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Student-run hackathon builds interdisciplinary solutions to challenges facing San Luis Obispo community

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Camp PolyHacks, an interdisciplinary hackathon based on social entrepreneurship, was held on Jan. 20 and 21 at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) HotHouse in downtown San Luis Obispo.

During the two-day hackathon, 57 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) students worked in groups to develop a solution to an issue impacting San Luis Obispo. Each of the 13 teams was assigned one of four issue categories, including civic engagement, artificial intelligence (AI), classroom project continuation and the Cal Poly Digital Transformation Hub (DxHub) powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) projects

Teams could develop solutions in the form of a product, service, information or marketing campaign, policy proposal or a demonstration or prototype of a mobile application.

Camp PolyHacks was sponsored by the CIE, as well as the City of San Luis Obispo, Amazon Web Services, DxHub, Dignity Health, Cal Poly College of Engineering and Cal Poly College of Liberal Arts.

The event was organized by student volunteers and David Askay, a Cal Poly communications adjunct professor and CIE faculty innovation lead.

“I am so impressed with seeing the commitment and drive of so many talented students,” Askay said. “While we fueled participants with food and community coaches, it was their own passion and creativity that moved them forward.” 

Day one of Camp PolyHacks included a 90-minute team brainstorming session, followed by opportunities for students to attend workshops and receive coaching and mentorship from industry professionals and Cal Poly faculty members. On day two, teams were given just over two hours to fine-tune their projects before presenting their innovations to a panel of judges.

Team Hopper won $500 for Top Project in Continuing a Class Project. They developed a personalized app and optimized dynamic bus routes to improve student transportation. The group consisted of business major Kennedy Urcelay; recreation parks and tourism administration major Kennedy Barlow; communication studies major Quoya Mann and international exchange student in computer science Othilia Norell.

Team TherapEase won $500 for Top Project in Artificial Intelligence. They developed a physical therapy app that tracks improvements in mobility and movement over time and encourages compliance with home exercises. The group consisted of computer science majors Isha Varrier, Pihu Jha, Dhanvi Ganti, Sunishka Sharma and Sammer Maheshwari; and graphic communication major Bella Santos. 

Team Kudos won $500 for Top Project in Civic Engagement. They developed an app to help empower rental tenants by finding rentals, reviewing landlords, tracking code violations and providing an AI chatbot to answer questions about renters’ rights. The group consisted of communication studies major Brenden Jacoby; computer science major Soren Fliegel; and city and regional planning majors Margo Ezcurra and Jodie Huang. 

Special awards for $200 were also given for achievements such as “Best Demo,” “Best Pitch” and “Best Design.” 

These award winners included:

— Best Demo: Team LocalLens, who created an AI chatbot trained on the City of San Luis Obispo council records to increase and facilitate access to the public. This team included computer science majors Jason Jelincic, Pallavi Das, Miguel Villa Floran, Nick Riley and Taran Singh; and electrical engineering major Roy Vicerra. 

— Best Pitch: Team Credito, who provided undocumented U.S. immigrants a way to access credit. The team included interdisciplinary studies major Jorge Sanches; liberal arts and engineering studies major Casey Hartley, electrical engineering major Soumil Joshi; economics major Sevasian Juarez; and business major Zitao Guan.

— Best Design: Team Moment, who created an app to predict and prevent burnout in healthcare workers. The team included computer science majors Sofija Dimitrijevic, Jonathan Hagendoorn, James Irwin and Ellie Pearson; and computer engineering major Nick Weiss.

Other teams included: 

— Team GeoGraph who used geographic information system (GIS) and lidar data to provide the City of San Luis Obispo Sustainability Manager Chris Read with the estimated square footage of non-residential buildings in San Luis Obispo to track carbon emissions and inform policy decisions. 

— Team Rewired who developed an app for pre-screening and tracking gambling addiction. 

— Team Humorfy who developed a health and fitness app to encourage meeting goals with humor and fun. 

— Team WellNex.AI who used AI to create a digital patient intake form to create pre-diagnoses and optimization of visits for free healthcare at the Noor Clinic. 

— Team Bike CV who created an app to track bike accidents.  

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship:

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit https://cie.calpoly.edu/.

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Cal Poly Students Win $1,500 in Cash Prizes for Their Innovative Ideas at 14th Annual Elevator Pitch Competition

SAN LUIS OBISPO — A Cal Poly freshman won the top prize at Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) 14th annual Elevator Pitch Competition, a fast-paced, high-energy competition for student entrepreneurs, held Nov. 7 at the Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo.

Ten finalists, selected from dozens of applicants, had 90 seconds each to pitch their innovative products, services and startup ideas. They were evaluated by a panel of judges on four criteria: how well was the problem or opportunity explained; was the idea innovative; was the direction clear; and was the pitch persuasive.

