Top Student Entrepreneurs Recognized at Blackstone LaunchPad and Entrepreneurs’ Organization Annual Pitch Competitions
The best and brightest student entrepreneurs were celebrated this week at Startup Grind’s annual conference, as two premium youth entrepreneurship competitions crowned their winners.
On February 23rd and 24th, the global finals of the Blackstone Launchpad & Techstars Annual Pitch Competition and the U.S. finals of Entrepreneurs’ Organization’s (EO’s) Global Student Entrepreneurship Awards (GSEA) occurred. Winners from both contests were announced on February 25th.
The competitions were held, virtually, as part of the Startup Grind Global Conference 2021. Blackstone Launchpad and EO were Silver sponsors for the event and have partnered with Startup Grind on their student membership program.
Each year, our Student Program continues to get better and this year a large part of that is thanks to the brilliant students who joined us on behalf of Entrepreneur Organization’s GSEA and Blackstone LaunchPad. We are so impressed by all of the students who pitched at Global 2021 and by the support these organizations provide to young entrepreneurs. We’re grateful to be able to partner with EO and Blackstone Launchpad and to provide a platform to recognize the great achievements these students have made — we look forward to doing what we can to support their future as entrepreneurs!
-Derek Andersen, Co-Founder + CEO of Startup Grind
For Blackstone LaunchPad, the top eight student startups from the network of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Ireland competed on the 23rd, whittled down from a semifinalist round of 30 that was selected in January, 2020.
For EO GSEA, the top five student startups competed on the 24th, from a semifinal round of 24, each being winners of respective local competitions. The winner will represent the U.S. at the GSEA global competition in May, 2021.
The breadth and ambition of the “studentrepreneurs” is clear in the participants of each competition.
Blackstone LaunchPad winners included:
1st Place: Hopscotch, Marla Beyer, Cofounder and CEO, Cornell University. Hopscotch is a digital platform that enables pediatric behavioral health providers to provide optimal care to their clients, in and out of the office.
2nd Place: Ready Teddy by Lumeum, Max Orozco, CEO, University of Southern California. Ready Teddy is a biofeedback MRI training that reduces sedation rates and is creating a healthcare metric informing clinicians which patients can avoid sedation.
3rd Place — TIE:
Opollo Technologies, Ryan Young, Founder and CEO; Anders Rosen, Chief Sales & Marketing Officer, University at Buffalo. Opollo Technologies, is creating an AI model ready to pilot now to support facilities in need of increased OR capacity and efficiency.
realAppeal, Colton Pace, CEO; Frank DiZenzo, Chief Revenue Officer, University of California, Los Angeles. realAppeal is an online solution that helps property owners save on the costs of real estate ownership.
People’s Choice: Yaupon Brothers American Tea, Kyle White, Cofounder & Bryon White, CEO, University of Central Florida. Yaupon Brothers Tea is a company that makes tea from the Florida native Yaupon Holly, an antioxidant-rich plant that also happens to be the only native caffeinated plant in the entire U.S.
EO GSEA winners included:
1st Place: Gladiator Lacrosse, Rachel Zietz, CEO and Founder, Princeton University. Gladiator Lacrosse provides high-quality, cost-effective lacrosse equipment to take a player’s game to the next level.
2nd Place: Ichosia Biotechnology, Lucas Vining, CEO, The George Washington University. Nicosia Biotechnology is developing a scalable method to mass produce a synthetic alternative to red blood cells in order to address global shortages of donated blood.
3rd Place: Brite Bites, Brianna Makaric, Founder, Michigan State University. BRITE bites exist to help consumers make healthier choices by offering daily probiotics in a flavorful, shelf-stable bite.
“The student pitches from both Blackstone LaunchPad and EO were phenomenal. The diverse and innovative ideas presented have the potential to make a real difference in the world, said Amy Stursberg, Executive Director of the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. “We look forward to following the entrepreneurial journeys of all these impressive young innovators.”
“What jumped out during both competitions was the sheer talent and determination of all the finalists,” said Carrie Santos, CEO of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization, which runs the GSEA. “At times, the challenges that the world faces can seem daunting. But the energy, optimism, and passion of these student entrepreneurs show us that the future is in safe hands. We can’t wait to see where all of the competitors from GSEA and Blackstone Launchpad go next!”
About GSEA
GSEA provides student entrepreneurs with the life-enhancing connections, global platform, and transformational experience they need to succeed.
Students from 51 countries compete for the winning prize ($25,000) and the chance to grow with help from EO’s 14,000+ strong member network. Competitors will receive feedback from members to sharpen their pitch and business strategy, and access to EO events. They will meet new mentors to help them grow personally and professionally throughout their entrepreneurship journey.
For the US National competition this year, EO partnered with Startup Grind in order to provide competitors with complimentary access to Startup Grind’s national conference. The competition is being held virtually, allowing finalist participation from across the country and viewers to tune in from all over the world. The final round of the competition will take place on one of Startup Grind’s main virtual stage.
About Blackstone Launchpad & Techstars
For college students, the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars network propels your success through entrepreneurship. We can connect you to a global network of mentors, events, funding, talent, job opportunities, and more, so you can gain key entrepreneurship skills to build a successful company or build your resume for success in landing a job after college and advancing your career.
For higher-ed institutions, LaunchPad invests in your entrepreneurship programs, acting as the central hub for entrepreneurial activities. Students can turn to LaunchPad to receive tailored suggestions to connect both to existing opportunities on campus and to a global network of peers and professionals to help them succeed in building companies and careers. www.blackstonelaunchpad.org
