Sam Hunter was frustrated. The avid Ogden cyclist was sick of the two entry points on his bike pedals for his shoes to clip into.

So he invented a new bike pedal he calls the Infinity Pedal. The new pedal is based on a cylinder that allows a cyclist to clip in at any orientation of the pedal.

And that's where many good ideas stop.

But Hunter, a manufacturing engineer, is getting ready to create a business to make and sell his Infinity Pedal.

On Friday, Hunter won one of Grow Utah Ventures' Concept-to-Company contests, which gives entrepreneurs a chance to compete for cash and services to get a business started.

With $10,000 in hand and $25,000 worth of consulting services he'll receive, Hunter will learn about creating a business plan, patenting his product and marketing his pedals — areas in which he has no expertise.

Plus, there's the validation from experts in the outdoor recreation industry, who picked Hunter's pedals as the grand prize out of more than 60 contest entries — including ones for a solar-powered, water-sterilization ultraviolet light and a coating designed to replace wax on the bottom of skis and snowboards.

"It's people like him that this contest is really designed to help," said Justin Bott, vice president of strategic initiatives at Grow Utah Ventures, which assists entrepreneurs with taking their ideas or fledgling companies to the next level.

And many of the other products have a great shot at being made and marketed, Bott said.

Friday's contest was the fifth Concept-to-Company contest Grow Utah Ventures has hosted with its partners. Contests have been held in Ogden, St. George, Salt Lake City and Vernal, with each focusing on a different industry.

"It's exciting to see (winners and runners-up) take ideas and turn them into viable businesses," Bott said.

Over the past year, sponsors have given away tens of thousands of dollars in cash and services to get entrepreneurs started, he said.

And more contests are coming.

St. George will host a contest related to general technology starting in January. And Salt Lake City will host a contest related to digital media and entertainment in February.

More information is available at www.concepttocompany.org

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