Material engineering freshman Erin Wang of Irvine, California, received the $1,000 first-place prize with her pitch for Intelladaptive Jacket, an active, self-regulating temperature jacket that uses sensors and a removable, rechargeable battery to adjust to the user’s temperature.

“I’m so grateful and super excited,” Wang said. “I’m just a freshman so I wasn’t expecting a ton out of it, but I’m so glad I was able to be here.”

Marley Timmerman of Huntington Beach, California, an electrical engineering senior with a minor in entrepreneurship, received the $500 audience choice award.

Her pitch for Bike Knight impressed the crowd. Bike Knight is a secondary electronic e-bike lock that pairs with your existing metal lock, combining electronics with physical strength, to create the maximum bike security system.

“I think it’s awesome that I won the Audience Choice Award,” Timmerman said. “This means that people in the audience had their bike stolen and really want something like this — there’s real interest.”

This year’s judges included: Cal Poly Associate Professor Erik Sapper, the faculty innovation lead for the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics; Lynn Metcalf, professor emeritus of entrepreneurship, who recently retired after 35 years at Cal Poly; and Penny Lane Case, co-founder and CEO of Nexstera Tech, and a Cal Poly alumna, who graduated this year with a bachelor’s degree in business administration degree and concentration in entrepreneurship.

Other Elevator Pitch Competition finalists included:

— Sun-Tractable Shield, a windshield sunshade that hooks onto the dashboard when in use and retracts into a case when not in use, pitched by theater arts freshman Laurel Desilets of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

— Fit Friends, a service that lets users connect with other members at their gym to find workout partners, pitched by computer science senior Joseph Hammana of Santa Cruz, California.

— Quick Shield, a bulk sunscreen dispenser service that provides athletes easy access to sunscreen to prevent sunburn and skin cancer, pitched by electrical engineering fifth-year Dan Murphy of Wayne, New Jersey.

— Virtuosos, a unique rhythm game that empowers music creators to collaborate, showcase their work and transform their compositions into immersive in-game experiences, pitched by computer science graduate student Lucas Li of Morgan Hill, California.

— Fermy Foods, a fermented baby foods company specifically targeted to kids, pitched by William Dietz, a business administration senior concentrating in real estate finance and minoring in real estate property development. Dietz is from Batavia, Illinois.

— Hobby Hub, a platform where you can choose from a wide variety of hobbies and join a hobby group where you can meet like-minded people starting this hobby as well, pitched by industrial technology and packaging senior Greta Peacock of Towson, Maryland.

— ClassMate AI, software that turns professor lectures into unique chatbots for every class, allowing students to easily ask questions and get answers, ensuring a personalized and accessible learning assistant is always available, pitched by computer science junior Raja Adil of Sacramento, California.

— Conspire Commerce, an innovative e-commerce group shopping solution that  provides chat, call and shared cart functionality, along with split-payment options, offering a convenient and collaborative way to shop together online, pitched by Richard Tanaka of San Marcos, California. Tanaka is a business administration senior concentrating in information systems.

To watch this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition pitches, visit the CIE YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUZ0YMs8MZptzGdZBNE6aSY7wDdg1g5Ld.

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship:

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit https://cie.calpoly.edu/.

 

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Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Announces 2023 Summer Accelerator Cohort at Annual May Entrepreneurship Forum

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) accepted eight startup teams into their Summer Accelerator, an intensive 12-week program that provides Cal Poly students and recent graduates with the resources needed to turn their innovative ideas into full-fledged startups. 

Participants receive $10,000 in seed funding, as well as access to expert mentorship, entrepreneurial workshops and a dedicated workspace in the HotHouse, the CIE’s office in downtown San Luis Obispo.

“The Summer Accelerator program is unique because it marks the point where students apply all of the foundational learning that takes place on campus and dedicate their time over a 12-week period to working towards launching a business,” said Tom Katona, the CIE’s interim co-executive director. “Cal Poly alumni, the local community and the CIE all come together to support and challenge these students in pursuit of their entrepreneurial endeavor.”

The eight teams were officially announced at the CIE’s May Entrepreneurship Forum on Tuesday, May 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (PAC).

The forum also featured a fireside chat with guest speaker Kate Somerville, the founder of a world-renowned luxury skincare brand. After years of struggling with eczema, Somerville pursued a degree in esthetics. After completing her schooling, she opened her own clinic in a San Luis Obispo cosmetic surgeon’s office. Now, her paramedical esthetics clinic in Los Angeles is bringing advanced medical technology into a more comfortable environment.

At May Forum, Somerville shared the story behind her startup, from a childhood that propelled her towards entrepreneurship, to personal care product company Unilever’s acquisition of the Kate Somerville brand in 2015.

“This is the best part — because I was one of them, and I still am. Once an entrepreneur, always an entrepreneur,” Somerville said. “This is such a great program. I’m so glad I was able to be a part of it.”

