Ten teams have made it to the final event in our university business idea pitch competition open to alumni, current students, and faculty researchers. They will compete for $170,000 in cash and scholarship prizes. The competition is hosted by the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, an interdisciplinary division of the Naveen Jindal School of Management.
Student Track
Manta Systems – Tamara Marshall, MBA’24 / JSOM
Manta Systems is designing the first automated, app-enabled, frozen fish food feeder on the market.
Routora – Tom Vazhekatt, BS’24 Computer Science / ECS
Routora is a route planning solution that creates faster and more efficient multi-stop routes by optimally reordering a list of addresses to save you time and money on the road.
BuildQuota – Xavier Madison, MBA’23 / JSOM
BuildQuota is an AI-driven Construction Supplier Diversity Management software focused on simplifying the diversity compliance workflow for all stakeholders on projects, increasing job site productivity and minimizing risk of non-compliance.
Olive Tree Therapeutics – Madison Valdivia, BS’23 Biology / BBS
The Coupage Vest is a high-frequency, vibrating vest that is strapped firmly around the thoracic cavity of a patient to break up thick mucus in the lungs as a therapeutic modality for various upper respiratory illnesses.
Alumni Track
Catenate Corp – Sameer Ranjan, MS’20 Business Analytics / JSOM
Catenate’s AI-driven platform aids decision-making at every important node of human life. Our products built over this platform can assist school students in choosing the right career, professionals track and improve their soft skills, people manage their well-being and individuals make wealth based on their risk profile.
EKUSO – Karlin Oei, BS’20 Finance / JSOM
Using the innovative EKUSO method, we merge education, gaming, and social-emotional learning to create innovative environments for those who feel left out. Our e-learning provider provides fully customized youth esports training programs for middle and high schools.
Creator Camp – Jacky Chao, BA’22 Animation / AHT
Creator Camp is an education technology company that is on a mission to empower children with hands-on creative-tech skills, while also making sure they have a lot of fun.
Technology Commercialization Track
OptiMIND – Chandramallika Basak – Associate Professor, Center for Vital Longevity / BBS
OptiMIND is a series of brain training games designed to enhance brain and cognition across the lifespan, ensuring that you stay sharp and focused at any age.
Kile Technology – Stefano Leonardi – Professor, Mechanical Engineering / ECS
Kile Technology is developing digital twins of wind farms to optimize power production, increase durability and mitigate the risk of investment.
Think! LLC – Joseph Friedman, Associate Professor, NeuroSpinCompute Laboratory / ECS
Artificial intelligence processing units (AIPUs) that learn efficiently and autonomously.
Event Details – 2023 Big Idea Competition Finals
April 26, 2023 / 3:20 PM / Davidson-Gundy Alumni Center / Reserve your seat
Special Guest Speaker – Gen Fukunaga
Gen Fukunaga is an entrepreneur and investor. He recently retired as CEO of Funimation Entertainment which he had founded in 1994, sold in 2005 to a public company, purchased back in 2011 and sold to Sony Pictures in October 2017. Funimation/Crunchyroll is the dominant distributor of Anime (Japanese animation) outside of Asia including over 1,000 brands such as Dragon Ball Z, Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Cowboy BeBop and My Hero Academia.
Mr. Fukunaga is currently a partner in two venture capital companies and two commercial real estate private equity firms. He is also a Board member, and/or advisor in various start-ups.
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