia,” Schuler said. “Funding is helpful, of course, but it’s only potential. You need the right guidance, and I was fortunate to have it.”
Fynch Interactive
Founders: Lucas Crow, BSBA ’24, and Noah Fouts, BS CS, ’25
Location: Fully remote
Type of business: Fynch Interactive is focused on creating high-quality games and experiences on the Roblox platform. Fouts and Crow started the company to fill a growing need for engaging content that resonates with Roblox’s increasingly older audience.
Both Fouts and Crow landed full-time jobs after graduating from Mizzou. Fouts is a gameplay engineer at Paradoxum Games, and Crow works as an observability engineer at Northern Trust.
“Working on Fynch Interactive as students definitely showed our initiative and determination to build on something outside of the classroom,” Fouts said. “It allowed us to apply what we were learning in real time, take ownership of a project from the ground up, and gain practical experience that we could speak to in interviews.”
Fouts said one aspect of EQ that often gets overlooked is the focus on public speaking.
“You're often put on the spot to pitch your idea, which forces you to organize your thoughts quickly,” he said. “I can confidently say that my communication skills improved dramatically.”
Milestones: Fouts and Crow completed a two-month test run of their game, Work at a Firework Tent, which attracted nearly 3,000 players. The goal was to explore how they could manage development within a live-service model. Although it has been challenging to find time to focus on Fynch, they hope to publish a new game by the end of the year.
Fouts said Mizzou played a pivotal role in Fynch’s creation starting with the team’s participation in the Entrepreneurship Alliance Accelerator at the Trulaske College of Business.
“That program, along with opportunities such as Missouri Startup Weekend and Entrepreneurship Quest gave us the momentum, confidence and skill set to pursue Fynch seriously and take what we learned into our respective careers,” Fouts said.
SAYeTECH
Co-founder: Jeffrey Appiagyei, doctoral student, data science and informatics
Location: Ghana, West Africa
Type of business: SAYeTECH is a technology companythat designs and manufactures smart sensors for agricultural machinery to facilitate data collection and help small farmers maximize crop yields.
Students in EQ find out quickly that starting and sustaining a new business is a “team sport.” For example, Appiagyei received funding through the Redbud VC Technology Venture Studio, also located in the Griggs Nexus, that allowed him to create sensor prototypes with experts in the College of Engineering’s 3D Printing Research & Experiences Lab.
Milestones: Appiagyei says the company, which now has 18 employees, has raised about $200,000 in funding, identified a scalable manufacturing partner and completed research for four new pieces of farm equipment.
“Mizzou’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, particularly the EQ program, was invaluable,” Appiagyei said. “The mentorship and structured guidance gave us a clear framework for moving forward and taught us essential skills, like how to properly source component manufacturers.”
About Entrepreneur Quest
Now in its seventh year, EQ is an opportunity for full-time Mizzou undergraduate and graduate students to translate their ideas and side hustles into scalable ventures. Those chosen to participate in the program have an opportunity to win seed funding from a $30,000 prize pool for their businesses and receive coaching from successful entrepreneurs.
EQ programming and events are scheduled during the fall semester. Applications are due Sept. 5.
EQ is sponsored by Hawthorn Bank, U.S. Bank Foundation and the employees of Veterans United Home Loans.