Somerville’s interview was conducted by Haley Pavone, a CIE alumnus and the founder and CEO of Pashion Footwear, a footwear company whose patented shoes can easily convert from a pump to a flat. Pavone founded Pashion Footwear as a Cal Poly business administration junior. 

The 2023 Summer Accelerator teams represent a variety of different concepts, from machine learning with Tensormaker, to social connectivity with Social Spark.

“I’m really looking forward to working with this diverse group of entrepreneurs,” Katona said.

This year’s cohort includes:

Drinkwise, a startup developing a noninvasive SmartPatch that indicates the user’s blood alcohol content (BAC) level, created by industrial engineering senior Owen Works, biomedical engineering senior Camden Ford and psychology senior Aynsley Ramsaur.

Ecoternatives, an e-commerce store that sells sustainable and plastic-free home essential products at more affordable prices, founded by economics senior Aidan Riehl.

Entein Feeds, a startup utilizing food waste to grow insects as an animal feed protein supplement, founded by materials engineering sophomore William Burns and mechanical engineering sophomore Cameron Yartz.

Nexsterra Tech, a startup developing technology that can detect batteries in waste bins before they’re compacted in order to prevent costly fires, created by business administration seniors Penny Lane Case and Thaddeus Ziarkowski and mechanical engineering seniors Stefany James and Sydney Fairchild.

Plan A Lot, an event planning platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to simplify the planning process, founded by computer science junior Luis Guzman and mechanical engineering junior Marciela Carrillo.

Social Spark, a startup organizing and facilitating social activities for recently relocated college graduates, founded by mechanical engineering senior Samantha Moberly and software engineering senior Parker Callison.

Tensormaker, a startup enabling all web developers to build their own machine learning software, founded by liberal arts and engineering senior Avi Peltz.

Té Piña, a startup producing a caffeinated, pineapple-based beverage that provides consumers with a healthier alternative to existing energy drinks, created by business administration seniors Matthew Reis and Benjamin Arts.

View the cohort’s pitches here.

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE):

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit https://cie.calpoly.edu/.

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Cal Poly Student Founders Sweep Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition

SAN JOSE — Two recent Cal Poly graduates won the top prizes at the Sunstone Startup Launch Competition, a California State University (CSU) pitch competition with a total of $200,000 in prize money at stake, held at San Jose State University (SJSU) Friday, May 5. Competing teams are divided into three categories, including product, service and social enterprise.

Recent Cal Poly computer science graduate Emily Gavrilenko won the service track’s first-place prize of $25,000 with her startup Ryde, a travel marketplace for college students connecting drivers and riders for long-distance travel.

“When I was pitching, I felt really confident because we’ve come so far in the past year. I was pitching a business, not just an idea,” Gavrilenko said. “I was more nervous for the awards ceremony than the actual pitch because I didn’t want to let my co-founders down. I really wanted to call them and tell them we won — so it was really exciting to hear the good news.”

Gavrilenko plans to use the prize money to fund Ryde’s upcoming expansion to a new college campus.

Manufacturing engineering graduate Evan Lalanne won the product track’s second-place prize of $10,000 for X-Adapt, a startup building a compact, capable and intuitive mobility device by modifying commercially available electric unicycles for adaptive riders. 

Lalanne is planning on introducing the product to early adopters later this year.

Both winners participated in the 2022 Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Summer Accelerator, a three-month program that provides Cal Poly students and recent graduates with the resources needed to turn their startup ideas into real, scalable businesses.

“The Summer Accelerator made a world of difference,” Gavrilenko said. “It really helped me on my pitch. I became confident up on stage and also had quality content to put in my pitch. The Accelerator really taught me how to talk about my business.”

Two pre-qualified students or recent graduates from each CSU campus presented an eight-minute pitch to a panel of judges. The pitch was followed by a five-minute question and answer session. Judges evaluated the pitches based on desirability, feasibility and viability. 

The Sunstone Startup Launch competition was held for the first time in 2021 at Cal State Long Beach (CSULB), and only five of the 23 CSU campuses participated. Eighteen campuses participated this year, including Dominguez Hills, East Bay, Fresno, Fullerton, Humboldt, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Monterey Bay, Northridge, Pomona, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, San Marcos and Sonoma.

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship:

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunity to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit cie.calpoly.edu

Contact: Stephanie Zombek
805-225-4738; szombek@calpoly.edu

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Four Cal Poly Student Entrepreneur Teams Win $35,000 for Their Innovative Startup Ideas at CIE’s Annual Innovation Quest Competition

A group of students smiling and holding giant checks

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Four student startup teams  split $35,000 at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) annual Innovation Quest (iQ), a high-stakes competition where Cal Poly students pitch their innovative business ideas to a panel of judges in the hopes of winning funding for their startups

Biology senior McClain Kressman and Nico Galin, a computer science student at UC Berkeley, received the first-place prize of $15,000 for their startup BioGlyph at the event, held April 29 on campus, with awards presented later at a local venue.  

