MINNEAPOLIS, March 26, 2021
Each year, student entrepreneurs from around the country submit their biggest and brightest business ideas for the chance to win their share of over $200,000. After reviewing nearly 100 submissions from 59 colleges and universities across the United States, expert judges selected the top 25 undergraduate teams to compete at e-Fest, a 3-day celebration of undergraduate entrepreneurship.
For the first time ever, the event will be virtual – still bringing together the three competitions e-Fest is known for, but this year in an interactive online format. We’ll miss hosting the event in person at the University of St. Thomas this year, but look forward to bringing together student entrepreneurs in a new way.
Sponsored by the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas, and EIX.org, a non-profit online platform for entrepreneurship education, e-Fest celebrates 25 student teams who submitted the top business pitches in a preliminary online competition. At e-Fest, student teams compete in a Pitch Slam, an Innovation Challenge and the featured event, the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge.
We are excited to announce this year’s Top 25 Finalist Teams.
2021 E-FEST FINALIST TEAMS
Media Contact & Inquiries: [email protected]
(Teams appear in alphabetical order.)
AeroPest, Drexel University
Daniel Chester-Ziv, Eric Nguyen, & Harrison Hertzberg
AeroPest is a B2B equipment provider selling drone spraying systems to pest control service providers. Pest control service providers currently use poles, ground-based sprayers, ladders, and immobilizing protective wear (bee suits) to access pests on hard-to-reach ledges and rooftops for treatment.
Base2Base, U.S. Airforce Academy
Sarah Bodmer, Samuel Lee, & Griffin Line
Base2Base’s mission is to strengthen the military base community by providing a safe and reliable marketplace run by the military, for the military.
Boosted Chews, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Kit Chow & Aditya Parihar
Boosted Chews are caffeinated chocolate chews provide consumers with an alternate method to supplement their caffeine needs.
Brave Virtual Worlds, University of Virginia
William Kodama, Evan Magnusson & Dhyey Parikh
We are Brave Virtual Worlds, a company developing motion capture hardware and data-driven software for athletics to be coaches’ eyes on and off the field.
Cress Health, Hofstra University
Justin Kim & Michael Lai
Cress Health is a digital technology company that focuses on mental health.
EthioPay, Georgia State University
Daniel Hadgu & Yesak Woldegebriel
EthioPay is a global payment platform that specializes in Bill Pay from the United States to Ethiopia.
Finalysis, George Washington University
Jinny Hyejin Ryu & Katherine Seunghyun Min
Rich & Reach provides simplified stock information and navigates a logical decision-making process for users to make their own investment decisions.
Hydrova, Georgetown University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Julian Davis & Rostam Reifschneider
At Hydrova, we’ve developed a disruptive method for producing clean and low-cost hydrogen, using renewable inputs: scrap aluminum and water.
Keyrift, Florida Gulf Coast University
Jonathan Appolon & Sean DeRossett
Keyrift provides unique solutions to learning and playing the piano in an enjoyable and efficient manner through improvisation.
KicksTrader, University of Virginia
Taylor Carillo & Jake Laxton
At KicksTrader, we allow regular, everyday investors to buy and sell shares of rare sneakers. Think of us as the stock market for rare sneakers.
Magna-Shox, Colorado State University
Theodore R Beck & Jacob Petterle
Magna-Shox develops next-generation energy harvesting performance shock absorbers that directly the net emissions of road vehicles while offering unprecedented performance control.
MassApply, Virginia Tech
Sana Ahmad & Naman Singh
MassApply is a suite of job hunt automation tools that can help you land 10x more interviews! We’ve built a cold-email outreach tool that lets you connect directly with recruiters in a single click, and a CRM to help manage your job hunt!
MELA., George Washington University
Roslyn Davis, Sophia Hardesty-Meteyer, & Zestiny Simmons
MELA. is a B2C, honey brown colored, non-toxic, hyperpigmentation-relieving deodorant made by women of color for women of color.
Mo.Na Gems, Johns Hopkins University
Mecca McDonald, Mia Dunn & Andrea Thurnheer
We are a fashion accessories brand that offers a new take on sustainable fashion. Our gems are trendy and look similar to resin earrings, but they are 100% biodegradable.
Nutrivide, Rutgers University
Alyssa Krisinski, Juliet Petillo, Harrison Wei Zhang, & Clairisse Whang
At Nutrivide, we are redefining nutrient and drug delivery for infants. For centuries, advancements in enteral nutrition and medicine have dominated the global scientific response to illness. However, when our equipped health systems strive to offer treatment, they fall surprisingly short and for an entirely preventable reason. At our inception, we plan to attack this unmet need directly and locally, beginning at the New York-Presbyterian Health System.
Pill Skills, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Marissa Harkness & Samantha Harkness
Pill Skills teaches children how to swallow pills proactively before a problem or need arises.
Renter Chat, Northeastern University
Will Kofski & Ryan Soderberg
Renter Chat is an AI-powered chatbot for apartment websites.
Safet E Sense, Seton Hill University
Jody Kuhns & Jayla Wright
A natural gas detection system designed to detect a gas leak at the source such as a gas stove or furnace, alerting residents to evacuate and automatically place an emergency call to a first responder.
SCOUTS, California State University-Monterey Bay
Jennifer Magana-Alfaro, Rogelio Mata, Emanuel Montoya, & Brittany Ramirez
The SCOUTS Network is an online platform that strives to implement efficient networking solutions that connects aspiring soccer athletes with opportunities from rising or existing soccer teams.
sidekickk, Grove City College
Eric Dudgeon & Cameron Suorsa
sidekickk is the podcast management platform that gives podcaster superpowers by streamlining the podcaster’s workflow through collaboration, automation, and outsourcing.
SPAITR, University of New Hampshire
Brayden Esmaili, Nathaniel Hunt & Joey Neleber
Our solution is SPAITR, an integrated platform where coaches and their players are able to see the intricate details of their play, whether it be in a game, a team practice, or during their individual off-the-field practice sessions.
Stormie Seas, Florida Gulf Coast University
Stormie Pruskauer & Walter Malcolm
Stormie Seas is a skincare line that offers 100% all-natural skincare products for those with sensitive skin types.
Telo, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Steven Bleau, Morgan Kerfeld, Rick Pradhan, & Elizabeth Urbanski
At Telo, we have designed the first major innovation on the rollator walker in over 40 years, a device that has remained largely unchanged since its creation in 1978, yet something millions of people rely on every day.
Virgo, University of Northern Iowa
Grace Hartnett & Maddie Palmersheim
Virgo is a freelance marketplace designed with intents for equitable exchange, meaningful connection, and efficient collaboration.
VisUplan, University of St. Thomas
Rachel Farah & Kevin Malmsten
VisUplan is a subscription based daily planning and anxiety relieving app for people with autism.
