Coalescence Entertainment Inc., a film studio and philanthropic organization owned by two University of Iowa students, received the $2,500 top prize at the Frontier Co-op–Tippie Impact competition.

Tanner Gordon is a senior majoring in liberal studies and organizational management with a certificate in enterprise leadership, and Veronika Graves is a senior majoring in enterprise leadership. Their business is a movie production company focused on producing feature films that share the true stories of real people, real events, and real issues happening around the world to spread awareness and bring people closer together. Many of the dramas star actor-advocates who vow to work at a lower scale wage and use their fame to promote the issue depicted in the film.

The Coalescence Foundation is the sister company to Coalescence Entertainment and allocates funds earned from the movies to nonprofit organizations that address the issue being represented in the films.

The annual Frontier Co-op–Tippie Impact business model pitch competition encourages students to develop business models that address sustainability issues facing our society and identify environmental and social components that factor into the long-term profitability and viability of those businesses. Student teams pitch their business ideas to a panel of experts who determine the prize winners, which includes cash prizes and an opportunity work with experts through the John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (JPEC).