Aggie PITCH

Spring 2025

• Applications Open: Friday, Jan. 31
• Applications Close: Sunday, Feb. 16
• Aggie PITCH: Monday, April 7

Applications for the 2025 Aggie PITCH are now closed.

Any student currently registered at a Texas A&M University campus or Texas A&M University System institution is eligible to apply. A list of those universities can be found here. Students from all degree and professional programs at these institutions are eligible. [Please note: Effective for the 2025 competition, Aggie PITCH will only be open to current student ventures meeting the criteria detailed below. Former student-led ventures were included in the competition for 2021-2024.]

Entries can be an individual or a team, but all entries must have at least ONE member that meets the current student criteria. Applications should only be submitted by a qualifying individual who meets the current student criteria. Additional team members can be specified in the confirmation following selection as a finalist and can be current students of a Texas A&M University System institution or individuals that do not have any affiliation with the Texas A&M University System (will be considered “non-participating team members”). Only current students of a Texas A&M University System institution will be allowed to participate in the pitch competition itself or receive prize money; however, non-participating team members may participate in the Q&A portion of the competition. 

In addition to the criteria above, applicants may only apply with startup ventures that have:

• raised less than $1M in external funding AND
• generated less than $250,000 in total revenue.

Company formation is not a requirement to apply. Startups in the concept phase and from all industries are encouraged to apply. 

Eligibility of Past Finalists/Winners:

• Startups that place and receive prize funding at Aggie PITCH [Full Pitch Division] are not eligible to apply in the year immediately following a placing/prize-awarded pitch.
• Startups that place and receive prize funding at Aggie PITCH [Elevator Pitch Division] are eligible to apply in subsequent years.
• An individual who was awarded prize funding [in the Full Pitch Division] with one company may remain eligible to apply in the immediate next year, so long as they are applying with a different startup.
• Any finalist startup that did not place and was not awarded prize money in the previous year is eligible to apply.

NOTE: Finalists must be available to attend the competition in person in College Station. The McFerrin Center for Entrepreneurship does not provide funding for travel or lodging.

An online application is required in order to be considered for participation in Aggie PITCH. The application will include background and other information on the applicant’s startup or business venture, such as:

• Business summary
• Problem
• Solution
• Business Model
• Target Market/Size
• Customers – Current/Potential
• Competitors

In addition to the written components of the application, applicants must also submit a 60 second elevator pitch video.  Not all team members have to appear in the video and applicants may use their best judgement/creativity when determining the content of the video. However, it should serve as a compelling and informative verbal representation of the information presented in the written application. 

In developing both the written application and video, applicants should review the statement below regarding confidentiality as it is the full responsibility of the applicant to ensure there is no unwanted disclosure of proprietary information throughout the application and competition process. 

Following the application deadline, all complete applications will undergo screening by experienced entrepreneurs, business professionals, and other experts that are part of the McFerrin Center network. The scores determined during screening will be used to identify a select group of finalists that will be invited to participate in the competition. The criteria used to evaluate applications can be found on the JUDGES tab. More details on finalist requirements and the competition format can be found on the COMPETITION tab. 

Aggie PITCH features two competition tracks for current students – Full Pitches and Elevator Pitches. The McFerrin Center invites experienced business experts to review all complete applications and score the online entries to select a group of finalists for each of these tracks. If selected as a finalist, the Startup Lead and any other eligible team members that intend to participate in the competition must commit to attending a one-hour mandatory pitch coaching session prior to the competition day, as well as to attending the competition in-person. 

Full Pitch finalists will present their business, product, or service to the audience and a select group of anonymous judges who are successful entrepreneurs and investors. Full Pitch finalists are allowed four minutes for their pitch, followed by four minutes of Q&A. Full pitch finalists will be allowed to use a presentation or other audio-visual equipment. Printed materials, samples, and/or prototypes are also permitted. The competitors with the top scores submitted by the judges are awarded cash prizes. 

Additional finalists are selected to compete in the Elevator Pitch round during the Aggie PITCH event. Elevator Pitch finalists will be allowed one minute to deliver their pitch, without any Q&A or the use of any presentation materials or audio-visual equipment. Printed materials, samples, and/or prototypes will be permitted. The Elevator Pitch round is scored by the audience at large, with the top pitches also being awarded cash prizes.

In developing their pitch and presentation materials, finalists should again keep in mind that it is their full responsibility to protect all proprietary and confidential information. 

