Sixteen WashU student and recent alumni ventures have been selected as finalists in the Spring 2025 Skandalaris Venture Competition (SVC). On March 6, thirty-three semifinalists presented a their best two-minute pitch to a panel of judges during a closed session. Scores from these pitches were used to identify the teams advancing to the SVC Finals, where they will compete for funding from a $25,000 prize pool and the chance to hoist the SVC cup!
“Diversity of student expertise is a superpower at WashU; every school was represented in this SVC cycle, showcasing the true interdisciplinary approach we take to entrepreneurship here at the Skandalaris Center,” shared Associate Director Adam Wilson. “With a stronger entrant pool than ever before, we relied on our judges, mentors, and Entrepreneurs-in-Residence more than ever to help guide these teams to success. Our students, and the Center, simply could not do the work we do without their valuable contributions.”
Congratulations to the Spring 2025 Skandalaris Venture Competition finalists!
The Spring 2025 SVC finalists are:
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)
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)
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)
Menalated – Hair care products for men with textured hair. Jeffrey Clorissaint (MBA ‘26), Eyob Tewelde (PhD ’29)
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)
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)
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)
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)
The Aspirations Network Education Service – Designs and administers youth programming and educational resources to support education and career development. Colby Crowder (MSW ‘24)
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)
Following the closed judging, teams gathered in Crowder Courtyard for an open networking session where they had the opportunity to connect with judges, fellow startups, and the community. Attendees voted for their favorite venture to win one of two $500 People’s Choice Awards.
The SVC People’s Choice winners are: Byte’m Brownie Bites and Mavo!
Each of the semifinalist teams will receive valuable feedback from the judges, which will help them as they refine their concepts and enhance their pitches moving forward.
“The vision of the Skandalaris Center includes ‘developing action-oriented, creative problem solvers’,” said Venture Development Manager Cyril Loum. “We are so proud of these young entrepreneurs who acted, developing products and services that address the real problems facing their customers. We look forward to supporting them along their journey.”
The spring 2025 SVC winner will be announced at the WashU Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards on April 17, along with the winner(s) of the Global Impact Award and recipients of the WashU Follow-on Investment in partnership with Arch Grants and In St. Louis for St. Louis. We hope you will join us for an exciting evening celebrating the WashU entrepreneurial community!