Thirty-five WashU startups have been named as semifinalists in the spring 2025 Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC). Each venture, founded by students or recent alumni, is competing for a chance to win funding from a $25,000 prize pool. “We had an impressive 106 applications for the competition this semester,” said Venture Development Manager Cyril Loum. “It’s always exciting to see submissions from across campus, and this cycle was no exception! We had submissions from every school across campus, including Beyond Boundaries and Continuing and Professional Studies. The hard work and dedication of these teams is impressive, and we look forward to seeing them continue to grow through the competition.”

On March 6, 2025, the semifinalists will pitch to a panel of judges throughout the day at a closed event. Following those presentations, we invite the WashU and St. Louis communities to the Skandalaris Venture Competition Semifinals in Crowder Courtyard. The evening will begin with a networking reception where guests can connect with the semifinalist teams, get to know the founders, and learn about their innovative ideas. Attendees will have an opportunity to vote for their favorite venture and cheer them on to success. Skandalaris will award the top-voted teams a People’s Choice award and a cash prize!

Following networking, we will announce the teams advancing to the SVC finals. You won’t want to miss this exciting evening of innovation and entrepreneurship!

The Spring 2025 Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC) Semifinalists are:

4 Her Sport – A personalized, online service for female athletes that addresses their unique mental health challenges, lowers the risk of isolation, and reduces schools’ financial strain. Christina Walker (MSW ‘25), Sharyliz Reid (EN ’24), Kerri Greene (BU ’28)

Adera – Imagine choosing your dreams each night – our AI-powered, neuroscience-driven technology makes sleep a personalized journey to unlock creativity, reduce stress, and enhance emotional well-being. Jasmine Kim (LA ‘25)

The Aspirations Network Education Service – Designs and administers youth programming and educational resources to support education and career development. Colby Crowder (MSW ‘24)

Aurora – A tool that helps healthcare trainees develop and work through clinical reasoning. Nicholas Speller (MD ‘27), Michael Qiu (MD ’13, ’17), Mackenzie Simper (MD ’23)

BABA (Be A Better Athlete) – AI-powered data science app for martial arts athletes. Ohad Dan (MBA ‘26)

Brain Battle – An app that gamifies standardized test prep through live competition. Joe Poole (BU ‘26), Edgar Palomino (EN ’25)

Byte’m Brownie Bites – Byte’m seeks to shake up the snack industry with a bold and unforgettable treats. Made with real, high-quality ingredients and packed with flavor, our brownie bites are more than just a snack—they’re moments of indulgence designed to bring a little sweetness to your day. Jacob Tubis (JD ‘26)

CaseGen – Generates realistic, case-based scenarios that simulate patient interactions, allowing users to actively engage in diagnosing and managing clinical presentations. Karan Joseph (MD ‘27), Akshay Mehta MD ’26), Anurag Challagundla (LA ’27), Aditya Sehgal (EN ’26)

CERV – A novel medical device for accurate, comfortable, and continuous cervical dilation measurement to improve labor monitoring. Elizabeth Buzbee (SI ‘25), Sandy Montgomery (SI ’25), Annika Avula (SI ’25)

Connect – LinkedIn for high schoolers to connect with alumni. Fortuna Kadima (EN ‘26), Michael Lee (EN ’26), Ethan Ng (Beyond Boundaries ’27)

DogTag – A mobile app and web platform in development that aims to streamline the process of finding lost pets by centralizing missing pet posts, securely sharing contact and location information, and connecting pet owners with community support organizations. Oseremen Ojiefoh (EN ‘28), Lotanna Okoli (EN ’28), Varun Elagandula (LA ’28)

Eagleland – A fruit tree netting frame kit that protects against birds. Jack Zhang (BU ‘26)

FallFree Living – Aims to help older adults (and their caregivers) understand their individual fall risks and creates a personalized fall prevention plan, connecting them with trained professionals who can deliver tailored evidence-based fall prevention interventions. Sophie Fendler (LA ‘26)

FlipSide – The app is a nurse-focused tool designed to prevent pressure ulcers by providing timely turn reminders and tracking ulcer progression, improving patient care efficiency in high-volume facilities. Tanish Sathish (LA ‘27), Nalin Gupta (EN ’27)