“It (winning) was surprising — and it was fun,” said Kressman of Santa Cruz, California. “I couldn’t have done it without Nico, and we’re excited to see what’s ahead of us.” 

They intend to use the cash prize to further develop BioGlyph. The software streamlines the process of biologic, or medicine, development and iteration — as well as user modification tools — by allowing researchers to easily shift between visual, markup and serial representations of medications developed from living organisms, Kressman said. 

The second-place prize of $10,000 went to Instaboard, a digital whiteboard that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to allow users to illustrate their ideas and collaborate with others, created by computer science senior David Chen, an international student from China, recent art and design graduate Alina Chiu of Mandeville, Louisiana, and Andy Zhou, a University of Rochester finance and applied mathematics student.  

“It felt kind of unreal — like what? ‘Did that just happen?’” Chen said. “I was just very glad because for the past few months, I’ve been feeling discouraged … This is a backbone, and I’m going to be building on this confidence. I’m really thankful.” 

Logan Hughes of Brookline, Massachusetts, and Jensen Jalufka, both business administration seniors with a focus on entrepreneurship, and engineering seniors Elisa Horta (mechanical engineering)and Justice Radler (industrial engineering) received the third place award of $5,000 for Spikeless, a wristband to test whether a drink has been drugged. 

“It felt so great to win,” said Jalufka, an Austin, Texas, resident. “We put in a lot of hard work, so it’s really awesome to be rewarded. It’s really a humbling experience to be able to put this money towards our company.” 

Entein Feeds took home the $5,000 Brett and Leslie Eldridge Environmental Impact Award, presented to the top team whose innovation focuses on environmentalism and sustainability. The startup, founded by William Burns, a materials engineering senior minoring in entrepreneurship, grows black soldier fly larvae off of food waste, then sells the larvae as a protein supplement in animal feed. 

“It felt awesome to get appreciation for how hard I worked, especially on an environmentally friendly project,” Burns said. 

Fourteen finalists pitched their innovative ideas in Cal Poly’s Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab. The event’s banquet and awards ceremony was held at SLO Brew Rock later that night. 

Past iQ participant and Pashion Footwear founder and CEO Haley Pavone spoke at the banquet. Pavone won iQ in 2017 with her pitch for a shoe that easily converts from a pump to a flat. 

iQ was founded in 2004 by Cal Poly electrical engineering graduates and business leaders Carson Chen, Richard Boberg and Laura Pickering. Since its launch, iQ participants have received over $400,000 that has helped launch several successful businesses, such as iFixIt, Liftgator and Alydia Health. 

“iQ motivates students across campus who would otherwise not think about taking the skills that they have and applying them in an entrepreneurial way,” said Tom Katona, CIE interim co-executive director.  

In addition to the four winners, 10 finalists were chosen from more than 50 applicants: 

— Pyrottack, a battery detection system that prevents costly battery fires in the waste stream by detecting batteries in waste bins before they are compacted., created by business administration seniors Penny Lane Case and Thaddeus Ziarkowski and mechanical engineering seniors Stefany James, Cole Miller and Sydney Fairchild. 

— RISE, an innovation helping Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) patients take control of their symptoms and prevent debilitating episodes, developed by Alex Rosenbaum, a mechanical engineering junior and Aidan Rosenbaum, a mechanical engineering junior at Case Western Reserve University. 

— Munchie Automation, a hot food vending machine developer providing quality, affordable and safe food, founded by business administration senior Colin Brown, mechanical engineering junior Tony Aviña and electrical engineering freshman Ian McKernan. 

— PeggyAI, a software company helping agriculture businesses automate their time keeping, equipment tracking and safety processes, developed by recent business administration graduate Ethan Beck, business administration junior Isabella Beck and earth and science soil junior Thomas Telles. 

— Vlab Education, a startup providing virtual reality (VR) science experiments for students, founded by polymers and coatings graduate student Adam Langevin and recent computer science graduates Kaili Shan and Jarrod Tart. 

— Groundwater Pricing Calculator, a tool that can help farmers and county governments determine the cost of accessing groundwater, developed by psychology and ethnic studies senior Cade Creason and computer engineering senior Lucas Abdo. 

— Ourcelium, a startup reducing microplastic pollution by using a decomposing fungus to turn plastic waste into mycelium, which can then be used to create sustainable packaging alternatives, developed by business administration seniors Penny Lane Case and Thaddeus Ziarkowski, mechanical engineering sophomore Amelia Cameron and mechanical engineering seniors Stefany James, Cole Miller and Sydney Fairchild. 

— Tensormaker, a tool that makes building machine learning applications quick, easy and accessible, created by liberal arts and engineering studies senior Avi Peltz and recent computer engineering graduate Samuel Cole. 

