CICS Students Win Innovation Challenge Minute Pitch
The Minute Pitch, the first event of the 2018-2019 Innovation Challenge, began on October 24 with College of Information and Computer Sciences (CICS) students claiming the first place prize.
The Innovation Challenge is a four-stage cross-campus entrepreneurship competition that launches promising ventures to the next levels of startup. Prize money is awarded following three stages of the competition. The Minute Pitch allots each team 60 seconds to pitch their ideas in front of a panel of judges, with mentors on site to provide feedback. $2,500 in prize money was awarded to the first, second, and third-place teams, as well as the audience choice team selection.
CICS students Grace Hall (BS '21), Arta Razavi (MS '19), and electrical engineering student Cameron Harvey were members of the first-place team, "Find a Missing Kid." Their app uses computer vision to help identify missing or exploited children in public settings like schools, routine traffic stops and on public transportation.
The next step in the four-part Innovation Challenge series is The Seed Pitch, set for Wednesday, Nov. 28. This competition simulates the closed-door pitch process and $15,000 in prizes will be awarded as determined by the panel of judges.
Written by Jacob Russian (English, '21)