MUSE Biomedical, a team of BME seniors who are developing medical devices focused on preventing opioid addictions, won 1st place in the Early Stage Social category and also 1st place in “most buzzworthy” (as voted on by the audience) at this year’s virtual Carolina Pitch Challenge.
MUSE team members, BME students Tasneem Omar Essader, Goutam Kumar Gadiraju; Jennifer Jacober; Pradham Venkata Tanikella; Karthik Kaundinya competed in the Carolina Challenge Pitch Party by explaining how their startup venture will make an economic and social impact in the community and public health system. Each of the awards amounted to $1,000.
In this year’s edition of UNC-Chapel Hill’s largest campus-wide student pitch competition, 58 student teams comprised of 126 students total submitted one-minute, rapid-pitch videos as part of their applications to compete. Those video-based pitches were reviewed by a judging committee of staff and students from the Entrepreneurship Center at Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Since 1958, Carolina students, faculty and staff have launched 731 total UNC-affiliated startups, with 72 percent (526 total ventures) currently active. 84 percent of active UNC-connected startups are headquartered in North Carolina. Student startups at UNC-Chapel Hill contribute to the local and global economic impact of UNC-affiliated startups. To learn more, please visit Innovate Carolina’s website here.