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The McFerrin Center hand-selects individuals from our network of mentors, successful entrepreneurs and Texas A&M University faculty to review and score all complete applications, as well as to serve as judges for the competition day.  

The criteria below will be used to evaluate and score applications for the purposes of identifying competition finalists, as well as by judges to determine which finalists will be awarded cash prizes. Recognizing that early-stage startups can be in very different phases of planning or development, both applicants and finalists will be evaluated on a relational scale, taking into consideration these criteria in the context of their specific stage of development.

• Is the startup addressing a significant problem?
• Is there evidence that customers will be willing to pay for their solution?
• Is the problem big enough to build a company around? What is the size of the addressable market?
• Will the solution/technology work? Is there evidence that the solution/technology is feasible and will actually solve the problem (e.g., lab results, field trials)?
• What is the competitive landscape? How are these problems being dealt with today, and does this startup have a significant, sustainable competitive differentiation?
• Is there any intellectual property (IP) or other defensible advantage? What is the status of IP ownership? Does the startup have access to a license or option to commercialize the IP? Are there other startups pursuing this market with similar IP?
• Is this team coachable? Would this be a team I could invest in and work with?
• Does the startup understand key milestones that need to be reached in developing this business?

Thank you to our 2025 Aggie PITCH Prize Sponsors!

Congratulations to the 2025 Aggie PITCH Finalists!

Full Pitch Division Finalists:

• Arrow Analytics | Harsh Gangaramani ’25, Akshaj Kumar ’25
  • Arrow Analytics uses computer vision to detect luggage bags, assign virtual IDs and size them in 3D. Currently in use by Southwest Airlines at Grand Rapids Airport, the system — which uses two or more TSA-approved, airport-supplied cameras, combined with proprietary AI-powered computer vision models — determines the number and size of carry-on bags and checked bags prior to boarding. This real-time data is fed directly to the airline, ensuring they know exactly when to start checking bags or how to assign carry-ons to the optimal bin location based on each passenger’s seat.
• Centi | Jason Salazar ’25
  • Centi is solving one of the biggest inefficiencies in vineyard management — the process of relying on manual inspections to detect plant health issues. Vineyard owners lose time and money walking the fields, making visual assessments, and reacting too late to prevent disease, pest infestations, or nutrient deficiencies. Centi automates this process by using a network of cameras and sensors to track plant conditions in real time. By turning unpredictable field conditions into continuous, measurable data, Centi helps vineyard owners make faster, smarter decisions that improve yield, reduce labor costs, and prevent losses before they happen.
• CommuniGlove | Vishnu Vasudev ’27
  • CommuniGlove created a one-handed communication glove for stroke survivors that can wirelessly connect to any Bluetooth-enabled device, enabling stroke survivors to communicate with dignity. The unique design acts essentially as a wearable keyboard and enables stroke survivors to communicate complex thoughts to anyone — both in-person (using text-to-speech) or over an electronic device — quickly, easily, and with the same degree of richness as verbal speech.
• Firelight Innovations | Abraham Lira ’28, Ibraheem Razouki ’28, Braden Seaborn ’28
  • Firelight Innovations empowers small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) to navigate public perception through FireLytics — an AI-driven sentiment analysis platform that transforms unstructured data into strategic insights. While enterprises have long used costly sentiment tools, most SMBs lack access to affordable solutions to understand how customers, employees and stakeholders truly perceive their brand, products or industry trends. Firelight Innovations addresses critical challenges faced by SMBs in leveraging sentiment analysis effectively.
• HeyEVA | Shubh Bhakta ’28, Niraj Yawalkar ’28
  • HeyEVA is an AI-powered application designed to help elderly users navigate technology with confidence. The world is becoming increasingly digitally connected, and seniors are relying more on technology for daily activities. However, many elderly individuals struggle to navigate their devices without assistance. HeyEVA provides step-by-step guidance, real-time assistance and voice interaction — making digital tasks easier, especially for elderly users and organizations looking to simplify tech use for their communities. Unlike traditional tech support, HeyEVA proactively guides users through tasks, similar to having someone walk them through it over their shoulder.
• Pneumatos | Lucas Bardy ’25, Rachel Schober ’25
  • Pneumatos seeks to improve the lives of people living with mucus-related respiratory diseases as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. High-frequency chest wall oscillation (HFCWO) vests, a common treatment, use oscillating air pressure from a pump to loosen and clear mucus in the patient’s lungs. Pneumatos takes this a step further by syncing the pump to the patient’s breathing. Patients experience discomfort with existing HFCWO vests due to the constant squeezing of the user’s chest, making it difficult and uncomfortable to breathe deeply. Pneumatos’ device reduces that discomfort while maintaining or increasing effectiveness by releasing pressure on inhale.
• Rootless | Lasan Manujitha ’28, Arjun Reddy ’26, Amelia Vega ’25
  • Rootless Agriculture aims to revolutionize food production by growing fruits without soil, traditional roots or sunlight using a proprietary synthetic sap solution. With a mission to combat malnutrition and food insecurity in drought-prone regions, their solution would provide a self-sustaining, drought-resistant and scalable alternative to traditional farming, ensuring year-round access to fresh produce even in the most extreme environments. By delivering fully grown, ready-to-eat fruits, the goal is to reduce water usage and environment dependency, with a focus on partnerships with NGOs and governmental programs to help bring this technology to scale.
• Scalar Biomedical | Parth Baware ’28, Anaya Bawiskar ’27, Ananya Bhawsinka ’27, Marie Strittmatter ’27
  • Scalar Biomedical is aimed at expediting the early detection and proactive management of heart failure. Current diagnostic methods for detecting heart failure are contingent upon late-stage symptoms, meaning the disease is often caught too late to intervene effectively. Scalar Biomedical’s product is a smart scale that measures biomarkers such as fluid retention, heart rate, oxygen saturation, respiratory rate and cardiac output. In doing so, their goal is to empower individuals to monitor their cardiovascular health and catch their heart failure before it progresses to critical stages.

