RIVERBANK -- Intuitive Motion, which makes electric skateboards in Riverbank, has won the $20,000 first prize in a national contest for entrepreneurs.
Grow America, a Utah-based company that promotes startup businesses, awarded the prize based on online public votes and a judges panel.
Ben Forman and Geoff Larson founded Intuitive Motion last year in the former Riverbank Army Ammunition Plant. They are the only full-time employees.
The company makes the ZBoard, controlled by footpads that make the battery-powered boards stop and go.
The product has drawn plenty of attention, including mentions in The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired and other media.
Forman said the company will put the winnings into new features and accessories for the boards.
Grow America sponsored the Innovative Product Competition with Fishbowl Inventory and Intuit, both of which provide management services.
"I am passionate about entrepreneurship," said Alan Hall, founder of Grow America, in a news release. "It is individuals like these who stimulate our economy, create jobs and show the world we can ignite our dreams."
The $10,000 second prize went to the Owlet Baby Monitor, which detects whether a baby is breathing at night through a sensor attached to the foot.
The $5,000 third prize was for Slickynotes, a whiteboard that uses an electrostatic charge to stick to any smooth surface.
More information about Intuitive Motion is at www.zboardshop.com.
More about Grow America is at www.growam.com.
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