— DrinkWise, a smart tattoo that monitors the wearer’s Blood Alcohol Level (BAC), developed by industrial engineering senior Owen Works, biomedical engineering senior Camden Ford, biomedical engineering junior Aditi Sriram, mechanical engineering senior Nicolas Rojas and business administration junior Michael Hennessy. 

— Zoetic Motion, a digital health platform streamlining the physical therapy process in order to improve patient outcomes, founded by computer science graduate student Zeeshan Khan. 

About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: 

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunity to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit cie.calpoly.edu.  

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Cal Poly’s Student-Run Hackathon Builds Interdisciplinary Solutions to Local Challenges

A group of students brainstorm in the CIE HotHouse. One is standing and talking to three other students, seated at a rectangular table with laptops in front of them.

SAN LUIS OBISPO –A team of Cal Poly interdisciplinary students recently won the top prize at Camp PolyHacks for their anonymous blog space, dubbed Lumi, designed to help marginalized groups build community.

During the two-day hackathon Jan. 22-23, 70 Cal Poly students worked in groups to develop a solution to an issue impacting San Luis Obispo. Each of the 13 teams was assigned one of four categories, including inclusive digital spaces, transportation innovation, small business success and groundwater sustainability. Teams could develop solutions in the form of a product, service, information or marketing campaign, policy proposal or a demonstration or prototype of a mobile application.

The Stardust Team won $1,000 for Best Overall Solution. The team also won in the Most Impactful Solution for Inclusive Digital Spaces and Best Logo categories.

They developed and coded Lumi for Cal Poly students who belong to marginalized communities to post, seek advice and find companionship. Team members included computer science majors Sage Meadows, Hahns Pena and Bora Joo; liberal arts and engineering major Leticia Mezzetti; and computer engineering major Arjun Chopra.

The event was organized by student volunteers and Cal Poly communications professor and Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) Faculty Fellow David Askay.

“I feel lucky to be at Cal Poly alongside such wonderful students from across campus — from liberal arts to engineering — who join together their skills and creativity at this event,” Askay said.

The first day of Camp PolyHacks included a 90-minute team brainstorming session followed by opportunities for students to attend workshops and receive coaching and mentorship from industry professionals and Cal Poly faculty members. On the second day, teams were given just over two hours to fine-tune their projects before presenting their innovations to a panel of judges.

Awards were given to the teams who developed the most impactful solutions for each issue category. Special awards were also given for achievements such as Best Pitch or Most Sustainable.

Other awards included:

— Most Impactful Solution for Small Business Success: Team Shop SLOcal, which created an app that helps small businesses in downtown San Luis Obispo increase sales by implementing a customer-rewards system. The team included journalism major Madison Vernon, software engineering major Aaron Bettencourt, computer science major Kannan Jain and communication studies major Kat MacPherson.

— Most Impactful Solution for Transportation Innovations: Team cYc presented its idea for a bike rental service that allows students to rent out their personal bikes to other students, as well as a “smart lock” that tracks the bike. The team included computer science majors Krishnanshu Gupta, Ishaan Sathaye and Nakul Nayak, and computer engineering major Ashwin Rajesh.

— Most Impactful Solution for Groundwater Sustainability: Team Permeable SLO, which proposed that San Luis Obispo use new building materials, such as permeable pavement, to assist with replenishing groundwater. The team included landscape architecture major Hannah Huntley, computer science major Grant Holland, history major Katarina Di Paola and computer engineering major Rockwood Frank.

— Best Demonstration of Teamwork: Team Shop SLOcal.

— Most Sustainable: Team Permeable SLO.

— Best Pitch: Team Fair Start developed an AI (artificial intelligence) algorithm that screens applications for employers in order to reduce biases associated with resumes and decrease the time it takes employers to read through job applications. The team included computer science majors Shehbaj Singh Dhillon and Anisha Raju, and industrial engineering major Michael Cassetti.

— Best User Experience: Team Fair Start.

— Best Prototype: Team WORK created a website for small businesses that finds job candidates that fit the qualifications that a business is seeking. The team included computer science majors Nathan Kang and Matthew Chak, business administration majors Wesley Lin and Zitao Guan, and graphic communications major Aidan Nesbitt.

The Cal Poly CIE HotHouse in downtown San Luis Obispo hosted Camp PolyHacks, which was cosponsored by Cal Poly’s colleges of Liberal Arts and Engineering, the city of San Luis Obispo, the San Luis Obispo Council of Governments, DRC Design and Red Bull.

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Cal Poly Students Win $1,500 in Cash Prizes for Their Innovative Ideas at CIE’s 13th Annual Elevator Pitch Competition 

Elevator Pitch winners Owen Works and Camille Boiteux holding their $1,000 and $500 awarded checks.

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Two Cal Poly students won $1,500 at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) 13th annual Elevator Pitch Competition, a fast-paced, high-energy competition for student entrepreneurs, held on Nov. 2 at the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center. 

