University of Virginia student entrepreneurs won a total of $50,000 in prize money and in-kind services to further develop their businesses focused on emergency action planning apps, mnemonics, pickleball paddles, and Indian spice mixes.
On April 18, 10 startups competed in the final stage of the UVA Entrepreneurship Cup, hosted by the Batten Institute for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. E-Cup is an annual three-part pitch competition for UVA students, including students from UVA’s College at Wise. The culminating competition, “Launch,” was held in front of an enthusiastic evening crowd at the Irving Theater in the CODE Building in downtown Charlottesville.
Jacob Swisher (Nur ’25) and Anthony “AJ” Peppers (SEAS ’24) won first place and $20,000 for their venture EZ-EAP. Undergraduate students are working together to create an app for athletes that provides easy access to emergency action plans.
Swisher said he got the idea for EZ-EAP while working as a sports medicine intern.
“I was frustrated with the lack of functionality in the current industry standard, paper Emergency Action Plans (EAPs). I knew there was an opportunity to improve the standard, so I worked with A.J. “We partnered to build a solution. We built EZ-EAP in hopes of helping athletic trainers and improving athlete safety,” he said.
Moment won second place and $15,000, as well as an additional $5,000 worth of viewer choice awards determined in real time using voting software. Founded by Ayush Bhatia (Col ’24) and Rohit Rajuladevi (SEAS ’24), Moment’s product is an app that allows users to document their memories in a variety of formats with varying levels of privacy.
Darden College sophomores Ellie Jamison and Grace Collins win third place and $10,000 for their venture Play Henry, which manufactures the first official pickleball paddle for UVA and plans to expand into clothing and other products. Did.
Rounding out the winners was Mom’s Magic, which received an honorable mention and $5,000. Founded by Darden University sophomores Darshan Savaria, Garima Seth, and Aniket Chaudhary, Mom’s Magic makes spice mixes for home cooks creating Indian recipes.
The 2023-24 Entrepreneurship Cup Series began with the Concept Competition in November and continued through the Discovery Competition in February. In this competition, student entrepreneurs apply the principle of effectuation, a method developed by Professor Saras Sarasvathy to reduce risk, to their business plans. .
To take part in Launch, contestants must demonstrate a serious commitment to their business and convince the judges that it is sustainable and capable of growth. MJ Thoms, director of education and experiential learning at Darden’s Batten Institute, has found that the competition attracts entrepreneurial students who are passionate about problem-solving.
“It’s fun and exciting to see what problems our students are passionate about solving and the energy and creativity they bring,” she said.
Brett Brohl (MBA ’09), managing partner at Bread & Butter Ventures, was one of Launch’s four judges. He said participating as a judge gave him a special perspective on supporting entrepreneurship at UVA.
“As a judge, I had the honor of meeting founders who are building companies in a variety of sectors, from vertical SaaS like winner EZ EAP to third place Play Henry, who took a fun approach to pickleball. This allows us to understand the innovation happening across the UVA ecosystem,” Broll said.
Additional judges included Wayman Newton (Law ’07), a real estate entrepreneur and community lawyer; Dana Warren, Venture Partner at Canaan; and Meridian Clean Energy CEO John Woolard (class of 1987, MUEP 1992).
For EZ-EAP and the other award winners, the next chapter of their entrepreneurial journey is underway.
“We are very excited about what lies ahead, especially after this win. The prize money will go a long way in launching the application, but the real prize will be the recognition and recognition from our four amazing judges. It was support after that,” Swisher said.
The Kerr Award is presented to a UVA graduate with an entrepreneurial spirit behind a healthcare startup.
Rithika Kormath (SEAS ’23) and Haeley Wotnosky (McIntire ’23) received a $25,000 award from Darden’s Batten Institute to further advance their venture, Synersia.
Rithika Kormath (SEAS ’23) and Haeley Wotnosky (McIntire ’23) are working to advance the progress of their venture, Synersia, which is developing a proprietary anesthetic cream technology that addresses other local pain management shortcomings. received a $25,000 award from Darden’s Batten Institute. product.
Wotnoski and Comas met at UVA and quickly discovered a shared passion for making a meaningful difference in the lives of others. As students and alumni, they found a strong support network, including mentors, workshops, and the i.Lab incubator program hosted by the Batten Institute.
“We founded Synersia after witnessing the inadequacy of pain management solutions available in dermatology clinics. The severe side effects and deaths associated with current treatments are particularly concerning. “Synersia was born out of a desire to provide safe and effective pain management, especially to women, who make up the majority of our cosmetic procedure patient population,” Wotnoski said.
Each year, the Katherine Carr Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence is presented to a venture company that participates in the Darden i.Lab incubator. Its founders best embody the traits important to Kerr, such as determination and community spirit, while pursuing commercial success.
Jason Brewster, director of venture at Darden’s Batten Institute, was pleased to see how many venture companies were considered.
“This year’s Catherine Kerr Prize was particularly competitive, with the majority of the i.Lab group continuing to develop ventures after completing the incubator program. demonstrated the quality of “moxie” that I think Kathy will be excited to see what these entrepreneurial students have accomplished and the direction they are headed. ”
For Comas and his co-founders, the connection between their entrepreneurial journey and Carr’s legacy is clear.
“We are inspired by Kathy’s legacy as a mentor and leader and her commitment to integrity, generosity, and innovation. An opportunity to share our journey and give back to our community I am grateful for this and am enthusiastic about the future,” she said.
