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, celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. 

“I’m so excited to be here tonight. This is the 20th anniversary of Innovation Quest. This has been helping students be successful for so many years. It was started by Laura Pickering, Rich Boberg and Carson Chen, and they’re still here today moving this along. I heard some of the pitches this morning and they were amazing. I’m so glad I didn’t have to pick the winner of this amazing event,” said Cal Poly President Jeffrey Armstrong. 

Mechanical engineering senior Alex Rosenbaum of Seattle, Washington, received the first-place prize of $15,000 for his startup NeuroCom at the event which took place on April 27 on campus, with awards presented later at a local venue. 

“Winning iQ is going to allow us to start working on this full time and help us continue boot-strapping towards our first customers,” said Rosenbaum. “I feel very excited. This is life-changing.” 

NeuroCom is developing a wearable tactile device that uses haptic feedback to enhance communication and situational awareness for military, law enforcement and first responders when visual or auditory cues fall short.

The second place Rich & Jackie Boberg Innovation Award of $10,000 went to Greensight Technologies, an AI-powered platform helps refurbishers and resellers identify, evaluate and resell devices more efficiently, keeping electronics out of landfills and making technology more accessible to all. Greensight Technologies was created by Jake Daniels of Palo Alto, California, Master’s of Electrical Engineering student Diego Curiel of Santa Barbara, California, and Mackenzie Kettwig of Colfax, California.

“Winning second place at iQ is an incredible feeling. I’m grateful to everyone who contributes to making an event like this possible. I do want to mention that last year we participated and we did not place, so if you didn’t place this year, don’t let it discourage you from continuing to chase whatever it is you’re passionate about,” said Curiel. 

Agricultural business students Alexandra Malone of Los Gatos, California, Zetta Bo Espinola of Santa Maria, California, and business administration student Wian Roothman of Johannesburg, South Africa, received the third-place Bakir Begovic Innovation Award of $5,000 for their startup Better Being Kefir. Better Being Kefir is a probiotic-rich frozen dessert made with dairy-based kefir, designed to replace the need for supplements by providing a fun, flavorful way to boost gut health and immunity while making healthy living more enjoyable and accessible.

“Winning third place at iQ was such an incredible achievement. Being surrounded by so many inspirational people and young entrepreneurs was inspiring,” said Malone. 

The $5,000 Biotech Innovation Award sponsored by Leslie and Brett Eldridge went to Preserva Biosciences, a startup revolutionizing diabetes management, safety and cost savings for millions by developing the first-ever at-home insulin testing device for people dependent on insulin. The startup was developed by business administration senior Oliver Haas, computer engineering student Isaac Lake of Thousand Oaks, California, Micaela Moreira, computer engineering student Brian Slonim of San Diego, California, Luke Trill (business administration ’24), and Ethan Vosburg (computer engineering ’23).

“It feels amazing to win this award. The ability to work on this project and make life easier for insulin-dependent people is a dream come true,” said Haas. 

Eleven finalists pitched their innovative ideas in Cal Poly’s Nash Family Entrepreneurship Lab. The event’s banquet and awards ceremony were held at Rod and Hammer Rock later that evening. 

Haley Pavone, past participant, CEO and founder of Pashion Footwear was one of 18 individuals who returned to the event as a judge to celebrate 20 years of iQ. Pashion Footwear is an innovative fashiontech startup that has created the world’s first fully convertible heels and received first place at iQ in 2017. 

“It feels so full circle to now be back this year as a judge. iQ is really what put us on the map and gave us the funding that we needed to make our first prototype that made the last eight years possible. It’s so cool to be a part of giving that opportunity back to the students of today,” Pavone said. 

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, Grinds Coffee Pouches, Mantis Composites, Guardian Bikes, Liftgator and Alydia Health. 

“It was great to see such a diverse group of students from all over our campus, particularly on an anniversary year, really represents the full range of students who have been impacted by this program and they brought it. They brought it hard,” said Dr. Thomas Katona, CIE Academic Director. 

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

• Aurela aims to develop aesthetic jewelry that is embedded with drug detection technology to empower women to feel safe and confident while enjoying social experiences. Aurela was created by business administration students Addie Bounds of Jupiter, Florida, Lindsey Williams of Denver, Colorado, and Master’s of Biomedical Engineering student Kiara Robichaud of Redding, Connecticut. 
• Devscribe aims to simplify API documentation by allowing companies to generate, edit, test and host beautiful API docs in one place with themes that match their company’s branding. Devscribe was created by industrial engineering seniors Tyler Kim of Los Altos, California, Shivam Shrivastav of San Ramon, California, computer science senior Samuel Solano of Huntington Beach, California, and business administration senior Gianni Hart of Nipomo, California. 
• Ecoplasticity aims to redefine and replace plastic with their biodegradable coating derived from an invasive species of seaweed that is completely compostable and anaerobically digestible. Ecoplasticity was created by Master’s of Business Administration student Mayela Fernandez Cantu of Monterrey, Mexico, and material engineering senior Michelle Cullen of Redondo Beach, California.  
• Moove Hydration aims to develop a dairy-based hydration beverage that upcycles milk permeate from local California dairies, reducing waste while delivering naturally occurring electrolytes for superior hydration without the taste and texture of milk. Moove Hydration was created by agricultural business senior Marielle Thomas of Sacramento, California, and Nathan Smidt (agricultural business, ’24) of Bakersfield, California. 
• Mr. Turtle Laundry aims to tackle the single-use plastic packaging problem through their innovative laundry detergent refill stations. Mr. Turtle Laundry was created by computer science junior Seth Johnson of Seattle, Washington, Michael Hennessy (business administration, ’24) of Huntington Beach, California, Benjamin Arts (business administration, ’24) of San Jose, California, and Colin Brown (economics, ’23) of Bend, Oregon. 
• Simpill aims to help people maintain independence and peace of mind through flawless management of their medication. Simpill was created by manufacturing engineering students Ben Tratt of Seattle, Washington, Ben Lipper of San Luis Obispo, California, computer engineering senior Victoria Asencio-Clemens of Santa Cruz, California, and business administration senior Eli Lazar of Issaquah, Washington. 
• The Portal aims to provide a comforting escape for patients on their healing journey through immersive projections to fill hospital rooms with the love and connection of the outside world. The Portal was created by business administration students Avalon Poncin of Newcastle, California, Emerson Widmer, and Thomas Benjamin of San Diego, California, biochemistry student Charlie Palmer of Danville, California, experience industry management student Lily Simmons of Kansas City, Kansas, and computer science student Ryan Banavitch of Mavern, Pennsylvania. 

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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/.