The pitch from Minar and his project partner, Micah Hicks, soon followed: enter the market of shooting small cube satellites, or “cubesats” into space by using smaller rockets and more common resources that could be easily created right here in Klamath Falls.

OrbitOWLs Space Services won the grand prize at this year’s challenge, with two other groups taking second and third place among a total of eight competitors. This year’s challenge marks the fourth year of the event, which aims to promote local innovations, entrepreneurship and award such efforts with thousands in cash prizes.

The project team for Lit, a portable cell phone charger that uses heat from a candle, came in second place and won $5,000. WADRS, an electronic water-monitoring system designed to help irrigators, came in third and won $2,500.

Orbit OWLs Space Services and Lit also won a combined total of $5,000 from InventOR and are slated to move on to the statewide competition.

Always innovating

Over the past three years, 15 years competed for more than $40,000 in prize money that several sponsors donated to the challenge. Last year’s winners were from the Helios Hive and student inventor Mathias Dean, who worked on a prototype of a solar-powered bee hive designed to kill predatory mites responsible for bee population declines.

Project concepts this year ranged from ways to power cell phones without a power outlet nearby, apps to help discover new mixed drinks with one’s favorite liquor and “prestige cannabis” products. Each pitch had a strategy that focused on how they would best budget for and use local resources to kick off right here in the Klamath Basin.

Hicks and Minar said that costs and resources were reasonable enough to craft a reliable product. The two also estimated that they could make $630,000 gross profit within the first year.

Their operating costs over three years were a bit steeper than others: The duo said that they would need about $1 million over the course of three years. But compared to bigger players like SpaceX — which could charge in the multi-millions for product launches — this was much more reasonable.

The two said they did their research, and like “the truth” on “X-Files,” the market is out there.

“They’re ready — they’re waiting — there’s just nobody there to launch them,” Hicks said.

Part of the program

Some of the groups, such as “Lit,” had help from several instructors who also teach business and marketing courses on campus.

Kristy Weidman, assistant professor in business, and Franny Howes, assistant professor of communication, joined forces to create crash courses in entrepreneurship, concept development and business communication.

Five out of the eight groups that presented had students who were part of the class. Weidman and Howes, who also attended Thursday’s events, said they were proud of the results.

“Even participants in the class whose projects didn’t place made a tremendous showing today,” Howes said. “I’m so proud for my students to have their work shown on such a stage.”

“I think this is the best slate of competitors we’ve ever had,” Howes added.

Judges also commented on the quality of presentations, adding that presentations both written and spoken seemed well-articulated and thoughtful in their approaches.

Keeping it local

Klamath County Commissioner Kelley Minty Morris, who emceed this year’s event, said this was one of her favorite times of the year. She said that she sits in on several conversations on deep desires community leaders have to keep students in the area.

“That’s exactly what this contest does,” Minty Morris said. “Really, what I hope people recognize is that there are amazing things going on right under our nose, in our back yard, that these students are doing.”

Saying that they were proud of avoiding rocket puns through their presentation, Minar offered one last statement as their speech ended Thursday:

“I hope you help our business lift off,” Minar said.

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Space-Age Satellite Shipping Project Wins Catalyze Klamath Challenge (H&N)