More than 250 student entrepreneurs competed for more than $55,000 in prizes at the 25th annual HopStart: Hopkins New Venture Challenge on Friday, April 25, at the Inn at the Colonnade. Competitors from across Johns Hopkins University began crafting their business plans and pitches in early February to prepare for the competition under the guidance of mentors, including industry professionals, and Hopkins alumni.
During two rounds of competition, a record 75 teams pitched their startup ideas, including a venture that transforms shipping containers into fully equipped medical centers, an AI-driven platform that helps users better understand and reduce the cost of their medical bills, and a probiotic that aids in eliminating the microplastics that have accumulated in seafood. More than 30 judges, many of them Johns Hopkins alumni, selected winners in each of the competition’s four categories. The Pava Center for Entrepreneurship, A-Level Capital, and HopStone Capital sponsored additional prizes.
One undergraduate and one graduate team from the Department of Biomedical Engineering walked away with prizes in the competition’s main categories: Medical Technology and Life Sciences I and II. Both teams received $5,000. The teams are:
Medical Technology and Life Science Ventures I: Team Parametric, a medical device that noninvasively monitors core body temperature in the EMS space. Team members: Ryan Chou, Jack Coursen, and Prisha Rathi.
Medical Technology and Life Science Ventures II: Team Veina Vascular, a medical device that optimizes blood collection in emergency departments to reduce hemolysis (the premature breakdown of red blood cells), save costs, and improve patient care. Team members: Saardhak Bhrugubanda, Isabella Menendez, Sabine Meurs, Natasha Mody, Antoine Noreau, and Sneha Raj.