Ten finalists, selected from an initial pool of 50 applicants, had 90 seconds each to pitch their innovative products, services and startup ideas. They were evaluated by a panel of judges on four criteria: how well was the problem or opportunity explained; was the idea innovative; was the direction was clear; and was the pitch persuasive.  

Industrial engineering senior Owen Works received the $1,000 first-place prize with his pitch for DrinkWise, a temporary tattoo that gives users real-time measurements of their blood alcohol concentration, or BAC. 

“Winning was a bit of a shock because I thought there were some really good ideas and pitches,” Works said. “(Before applying to the competition), I talked to a lot of my friends about my idea, and everyone thought it was good and said to go for it, and I’m very glad I did.” 

Works said he intends to expand his team and begin engineering the temporary tattoos. 

Camille Boiteux, a business administration junior with a concentration in entrepreneurship, received the $500 audience choice award. 

Her pitch for Swish Lash was the top pick of attendees. Swish Lash is a uniquely shaped reusable sponge brush that removes mascara in just a few swipes. 

Boiteux also participated in the 2020 Elevator Pitch Competition with a social academic app designed to make studying fun.

“I’ve been involved (with the CIE) since my freshman year, but this is my first time competing as a finalist and winning a prize,” Boiteux said. “This is crazy for me.” 

Boiteux said she plans to begin testing her prototypes to find which is most effective. She will also continue working with the CIE Hatchery, an on-campus resource for Cal Poly students interested in entrepreneurship or starting their own business. 

Other Elevator Pitch Competition finalists included: 

— Brake Buddy, a patent-pending brake light that uses progressive LED technology in order to allow drivers to gauge how hard the car in front of them is braking, pitched by Mason Elefant, a business administration junior with a concentration in marketing management.

— Feed, an Apple-based mobile application meant specifically for sharing food, which allows food lovers to share their food experiences and recommendations, pitched by computer science senior Isha Lamba. 

— Hermeats, a student-to-student food delivery service enabling students to deliver campus dining orders to one other, pitched by computer science freshman Sahith Karra. 

— The Mycelial Biodigester, a mycelium biodigester that can break plastics down into their organic components or grow a biodegradable plastic substitute that is similar to Styrofoam, pitched by Thaddeus Ziarkowski, a business administration senior with a concentration in entrepreneurship.

— ReBrush, a paintbrush with refillable bristles that allows users to keep the same handle even after the bristles have been ruined by dried paint, pitched by Andrew Choumas, a business administration senior with a concentration in real estate finance.

— Remote Work Vans, a rental campervan service that provides remote work professionals with a custom van that converts between traditional campervan and mobile workspace, pitched by Garrison Rowland, a business administration senior with a concentration in entrepreneurship.

— Top of the Bagel, a bagel company that focuses on innovation within the bagel industry and offers bagels with seasoning that covers both the top and bottom of the bagel, pitched by business administration freshman Elizabeth Darst. 

— VLab Education, a virtual reality (VR) company creating realistic VR chemistry labs for underfunded high school educators and homeschool programs, pitched by polymers and coatings science graduate student Adam Langevin. 

Cal Poly alumni Sara Glaser (Business Administration, ’21) and Madison Lewandowski (Business Administration, ’22) were the event’s keynote speakers. The pair co-founded HiLite, a San Luis Obispo-based fitness startup that connects users with a joint-safe workout solution that reverses muscle loss.

During their 15-minute address, Lewandowski said her “entrepreneurial journey began three years ago” at the CIE’s 2019 Elevator Pitch Competition. Throughout their college careers, Glaser and Lewandowski participated in several CIE programs and competitions, including Cal Poly Startup Marathon — where they met in 2019 — the Hatchery, the Summer Accelerator and Innovation Quest (iQ).  

To watch this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition presentations, visit the CIE YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/calpolyeship.   

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Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Announces 2022 Summer Accelerator Cohort

Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship Announces 2022 Summer Accelerator Cohort

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) accepted seven startup teams to their Summer Accelerator program.

The intensive 13-week program helps Cal Poly students and recent graduates develop their startup ideas and launch their companies. Each participating team is provided with $100,000 in seed funding, access to expert mentorship and tailored workshops, as well as a dedicated workspace in the HotHouse.

“The Summer Accelerator is an opportunity to work with people who believe in the power of entrepreneurship,” CIE Director of Student Innovation Programs Jose Huitron said. “It is a true Learn By Doing experience, full of peer collaboration, learning, team building and startup possibility.”

The eight teams were officially announced at the CIE’s May Entrepreneurship Forum on May 16 at 4:30 p.m. in the Cal Poly Performing Arts Center (PAC). 

The forum also featured a Q&A session with Cal Poly alumnus and entrepreneur Scott Edwards. Edwards graduated from Cal Poly in 2013 with a degree in industrial technologies and is now founder and CEO of Drop Water, a startup scaling the use of compostable and biodegradable packaging materials. 

