Billie Asmus of Hampton wins $100,000 Top Prize at Statewide Pitch Competition
Billie Asmus of Hampton, IA won the top prize at the 2024 InnoVenture Challenge on Thursday, December 6. The InnoVenture Challenge invites the best and brightest Iowa entrepreneurs to participate in a pitch competition where three early-stage startup companies compete on-stage for a winner-take-all $100,000 award.
Billie Asmus is an innovator, entrepreneur, and the founder of Repaint Studios. Repaint Studios is an environmentally conscious and truly innovative business. In 2021, Billie invented the Repaint Tray, a reusable paint tray that revolutionizes the world of painting, home improvement, and DIY. Billie worked with the NIACC Pappajohn Center in Mason City, IA to refine her business plan and catapult her vision into reality. She is a graduate of the NIACC Cohort of the University of Iowa Venture School, an eight-week entrepreneurial training program.
Billie said, “I feel so honored to receive the InnoVenture Iowa Fund and am grateful that the judges throughout the application process recognized my grit and determination. Support is one of the hardest parts of entrepreneurship when starting out, because not everyone will see your vision. But everyone at the Pappajohn Center saw that vision from the very beginning and has always advocated for me, pushing the status quo just to see me rise above. If I could go back to 2021 and give that girl in Venture School a hug when she wanted to give up and felt disappointed for only receiving honorable mention in her first pitch competition, I’d tell her to hold on because it would all be worth it."
Billie’s ingenuity and tenacity has brought her well-deserved recognition in the startup scene. She won 2nd place at the 2022 EntreFest Launch Day Pitch Competition, and was recognized as one of the Top Ten startups in the state of Iowa. In December 2023, the Repaint Tray won the Lowe’s Into-The-Blue global pitch competition for the paint department. Billie won First Place at the John Pappajohn Iowa Entrepreneurial Venture Competition in August 2024. The Repaint Tray can now be found at Lowe’s and Home Deport stores, as well as on the Repaint Studios website at www.repaintstudios.com.
Candi Karsjens, Director of the NIACC Pappajohn Center, said, “It’s been truly inspiring to witness Billie’s journey in creating the Repaint Tray and growing her company, Repaint Studios. Her unwavering drive, resilience, and determination to overcome challenges are remarkable. Billie embodies the entrepreneurial spirit and is building an outstanding global business right here in Northern Iowa. I couldn’t be prouder of her accomplishments!”
The InnoVenture Challenge is hosted by the InnoVenture Iowa Fund. InnoVenture Iowa Fund is the state’s first publicly-funded venture capital fund. As the state’s first public venture capital fund, the fund is uniquely positioned to close the gap in funding for early-stage Iowa startups while spurring future innovation in industries where Iowa is naturally competitive. InnoVenture Iowa is an evergreen venture capital fund, built by (and for) Iowa entrepreneurs. The Fund was formally launched in October of 2022 and began making its first investments in November of that same year.
This is the second year in a row that a North Iowa entrepreneur and Venture School graduate has won the InnoVenture Iowa Challenge. Jayson Ryner of Nora Springs, founder of ReEnvision Ag, won the top prize in December 2023. Venture School is now accepting applications for the Spring 2025 cohort. Visit www.venture-school.com to learn more and apply.
Candi Karsjens (NIACC Pappajohn Center), Billie Asmus (Repaint Studios), and Ashley Page (NIACC Pappajohn Center) at the InnoVenture Iowa Challenge
