Global Student Entrepreneur Awards!
This past Thursday (11/8), the EO Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition took place. It was hosted at the University at Buffalo and involved six students ranging from undergrad to graduate pitching their entrepreneurial journeys and their companies. The students pitched their companies to a panel of judges and competed for prizes of first place ($7,500), second place ($2,000) and third place ($500).
The six companies that presented were:
Coldspace LLC
Abidul Alam and Elijah Tyson
Are you a college student tired of the unhealthy and expensive campus dining food? Not catering to your specific needs? Don’t have a place to store your own food onc ampus? ColdSpace is a smart vending machine that allows you to store your food in your own personalized refrigerated food storage compartment.
WinutRx
Amanda Zaremski
WinutRx is a platform that correlates chronic illness and nutrition. We have designed a platform that can aid in the prevention of chronic illness, by utilizing the energy of individuals advocating personal wellness. We provide preventative measures in terms of monitoring and familiarizing with daily health, delivering precision medicine, & engaging users with convenient goal-oriented care plans.
FibreFree
Charles Keppler
FibreFree is a microfiber collecting laundry ball. Microfibers are tiny plastic fragments shed from synthetic clothing (think polyester, nylon, acrylic, etc.) While in the washing machine. These fibers then wash down the drain to wreck havoc on our environment and marine life, before infiltrating the food chain and returning to us on our plates. FibreFree has demonstrated up to a 40% efficacy, meaning it would prevent the release of 35 million plastic bottles worth of microfibers each year. Furthermore, it does so with an extremely simple and easy to use design, allowing everyone to make an impact.
Charlie and Checkers
Joey Hamilton
Checkers the inventor is a popular educational entertainer targeted to kids ages 3-8. Through live performances, educational presentations, books, a television show, and a YouTube channel, Checkers and his characters use a multi-media to reach, connect and provide continued educational entertainment and interaction with kids and parents throughout Western New York.
In-Spire Health
Kayla Simon
Worldwide, 10% of the population has asthma. This number is more than double the population of the United States. While there is a standard inhaler, this product is unreliable and rarely carried with those who need it due to its bulkiness and difficulty to carry with the consumer. People are actively searching for a product that is more stylish, convenient, and cheaper. Our company’s mission is to be able to provide an easy and stylish way to take medications on-the-go, or in the state of emergency. The co-inventors of the invention, both asthma patients through out their lives, used their own personal experiences in order to create a device that can improve quality of life for the millions of people that suffer with the chronic condition. The device has won various entrepreneurship awards and invention competitions, resulting in over $34,000 in funding.
Buffalo Automation
Thiru Vikram
Buffalo Automation is an AI startup that has developed a combination of software, sensors and computers that enable autonomous navigation in commercial vessels. We are currently implementing a pilot project on 4 lake freighters of the 700ft-1000ft long class, which will be the first operational autonomous ships in the world next year.
The Results:
While all of the ideas were really great and most pretty well developed, it was up to the judges to decide which three companies would receive additional funding as a result of their idea, their presentation, and their entrepreneurial journey.
First Place: Buffalo Automation ($7,500)
Second Place: In-Spire Health ($2,000)
Third Place: ColdSpace LLC ($500)
Congratulations to all the entrepreneurs who participated! It will be really exciting to see where these companies are five years from now!