BME student entrepreneurs win top prizes at HopStart 2026

Over 275 students competed for their share of $40,000 in prizes as they pitched their startups at the 26th annual HopStart: Hopkins New Venture Challenge on Friday, April 24 at the Inn at the Colonnade hosted by the Center for Leadership Education.

The competition began in February in remote rounds of competition with over 100 teams crafting business plans and pitches under the guidance of mentors, who are industry professionals and Hopkins alumni.

For the final two rounds of onsite pitching, there were 75 teams representing students from the Whiting School of Engineering, the Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Carey Business School, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Medicine.

Two teams from the Department of Biomedical Engineering walked away with first place prizes in the competition’s categories of: General Ventures II and Medical Technology Ventures, and another team received second place in the Medical Technology Ventures Category. The teams are:

General Ventures II

First Place: Team PointSense, a ballet-focused wearable that uses a pressure sensing insert and smart software to deliver data-driven feedback on pointe shoe fit and technique, enabling proactive injury prevention. Team members: Daniel Campuzano, Christina Fernandez, Kaitlyn Kumar, and Bryan Sabogal.

Medical Technology Ventures

First Place: Team Lumenate Medical, a smart bladder cancer screening platform using a disposable cystoscope to continuously capture diagnostic-grade images, with AI verifying complete visualization and transmitting results for asynchronous urologist review. Designed for use by non-specialist providers to expand screening access and improve early detection. Team members: Jack Darbonne, Haley Slosberg, Anand Vaish, Eleanor Kimbro, and Lauren Lee.

Second Place: Team Elevair, a non-invasive neuromodulation for on-demand relief of refractory dyspnea. Their technology empowers patients with rapid, patient-controlled symptom relief. Team members: Luis Fernando González González, Purva Gupta, Eun-Soe (Colette) Lee, Nishtaa Modi, and Sanjana Ramanathan.