And then there were six!
Twenty teams competed in the Bud Albin Challenge on April 12, the semifinal round of the Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation to Market Competition.
Teams had just 10 minutes to impress industry judges with pre-prepared pitches, followed by 15 minutes on their toes answering questions. Only six remain to compete for the $15,000 prize in the finals on Wednesday, May 8, in G75 (there's still time to register to attend!)
Congratulations to the winners:
- Rose Beauty: Allison Ivers, Gianna Salvi, Alexandra Bonadies, Delaney Cunningham (PAUL); A pampering yet convenient skin product that protects against blue light digital exposure.
- Drift-RMT: Cameron Vose, Kara Wittmann, Riley Desmarais, William Moore (PAUL + CEPS); A renewable ocean data collection device that uses the motion of waves for self-sustaining power.
- Info-P: David Brown, Sophie Grondin, Cecilia Robinson, Mathew Harry (CHHS); A revolutionary solution to aid in detecting urinary tract infections, providing continuous and accurate patient information.
- After Grad Pad: Brandon Murphy (PAUL); A platform designed to seamlessly ease the transition from university housing to city renting for graduating college seniors.
- Centrip: Avery Langone, Emmett Roy, Alexander Cruz, Axel Barretto (PAUL); An online platform that provides a centralized location for study abroad necessities.
- Trim-Able: Kyle Dimick (Plymouth State University); The world’s first Bluetooth automatic nail trimmer designed to help people who have difficulty using standard nail trimmers.
While there is only one overall winner in the finals, participating teams are rewarded for their efforts. The second-place team earns $10,000, and the third-place team earns $5,000. In addition, all the teams participating in the final round earn $1,000 and there’s a $2,000 bonus available in the finals for being the audience favorite.
The 14 teams that didn’t advance past the semifinals will all receive cash prizes ranging from $300 to $600.
During the final round, each team will show a 90-second video, followed by an 8.5-minute pitch on their business, how they'll implement it, and why it will be successful. Then, they'll get grilled by the industry bigwigs we bring to the judging table.
