The Georgia Chamber of Commerce recently hosted a successful inaugural Georgia InVenture Prize competition in Atlanta, Georgia, which was aired live by Georgia Public Broadcasting.
The Georgia InVenture Prize highlights the state’s innovation ecosystem and its high potential, ambitious and growth-oriented student entrepreneurs.

Nineteen colleges including sixteen universities and three technical colleges were represented by teams of innovators. Each team presented their unique business solution before a distinguished panel of 20 preliminary judges. After the initial round, five student teams were selected to advance to the live televised final round. The finalist teams hailed from Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, Fort Valley State, North Georgia University, and Southern Regional Technical College.

The People’s Choice Award winner was Spartan Wheel Chariots from Southern Regional Technical College (SRTC). Spartan Wheel Chariots was a team of one, a determined paraplegic student named Ben Huntzinger. Mr. Huntzinger is building a rugged outdoor wheelchair designed to make an active outdoor lifestyle more accessible for wheelchair users. Spartan Wheel Chariots also won the second place prize. His total prize winnings included consultations with high-level business advisors and a cash prize totaling $25,000. He plans to invest all of the winnings into his dream of building wheelchairs that are durable, easily attainable, and affordable.

Ben’s passion for his mission placed him in a position of prominence early in the competition, even among his fellow competitors.  “I decided a while back that if I was going to have access to the life I wanted, I was going to have to build it from scratch. After years of trial and error, and lots of being told no, I developed a wheelchair that would be tough enough to handle the challenges that my lifestyle would demand of it. I went back to school at Southern Regional Technical College to learn better ways to build my wheelchair. Today, I am able produce affordable and custom off-road wheelchairs that give wheelchair users more than just a new set of wheels. I am able to give them a lifestyle of self-reliance, confidence, and adventure,” Huntzinger remarked.

SRTC President, Dr. Craig Wentworth said, “As a student, Mr. Huntzinger is a shining example of what makes technical education unique and important. As a college, we are honored by his choice to start here. It is our hope that his achievement will encourage other technical college students across the state to think bigger and pursue their own exciting goals.”