The 2022 Summer Accelerator teams represent a variety of different concepts, from adaptive sports with this year’s Innovation Quest (iQ) winner, Adapted Mobility, to agricultural technology with Better Berry.

“Our 2022 Summer Accelerator comprises an exciting cohort of entrepreneurs and teams who each bring unwavering passion, entrepreneurial skill and resolve to help build the future,” Huitron said.

This year’s cohort includes:

Adapted Mobility, a compact, capable and intuitive mobility device built from commercially available electric unicycles, created by Evan Lalanne, a manufacturing engineering senior from Arroyo Grande.

BetterBerry, a startup using technology that reduces the amount of water, waste, transportation and labor needed to grow strawberries to provide high-quality, locally-grown berries to communities that do not have adequate climates for farming. The startup was founded by business administration senior Corrine Cooper and mechanical engineering seniors Brandon Janney and Shalin Gogri.

FemForward, a reusable, machine-washable and leak-proof period short created by biomedical engineering senior McCall Brinskele of Marin County, California.

Grip Safe, a patent-pending firearm safety device that makes AR-15s secure for storage and safe shoot and state law-compliant for transport, all through an interchangeable grip attachment innovated by business administration senior Shaun Tanaka of Los Angeles and mechanical engineering sophomore Dylan DeFazio of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania.

Lend Technologies Inc., a software that connects outdoor equipment shops to consumers created by business administration sophomore Dylan Tran, computer science junior Shubh Khandhadia, software engineering junior Nikhil Nagarajan, computer engineering freshman Brian Mere, computer science freshman Xiuyuan Qui and business administration and consumer packaging sophomore Lindsey Lau.

Quickie, a 10-minute mobile delivery service providing select food, beverages and other essentials to college students anywhere within two miles of campus founded by Matthew Menno and William Tregenza, business administration sophomores from Arroyo Grande.

Ryde Carpool, a social carpooling marketplace that allows college students to buy and sell empty seats in each other’s cars, founded by recent computer science graduate Emily Gavrilenko of Antioch, California; recreation, parks and tourism senior Johnny Morris of Berkeley, California; and computer science sophomore Josh Wong of San Francisco.

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: 

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit https://calpolycie.wpengine.com/.  

About the SLO HotHouse: 

The HotHouse is a community space for Cal Poly for Center and Innovation Entrepreneurship off-campus programs created through the efforts of Cal Poly, the city and county of San Luis Obispo, the business community and the CIE. The goal of the HotHouse is to support students and community members as they work to create new innovations and start business ventures. For more information, visit https://calpolycie.wpengine.com/hothouse.  

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Cal Poly Student Startup Teams Win Big at Innovation Quest 2022

Innovation Quest first place winner Evan Lalanne (right) with CIE Executive Director John Townsend (left).

SAN LUIS OBISPO — Three student startup teams won from $30,000 in prize money at the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s (CIE) annual Innovation Quest (iQ), a high stakes competition where Cal Poly students pitch their innovative business ideas and prototypes to a panel of judges in hopes of winning thousands to fund their startup. 

Manufacturing engineering senior Evan Lalanne from Arroyo Grande won the first place prize of $15,000 with his startup Adapted Mobility. Adapted Mobility is a startup developing compact, capable and intuitive mobility devices from commercially available electric unicycles.  

“Winning iQ was awesome,” Lalanne said. It was great to see all of my hard work come together into something I can really be proud of.” 

The idea for Adapted Mobility began when Lalanne modified a hoverboard to work with his wheelchair.  

Lalanne hopes to file a patent this summer and begin shipping his first production units in 2023. 

Biomedical engineering senior McCall Brinskele of Marin County, biomedical engineering junior Sally Thurman of Dallas and business administration seniors Jocelyn Overmyer of Marin County and Kyra Jacks of West Hills won the second place prize of $10,000 with Fem Forward, a startup creating leak-proof period shorts for women to wear when sleeping during their menstrual cycle. 

“It felt really great to know that what we are working on is super important not only to us, but others who recognize its importance,” Overmyer said. 

Shaun Tanaka, a business administration and interdisciplinary studies senior from Los Angeles, and Dylan DeFazio, a mechanical engineering sophomore from Selinsgrove Pennsylvania, won the third-place prize of $5,000 with their startup, Grip Safe. Grip Safe is developing a patent-pending firearm safety device for AR-15s, which will ensure firearms are secure for storage, legally-compliant transport and safe shoot, all through an interchangeable grip attachment. 

“There were so many qualified teams with amazing innovations, and it was a privilege to place among the top few,” Tanaka said. “It was very rewarding to see our team’s hard work and late nights in the Hatchery come to fruition.” 

iQ was held in-person for the first time since 2019 on April 20. The event included pitches from 12 finalists, updates from past iQ contestants and the event’s banquet and awards ceremony. 

iQ was founded in 2004 by Cal Poly electrical engineering graduates and business leaders Carson Chen, Richard Boberg and Laura Pickering. Since its launch, iQ participants have received more than $400,000 in funding and helped launch several successful businesses. 

