The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship hosts an annual competition featuring 90-second business pitches from colleges across campus 

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif.  – At the recent 17th annual Elevator Pitch Competition, biomedical engineering sophomore Emily Morrow, of Scottsdale, Arizona, took home the $1,000 first-place prize for pitching her team’s idea of an assistive swim device. This wearable navigation headband assists blind and visually impaired swimmers, allowing them to train more safely and independently.

“It was definitely a really great surprise winning,” Morrow said. “I’m a second year, and I was surrounded by fourth years. But if you have an idea and you’re excited about it, you should just go out and do it.” 

Biological sciences sophomore Alejandro Lachica, of Memphis, Tennessee, earned the $500 Audience Choice Award for his product, VialValidate, an independent testing service and viable data base that helps ensure people are aware of what peptides they are injecting into themselves, to proactively receive informed medical decisions on their health. 

This event, hosted by the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) took place on Wednesday, Oct. 28, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m in the Pavilion Room of the Performing Arts Center. This year’s event featured a Battle of the Colleges, with finalists from each Cal Poly college competing head-to-head for cash prizes in just 90 seconds.

“This year, the Elevator Pitch Competition was unique because we had finalists representing every college at Cal Poly. The wide range of pitches shows how far entrepreneurship reaches across campus,” Manager of Student Innovation Programs Sophie Hosbein said. 

  The CIE is Cal Poly’s hub for innovation, supporting entrepreneurs at every stage with resources, mentorship and a collaborative startup ecosystem. The Elevator Pitch Competition is open to students from all majors and years to explore new ideas and practice their pitching skills.

The finalists were judged by Diana Garcia Quevedo, Assistant Professor ITP and Entrepreneurship; Matt Benetti, Senior Advisor, M&A Integration Practice Acquire2Win and SBDC Marketing Advisor; and Jake Winett, former VP of Marketing Product Development and Co-founder of Zibby.ai. Judging criteria included how clearly the problem was explained, creativity and innovation, effectiveness of communication, persuasive potential and entertainment value.

This year’s finalists included a variety of ideas, from a bone broth hot cocoa mix to wheelchair conversion kit for the beach: 

• Identifying Fake Images in the Courtroom, an image detector to authentic digital evidence set to be used in a courtroom, ensuring that Artificial Intelligence will not be used; pitched by computer science senior Jillian Bogosian of Morgan Hill, California, representing the College of Engineering.
• Beach Wheelchair Conversion Kit, a product, featuring larger wheels that attach to a wheelchair, allowing the user to push themselves through sandy environments, giving the freedom back to a person who is wheelchair-bound; pitched by biomedical engineering senior Dean Eggers of Pleasanton, California, representing the College of Engineering.
• Sewing Studio, a studio and store serving as a hub for learning, honing and buying craft supplies; pitched by art and design senior Daylin Enriquez of Los Angeles, representing the College of Liberal Arts.
• Ferrell Foods, a single-serving, four-ingredient bone broth hot cocoa mix, designed to reimagine whole foods with collagen and protein into a craveable product, pitched by agriculture business junior Leightyn Ferrell of Minnetonka, Minnesota, representing the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
• Drawings in a Day, an AI-based tool that builds a three dimensional model site plan, floor plan, elevation plan, taking into account the lot space and dimensions, with preparing it to be sent to the city; pitched by architecture fifth-year Arsh Gupta of Ludhiana, India, representing the College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
• Biostrike Baseball, an affordable phone-swing analysis platform that brings lab-based grade biomechanics feedback to baseball players, designed for high school baseball players looking to take the next step into professional baseball; pitched by biomedical engineering senior Jett Hayes, representing the College of Engineering.
• VialValidate, an independent testing service and viable data base that helps ensure increase awareness of what peptides they are injecting into themselves, to proactively receive informed medical decisions on their health, pitched by biological sciences sophomore Alejandro Lachica, of Memphis, Tennessee, representing the College of Science and Math.
• Melon Seed Milk, a non-dairy beverage product that utilizes commonly discarded melon seeds to produce a new milk that uses less water and clears all nine major allergens, pitched by industrial technology & packaging juinor transfer student, Emmanuel Okpan, of Los Angeles, California, representing the Orfalea College of Business.
• Assistive Swim Device, a wearable navigation headband assists blind and visually impaired swimmers, allowing them to train more safely and independently, pitched by biomedical engineering sophomore Emily Morrow, of Scottsdale, Arizona, representing the College of Engineering.
• Crohn’s Disease Inflammation, a bracelet device designed to support people living with Inflammatory Bowel Disease, tracking up to four inflammatory markers, electrolytes and additional biomarkers, pitched by biomedical engineer senior Ruby Richards of Park City, Utah, representing the College of Engineering.

As Hosbein has coached each finalist on their pitch, she said she was impressed by how much traction many of them have already made. 

“Beyond the idea themselves, students have built assistive tools for people with disabilities, formulated and tested healthier alternatives to everyday foods and developed prototypes to measure biomechanics,” Hosbein said. 

To watch this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition finalist pitches, visit the YouTube playlist. 

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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