Cal Poly Students Win Cash Prizes for Innovative Ideas in 13th Annual CIE Elevator Pitch Competition – Cal Poly News

Winners Owen Works and Camille Boiteux with their awards at the 13th Annual CIE Elevator Pitch Competition.

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

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

Owen Works, a senior industrial engineer from Victoria, British Columbia, received the top prize of $1,000 with his pitch for DrinkWise, a temporary tattoo that gives users real-time measurements of their blood alcohol concentration. blood, or BAC.

“Winning was a bit of a shock because I thought there were some really good ideas and presentations,” Works said. “(Before I applied for the contest), I told a lot of my friends about my idea, and everyone thought it was good and said go for it, and I’m so glad I got it. do.”

Works said he plans to expand his team and start designing the temporary tattoos.

Camille Boiteux, a business administration junior with a concentration in entrepreneurship from Saratoga, Calif., received the $500 People’s Choice Award.

His 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 strokes.

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

“I’ve been involved (in the CIE) since my freshman year, but this is the first time I’ve competed as a finalist and won an award,” Boiteux said. “It’s crazy for me.”

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

Other finalists in the Elevator Pitch competition include:

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

– Feed, an Apple-based mobile application specially designed for food sharing, which allows foodies to share their food experiences and recommendations, presented by Isha Lamba, IT senior.

– Hermeats, a student-to-student food delivery service for students to deliver meal orders to each other on campus, presented by first-year computer science student Sahith Karra.

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

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

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

– Top of the Bagel, a bagel company that focuses on innovation in the bagel industry and offers bagels with a seasoning that covers both the top and bottom of the bagel, presented by the rookie in administration of the Elizabeth Darst business.

— VLab Education, a virtual reality (VR) company creating realistic VR chemistry labs for underfunded high school teachers and homeschooling programs, presented by Polymer and Coatings Science graduate student Adam Langevin .

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

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

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

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://cie.calpoly.edu/.

November 14, 2022
Contact: Stephanie Zombek
805-225-4738; szombek@calpoly.edu