Elevator Pitch Division Finalists:

• Airflow Innovations | Nathan George ’26, Aditya Tripathy ’26
• AnalyticAI | Joshua Robert ’25
• Caddie | Luke Kostohryz ’25, Jonathan Roller ’25
• instock | Luis Martinez Morales ’25, Joseph Quan ’25
• Lindauer AI, LLC | Tiernan Lindauer ’27
• LumiComm | Sushant Balaraman ’28, Reva Joshi ’28, Tejas Kabra ’28, McKenna Smith ’27, Aidan Spira ’27
• MT Provisions | Zach Rones ’27
• Pitstop Pros | Datta Mullapudi ’27
• SLIC | Nicholas Cedillo ’25, Sloane Tindall ’25
• VigilEye | Sarah Hwang ’27
• Whispr | Jake Moore ’25
• Zophous.ai | Daniel McCord ’26

2025 Full Pitch:

1st Place ($6,000) | Arrow Analytics | Harsh Gangaramani ’25, Akshaj Kumar ’25
sponsored by LiquidAgents Healthcare, LLC
2nd Place ($4,000) | HeyEVA | Shubh Bhakta ’28, Niraj Yawalkar ’28
sponsored by StaffDNA LLC
3rd Place ($2,000) | Pneumatos | Lucas Bardy ’25, Rachel Schober ’25
People’s Choice Award ($1,500) | HeyEVA | Shubh Bhakta ’28, Niraj Yawalkar ’28
sponsored by Scale LLP, Amy Duvanich ’08

2025 Elevator Pitch:

1st Place ($750) | LumiComm | Sushant Balaraman ’28, Reva Joshi ’28, Tejas Kabra ’28, McKenna Smith ’27, Aidan Spira ’27
sponsored by Drs. Sanjukta & Saurabh Biswas
2nd Place ($500) | Airflow Innovations | Nathan George ’26, Aditya Tripathy ’26
sponsored by Stieber Insurance Group, LLC
3rd Place ($250) | AnalyticAI | Joshua Robert ’25
sponsored by James Dwyer ’12

2024 Current Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | ElastaScan | Kaushik Avadhanula ’25, Richard Balbin ’25, Anish Easwaran ’25
sponsored by StaffDNA
2nd Place ($5,000) | EHR Buddy | Nathaniel Fernandes ’24
3rd Place ($3,500) | Cosmic Leap Foundation | Rachelle Pederson ’21, Natasha Wilkerson ’09
People’s Choice Award ($1,500) | Cosmic Leap Foundation | Rachelle Pedersen ’21, Natasha Wilkerson ’09

2024 Former Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | Unifi Technologies | Tanner Hilton ’16
sponsored by LiquidAgents Healthcare
People’s Choice Award ($1,500) | Unifi Technologies | Tanner Hilton ’16

