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The top three New Venture Challenge champions, Stride Tech, Button Huggie and Tissue Form originated in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. Teams started as ‘Entrepreneurship for Social Innovation’ senior design projects, graduate design projects and as breakthrough research in mechanical engineering labs. Teams were mentored and supported by faculty in the department andÌýby Design Center Colorado.Ìý

First Place: StrideTech

StrideTech,Ìýa Hardware Track finalist, was awardedÌý$100,000 for aÌýdigitally enhanced walkerÌýthat will help seniors correct user errors before they result in dangerous mishaps. The StrideTech team includesÌýEngineering Plus students Timothy Vesos-Ely, Max Watrous and Humsini AcharyaÌýand mechanical engineering students Tom Saunders and Andrew Plum. The team was formed as part of the ‘Engineering for Social Innovation’ section of mechanical engineering senior design.Ìý

Second Place:ÌýButton HuggieÌý

Button Huggie, an R&D Track finalist, was awarded $45,000 for aÌýprecision-engineered medical device designed to simplify care for a child'sÌýgastrostomyÌýbuttonÌýand reduce gastrostomy-related complications. The team began as a mechanical engineering graduate design team during the 2017-2018 academic year. On the team were graduate students Tyler Mironuck, Ben Fried and Brian Heckman sponsored by Children's Hospital Colorado surgeon Dr. Steven Moulton. Today, MironuckÌýand Moulton are carrying the inventionÌýforward.Ìý

Third Place: Tissue Form

TissueForm, an R&D Track finalist, was awarded $12,500 for a simple, low cost and long-lasting dermal filler technology that helps patients suffering from tissue disease, damage or aging. TissueForm originated from research that fourth-year PhD student Jeanne Barthold performedÌýinÌýAssociate Professor Corey Neu'sÌýSoft Tissue Bioengineering Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. TissueForm also won the NVC Women's Entrepreneurship PrizeÌýand participated in the University Innovation and Entrepreneurship Showcase in Washington, D.C.

Other Awards

¾«Æ·SMÔÚÏßӰƬ mechanical engineering students also won the topÌýWomen's Entrepreneurship Prizes and Social Impact Prizes. Women's Entrepreneurship Prize winners included TissueForm andÌýShineOn, a venture makingÌýthe world safer by providing cyclists with a light that dramatically improves nighttime visibility. Social Impact Prize winners included BioCube, a ventureÌýoffering a novel up-cycling solution to address plastic pollution in oceansÌýand empower local communities to turn plastic waste into functional products and Flux, a venture designing a robust, compact thermoelectric power generation unit powered by cooking fires to address lack of access to electricity in the developing world.Ìý