March Madness meets Entrepreneurship with Pitch Madness IdeaBounce® | Skandalaris Center for Interdisciplinary Innovation and Entrepreneurship

On March 24, 2022, the Skandalaris Center hosted the Pitch Madness IdeaBounce®, an event where WashU students gave 2-minute pitches and received a score from an esteemed panel of judges. To add to the excitement, teams were grouped by the founders’ schools within WashU and then competed in a bracket-style competition to win the Pitch Madness championship.

Torrie Real gives her pitch for the WeGood App during Skandalaris’ Pitch Madness IdeaBounce®. The competition bracket can be seen on the screen. Photo by Whitney Curtis.

Students from six WashU schools participated and competed to win the grand prize of $500, with second place receiving a prize of $250. After a tough competition, the final bracket included Integra Medical Solutions from McKelvey Engineering and Biometric Flock Solutions from Olin Business School. After the last two pitches were presented, the judges declared Biometric Flock Solutions to be this year’s champion.

The panel of judges included Jess Bellomo, Director of Entrepreneur Recruitment at Arch Grants, Mike Bynum, Principal at FedTech, Randi Henderson, Head Coach of Women’s Basketball at WashU, Tamara Keefe, CEO & Founder of Clementine’s Naughty and Nice Creamery, and Chris Peacock, Deputy Director of Athletics at WashU.

Megha Prasad, a WashU student from the class of ’22, explained that she “really liked the team that won” and that they “had a very interesting idea.” The eight innovative WashU teams who competed in this competition were:

Pitch Madness winner Biometric Flock Solutions, Blair Donner and Shuai Guo. Photo by Whitney Curtis.

Biometric Flock Solutions (Blair Donner, GB ’22 and Shuai Guo, GB ’22) uses new advancements in precision livestock farming (PFL), this technology will automate flock monitoring on farmers’ smart devices.
Integra Medical Solutions (William Gozlan, EN ’22) has developed a low-cost, easy-to-use EKG device to be used as part of a telehealth system for cardiac patients in developing nations.
Grapevine Biosciences (Victoria Mityul, ME ’25) is developing rapid tests to identify catheter-associated bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients presenting with bacteremia. Founder Victoria Mityul.
OwnHome (Parker Nixon, GB ’23) is a new investment platform, targeting accredited investors to purchase homes outright and convert them into high-returning short-term rentals.
Pool (Sarah Ramrup, GB ’23) is a mobile dating app that promotes matchmaking as a social activity that people of all relationship statuses can enjoy.
The WeGood App (Torrie Real, SW ’22) is a community health worker in the palm of your hand that makes care management accessible from the very beginning.
Arch Supply (Alex Sidorsky, AR ’25) is a private tutoring service for seniors in high school who anticipate wanting to enroll in undergraduate architecture school.
Final Step (Helen Telahun, LA ’24) is an app and credit card targeted toward low to middle-class consumers, as well as young adults, who want access to a hub of financial advice and mentorship.

Baffour Boaten (SW ’23) pitches an idea while the WashU Bear watches during the open mic portion of Skandalaris’ Pitch Madness IdeaBounce®.

After the pitches concluded, entrepreneurial “madness” ensued, with audience members electing to present pitches of their innovative ideas during the open mic portion of the event. . The open mic pitches ranged from an attention-based educational assistance program to a way to assist male awareness and testing for HIV. The WashU Bear even presented their own “pitch” which consisted of one short “Grrrrr”.

If you are interested in joining this fun, high-energy group of entrepreneurs, the Skandalaris Center has numerous exciting opportunities for you! Check upcoming events here or contact us for more information on how we can help you with your idea. Looking forward to seeing you at the Skandalaris Center!