At pitch events across the state and nation, Huskies brought their A-game to the big stage, raking in $67,000 in competition prize money to support their innovations.
Graduate students Bayle Golden and Rourke Sylvain have pitched at numerous events celebrating innovation and entrepreneurship.
Golden, a graduate student in engineering management, pitched two unique innovations at competitions: SafeROW, a wearable device designed to keep children safe when every second counts, and STEMPOWER, which combines a line of toys with an online community for girls that's focused on STEM—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
Golden pitched SafeROW at the 2022 Bob Mark Business Model Competition, receiving first prize and the Social Impact Award. She pitched STEMPOWER at the 2023 New Venture Challenge,a collaboration between MTU and Central Michigan University designed to network students from both universities to prospective investors, mentors, and partners. STEMPOWER earned first place in the Social Mission category and won Best Overall Venture.
"At STEMPOWER we are working to create an integrative STEM experience for young girls through a physical toy line and online STEM community," said Golden. "We believe that we can change the STEM landscape and empower an entire generation of youth."
Sylvain, a graduate student in biomedical engineering, pitched his way to multiple wins for his innovation, imi (integrated molecular innovations), an electrochemical biosensor for T4 detection. Following multiple wins in 2022, Sylvain worked steadily to hone his pitch and develop his business model for imi.
After making it through qualifying rounds of the 2023 Rice Business Plan Competition, Sylvain and teammate Ali Dabas were among 42 teams from colleges across the country selected to pitch start-up ideas in person at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Sylvain and Dabas came away with $25,000 in prize money for imi, which was recognized as the best pediatric device of the competition, sponsored by Southwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium.
"imi revolutionizes health care by eliminating the need for centralized clinical testing," Sylvain explained. "We develop bio wearable devices that provide patients the ability to monitor their hormone levels continuously."
Idea Pitch Competition
Hosted by Husky Innovate
- First Prize—Asia Motta with The Droplet ($200)
- Second Prize—Cassandra Nash with College-Friendly Cabinets ($100)
- Third Prize—Alex Bos with The SELF Couch ($50)
- Honorable Mention—Ruby Alhajjar with Monitoring System for Microbial Influence ($25)
- Audience Favorite—Noel Kamdem-Tegue with Black Earth Rising, a food truck ($25)
- Social Impact Award presented by Elham Asgari—Chethan Magnan with School Swap ($100)
Michigan Collegiate Startup Challenge
Hosted by Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at MSU
- Jordan Craven, Tall and Small Designs ($5,000)
- Rourke Sylvain, Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) ($1,000)
Bob Mark Business Model Competition
Hosted by Husky Innovate
- First Prize—Bayle Golden with SafeROW ($2,000)
- Second Prize—Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($1,000)
- Third Prize—Asia Motta with The Droplet ($500)
- Honorable Mention—Ruby Alhajjar with The Water Solution ($250)
- Audience Favorite—Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($250)
- Social Impact Award—Bayle Golden with SafeROW ($1,000)
- Breakout Innovation Award—Jordan Craven with Tall and Small Designs ($1,000)
Michigan Catalyst Advantage*
Hosted by BBC Entrepreneurial Training and Consulting
- Third Place—Rourke Sylvain, Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) ($2,500)
Design Expo—Husky Innovate Innovation Award
Hosted by the Enterprise Program and College of Engineering
- First Prize—Sadat Young representing team AAA Prosthesis ($250)
- Second Prize—Cassie Bonifas representing team Anatomical Characterization, Simulation, Design and Test Development for an Implantable Pulse Generator (IPG) and Lead ($150)
- Third Prize—Kira Olson representing Utilizing Motor Oil to Rejuvenate Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement ($100)
New Venture Challenge
Hosted by Isabella Bank Institute for Entrepreneurship at CMU
- Best Overall Venture—Bayle Golden with STEMPOWER ($10,000)
- First Prize—Bayle Golden with STEMPOWER ($10,000)
- Third Prize—Rourke Sylvain and Ali Dabas with Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) ($2,000)
TCNewTech University Showdown
Hosted by TCNewTech
- First Prize—Jordan Craven with Sizelogic ($1,500) and Audience Favorite ($500)
Rice Business Plan Competition
Hosted by Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship
- Southwest National Pediatric Device Innovation Consortium—Best Pediatric Device: Rourke Sylvain and Ali Dabas with Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) ($25,000)
Manu-Tech Hardway & Physical Product Pitch Competition*
Hosted by Lean Rocket Lab and Centrepolis Accelerator
- Place—Rourke Sylvain, Integrated Molecular Innovations (imi) ($2,500)
* Not directly supported by Husky Innovate
About Husky Innovate
Husky Innovate is a resource hub with expert speakers, workshops, pitch competitions, design-thinking events, and other pop-up activities. The organization offers the NSF I-Corps Lean Startup Workshops, the Silicon Valley Experience, the Alley Makerspace, and the University Innovation Fellows program. In addition, we connect student innovators to mentors while assisting them with opportunities for funding.
Our aim is to build on existing Michigan Tech resources to facilitate the creation of learning environments, engage our campus community in innovation, develop the entrepreneurship mindset, and prepare students to embrace the challenges of the 21st century.
Husky Innovate is a collaboration between the College of Business, the Pavlis Honors College, and the Office of Innovation and Commercialization.
Ways for Students to Get Involved
Sign up for the Husky Innovate mailing list and receive information sent directly to your inbox about upcoming innovation workshops, speakers, and other ways to enhance your experience at Michigan Tech. Attend one of our events, browse our professional development opportunities, or stop by the Alley Makerspace!
How Alumni Can Help
Interested in supporting an environment that inspires entrepreneurs and start-ups? The Husky Innovate Fund supports the entrepreneurial mindset throughout the Michigan Tech community. Your donation may help provide seed money for the winners of our business model competitions, help students travel to Silicon Valley to meet technology innovators, and book events and speakers to enrich the Michigan Tech innovation community.
Michigan Technological University is a public research university founded in 1885 in Houghton, Michigan, and is home to more than 7,000 students from 55 countries around the world. Consistently ranked among the best universities in the country for return on investment, Michigan’s flagship technological university offers more than 120 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in science and technology, engineering, computing, forestry, business and economics, health professions, humanities, mathematics, social sciences, and the arts. The rural campus is situated just miles from Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, offering year-round opportunities for outdoor adventure.