“iQ was a reminder of just how diverse our polytechnic campus is,” said professor of innovation and entrepreneurship Tom Katona, who coordinated iQ. We saw student innovations in food products, software, hardware, and services that truly represented the unique and varied culture and disciplines found on our campus.” 

In addition to the three winners, the 2022 finalists included: 

Apogee Tech, a spacecraft assembly documentation system with automatic configuration tracking features created by aerospace engineering senior Jered Bell and electrical engineering junior Mark Wu. 

Armadillo Designs, an aftermarket truck accessories company designing a customizable shell for the bed of a pickup truck, founded by manufacturing engineering senior Sam Hunt and recent business administration alumnus Fabian Araujo. 

Better Berry, a startup using technology that reduces the amount of water, waste, transportation and labor needed to grow strawberries to provide high-quality, locally-grown berries to communities that do not have adequate climates for farming. The startup was founded by business administration senior Corrine Cooper and mechanical engineering seniors Brandon Janney and Shalin Gogri. 

Forever Fresh, a startup building tools to standardize quality assessment and reduce waste in the produce supply chain, created by liberal arts and engineering senior Avi Peltz and computer science major Nate Holland. 

Home Greens, a startup delivering healthy greens directly to consumers’ homes or businesses, founded by public health major Ethan Tse and accounting sophomore Javier Emmanuel Rivera-Romo. 

HydroScoops, an ice cream product infused with electrolytes to create a fun method of hydration, created by agriculture science senior Kiara Benavides, agribusiness major Cameron Kemper and agribusiness juniors Andrew Arroyo and Shelby Daniele. 

OdinXR, a startup developing a virtual-reality (VR) landscape where students with disabilities can remotely perform engineering labs, created by electrical engineering seniors Tessa Luzuriaga and Ruben Curiel, business administration senior Ryan Gudmunds, computer engineering senior Christian Bloemhof, electrical engineering student Kyle Reis and computer science student Russell Siu. 

Polypie, an Artificial Intelligence as a Service (AI SaaS) platform helping businesses implement contextual chatbots and create personalized user experiences at scale, created by Cal Poly Master’s of Business Administration and Master’s of Science in Computer Science graduate Jenny Wang and computer science junior Micha Wibowo.  

Ponderose Design, a startup pioneering the intersection of design and 3D-printing to provide elegant and sustainable lighting, founded by Master’s of Science in Packaging Value Chain students Nate Pratt and Peter Moe-Lange, industrial technology and packaging major Puneet Mahesha and recent environmental horticulture graduate Eden Breazeale. 

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About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship: 

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo. For more information, visit https://calpolycie.wpengine.com/.  

About the SLO HotHouse: 

The HotHouse is a community space for Cal Poly for Center and Innovation Entrepreneurship off-campus programs created through the efforts of Cal Poly, the city and county of San Luis Obispo, the business community and the CIE. The goal of the HotHouse is to support students and community members as they work to create new innovations and start business ventures. For more information, visit https://calpolycie.wpengine.com/hothouse.  

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Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship startup acquired by Netmarble F&C

Former CIE Incubator company Gamerspeak was acquired by game developer Netmarble F&C Inc.

San Luis Obispo, CA — Former Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) startup Gamerspeak was acquired by online gaming company Netmarble F&C Inc. in December of 2021. Gamerspeak, founded in 2015, delivers actionable insights and recommendations from superusers to gaming companies.

The California-based startup joined the CIE Incubator shortly after it was founded. The Incubator is a two-year CIE program that helps early-stage companies develop into financially stable, high-growth enterprises through tools, training and infrastructure that facilitate smarter, faster growth. Gamerspeak graduated from the program in 2017.

“The first two years of my entrepreneurial journey were incubated in the CIE,” Gamerspeak founder and CEO Chad Kihm said. “After (participating in several CIE programs and competitions) I had $21,000 to bootstrap my business with. Not only that but the CIE provided access to incredible advisors that helped me fine tune GamerSpeak over the years into an attractive acquisition target.

Netmarble, a Korean-based company, focuses on the publishing and development of mobile games. 

The recent acquisition will increase Gamerspeak’s accessibility to game developers and promises to be a rewarding relationship for both companies and their stakeholders. Several new games are expected to roll out in the first quarter of 2022 as a result of the acquisition. 

“GamerSpeak has made many innovations in the gaming industry, so we are happy to strengthen our bond and excited to continue the wonderful journey with GamerSpeak,” Netmarble CEO Woo Won said.

To learn more about the CIE and services available visit cie.calpoly.edu

Media Contact
Liz Fisher
805-756-5171
calpolycie@gmail.com

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