2024 Elevator Pitch:

1st Place ($1,500) | perugu | Janak Abraham ’26, Kieran Beirne ’24, Satwik Putluri ’26, Vikash Ravuri ’26
sponsored by Edmonds & Cmaidalka, P.C.
2nd Place ($1,000) | Switchless | Adis Lujinovic ’25, Nicholas Naugle ’25
sponsored by Knife River
3rd Place ($750) | SpoonTrack | Fouzul Kansul ’25, Rachel Kurian ’25, Abhinaya Muruganandham ’25
sponsored by Daniel Browne, Ph.D. ’18

2023 Current Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | Club Girl | Katie Calderon ’25
2nd Place ($5,000) | Cosnetix | Greyson Newton ’21, Diana Salha ’25, Cameron Walker ’22
3rd Place TIE ($3,500) | AggieBus | Arvind Balaji ’24, Anish Karthik ’25, Kirthivel Ramesh ’24
3rd Place TIE ($3,500) | Redeemr | David Greek ’24, Carl White ’24

2023 Former Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | Endpoint Security Inc | Page Heller ’78
2nd Place ($5,000) | Xplosion Technology Corporation | Jaylen James ’22
3rd Place ($3,500 – sponsored by LiquidAgents Healthcare) | Empifany | Christopher Taylor ’07

2023 Elevator Pitch (sponsored by IndigoStone Advisors):

1st Place ($1,500) | Surgeon Support | Chase Lano ’25
2nd Place ($1,000) | EValuate EV Charging Software | Cassie McQuinn ’21
3rd Place ($750) | HemoVas Biosystems | Jason Eades ’26

2022 Current Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | Flux Works LLC | Bryton Praslicka ’24, Daniel Zamarron ‘22
2nd Place ($5,000) | Teale | Narendra Vishnumolakala ’22, Connor Ust ’22
3rd Place ($3,500) | Flow-Pax | Haley Clark ‘23

2022 Former Student Full Pitch:

1st Place ($7,500) | Wide Afternoon, LLC (Ovie) | Stacie Thompson ‘02
2nd Place ($5,000) | ClaraTech | Clara Orlean ‘20
3rd Place ($3,500) | SageSpectra | Madi Heck ’21, Mark Golla ‘22

2022 Elevator Pitch:

1st Place ($1,500) | South Texas Security Gates | Carson Neal ‘22
2nd Place ($1,000) | Imperium | Donald Bowen ‘25
3rd Place ($750) | Unravl Hair | Zanbria Asante ‘18

2021 Current Student Full Pitch:

1st Place | Phage Biosciences | Lila Ross ’20, ’21
2nd Place | AI-Ris | Uthej Vattipalli ’22
3rd Place | Olera, Inc. | Logan DuBose ’22

2021 Former Student Full Pitch:

1st Place | Datalogz | Logan Havern ’19
2nd Place | HelioWave Technologies LLC | Adrian Guzman ’08, ’12, ’19
3rd Place | Divergene | Paola Correa, PhD ’15

2021 Elevator Pitch:

1st Place | Real Rejuvenations LLC | R’riel Smith ’20
2nd Place | Lazarus | Ben Omonira ’20
3rd Place | Exosphere Fitness | Connor Pogue ’16, ’18

1^st, LCLIP, Ahad Azimuddin ‘20

2^nd, Zanbazan, Nargis Mougey ‘19

3^rd, PolyLabs, Shree Arunkumar ‘21, Jacob Good ‘20, Mohamed Harhash ‘20, Daniel Prasca-Chamorro ‘20, Whitney Souery ‘20

4^th, Lazarus, Elise Hackney ‘20, Ben Omonira ‘20, Seth Reine ‘20

5^th, SKYPaws LLC, Brianna Boyle ‘16, Stephanie Young ‘21

1^st, Bezoar Laboratories, Grace Tsai ‘16, Ryan Springer ‘18

2^nd, Botryonyx LLC, Daniel Browne ‘17

3^rd, SafeSpace Metal Detector Danial Kordi ‘18

4^th, Swing Sleeve Michael Batsell ‘17, Ian Cash ‘17, Andres Crucetta Nieto ‘18, Mozheng Hu, Sara Van Kalker ‘18

5^th, Teachr.com, Ram Panda ‘21, Jessica Skrobarczykca ‘18, Nathan Tupa ‘21, Anthony Vazhapilly ‘19