Gradeble – The AI tool that helps teachers grade faster. Joey Sparks (EN ‘24)

LabNinja – VR/AR-powered science labs for schools and students at home. Udayan Mankar (EMBA ‘25)

LoveYourDrink – An AI-powered platform that helps people who struggle to find a cocktail, wine, beer, or mocktail tailored to their unique taste. Benjamin Swonger (TG ‘25)

Mapable – A revolutionary travel planning app designed specifically for people with accessibility needs. George Mitrev (EN ‘24), Parker Murphy (EN ’24), Ana Mitreva (LA ’27)

Mavo – A content production company combining strategy, creative storytelling, and high-quality production to drive deeper connections and create a meaningful impact on the audience. Maria Villegas (MBA ‘25)

Menalated – Hair care products for men with textured hair. Jeffrey Clorissaint (MBA ‘26), Eyob Tewelde (PhD ’29)

NeuroFore – Developing a revolutionary AI-based diagnostic application for the diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease in its earliest stages. Hamasa Ebadi (PhD ‘28), Joseph Hess (BU ’27)

Nurtree – An innovative app that limits your selected entertainment apps after exceeding screen time, requiring you to unlock them by correctly answering multiple-choice flashcards on Math and Grammar. Tom Yu (LA ‘28), David Ding (LA ’28), Fernando Murra Vicario (LA ’28), Aidan Jonathan Lee (LA ’28), Bilgee Batsaikhan (EN ’28)

Page Pacer – An in-browser application that allows high school and college students to read faster, which saves them time, increases productivity, and leads to higher grades. Aaron Hubhachen (EN ‘27), Luke Wuri (EN ’19)

Prodigy – An AI-powered platform that centralizes all private investment data and delivers actionable insights, predictive analytics, and personalized recommendations, empowering Limited Partners to manage and optimize their portfolios seamlessly. Riya Daftary (BU ‘24)

Quture – A secondhand fashion social marketplace where individuals can exchange unique fashion items while sharing their personal style stories. Rey Yu (BU ‘26), Austin Perez (EN ’26), Emily Han (BU ’26)

RacketZone – A new kind of tennis and fitness club that solves the major pain points of today’s tennis players through the use of one-of-a-kind tennis simulator bays that provide practice with comprehensive data feedback, fitness, and fun! Diana Donoslovic (MBA ‘25)

Rally – Revolutionizes the women’s sports fan experience by creating a community-driven platform designed specifically for their needs. Emilia de Jounge (BU ‘27), Emily Iorio (EN ’27), Harry Feng (EN ’27), Anika Xi (BU ’27)

Realize to Act – Building a technology platform to support schools with resource networks, building on 8 years of nonprofit efforts providing backpacks and schools supplies and programs to engage students in education equity work. Tanya Keskar (LA ‘27)

Reconnect – A workforce development program engaging youth in experiential learning experiences that are aligned with their purpose. Sydney Jackson (MSW ’25)

SchematicSense –  An AI-powered circuit design software that simplifies hardware development, enhances accessibility, and delivers efficient, accurate, and production-ready circuits for diverse industries. Myan Sudharsanan (SI ‘25)

SipStick – A discreet, collapsible, and reusable straw that detects whether a drink has been spiked. Kayla Kwan (BU ’28), Yuliya Kolinkovska (BU ’28)

SPARC – A sport psychology and mental performance mobile platform for student athletes. Sergiu Celebidachi (MBA ‘25)

TheHairVault – A hair care vending machine focused on conveniently getting hair products to students on college campuses. Zariah Taylor (FA ‘27)

VasoSpire – We propose the development of a spiral flow diverter made from Dacron-coated nitinol to redirect blood flow and reduce excess aneurysmal pressure in wide-neck MCA bifurcation aneurysms, offering a minimally invasive solution designed for easy deployment through existing catheter systems. Aaron Peters (EN ‘24), Riya Bhakta (EN ’25), Jenna Nguyen (EN ’26)

Woo Food – Soft, nutritious food and drinks designed to make mealtime easier and more enjoyable for seniors dealing with diabetes and tooth problems. Myungjun Kim (BU ‘26), Jaeho Lee (LA ’28), Chaehyun Park (BU ’28)