Four student teams from UTD have been selected to move forward to the national round of the Blackstone LaunchPad x StartupTree Ideas Competition. The competition, taking place 100% virtually, gives students with just an idea the chance to win up to $10,000 to start the next big thing. Applicants needed to be current students (undergraduate or graduate-level) in the earliest stage of their entrepreneurial journey. Students competed in four tracks:
- Social & Climate Impact
- Health & Life Sciences
- Consumer Products & Services
- General
Meet the UTD Finalists
Health & Life Sciences
“WhiteBat” – James Crisp BS’23 (Mechanical Engineering)
The WhiteBat consists of two distinct yet integrated components: a blood transfusion device and a drone. Its primary aim is to prolong the consciousness of victims of mass casualty events. The drone utilizes a hybrid design, having the agile takeoff abilities of a rotary drone without noticeably impacting the flight speed and range of a fixed-wing option. Depending on the application, highly protective armor is applied to protect against strong forces.
Social and Climate Impact
“Belonging Again” – Gia Kirk BA’22 (Animation, Interactive Technology, Video Graphics, Special Effects)
We’re a non-profit program, an initiative that aims to build friendships with homeless individuals in Dallas through UX research and craft-making that ultimately provides them a platform to visually communicate their stories.
Consumer Products
“Longshots Disc Golf” – Tyler DeLanghe MBA’24 (Systems Engineering & Management)
We are creating the world’s first and only disc golf driving range! Longshots is an engaging and entertaining facility that revolves around the fast-growing and amazing sport of disc golf. Similar to the fast-growing driving range TopGolf, we want to wow each and every customer with a truly unique experience every time they visit. Our facility will contain 3 key businesses: a driving range, a retail store (pro shop), and the Putting Bar.
General
Geospace Instrumentation and Data Solutions – Isaac Wright BS’22 (Physics)
ScintPi—a low-cost and robust sensor—is designed to be a practical solution to the high cost of available geospace instrumentation. ScintPi works by reading radio signals from dozens of overhead satellites to provide important information about the ionosphere.
About Blackstone LaunchPad
The Blackstone LaunchPad network makes entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial skills accessible and relevant for all college students to help them build thriving companies and careers. We work with higher-ed institutions to deliver proven startup resources, facilitate access to a global network of mentors and advisors, and offer unique virtual and physical convening opportunities so thousands of diverse college students can go further, faster. Students learn by doing, gaining knowledge and critical skills to help them succeed as a founder or contributor to the innovation economy. LaunchPad’s ever-expanding network encompasses campuses with predominantly underrepresented populations. Learn more: www.blackstonelaunchpad.org.
