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CSUF Startup Competition Finalists Announced

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Last week, fifteen out of the thirty-seven student concepts submitted for the CSUF Startup Competition were reviewed at the semifinals. All of the concepts presented were very innovative and that made the decision of narrowing the finalists down all the more difficult. But, thanks to our judges, consisting of CSUF Entrepreneurship professors, were able to make the determination and we now know who will be competing in the finals on April 19 (register for your free ticket today!).

In alphabetical order, here are the six finalists of the CSUF Startup Competition:

10-8 Systems

Brian Ruef

Founded by Bryan Ruef, 10-8 Systems aims to bring the technology that big cities use to dispatch police, fire, and other first responders to smaller municipalities. This technology, called Computer Aided Dispatch, is financially out of reach for many smaller communities and Bryan has come up with a stellar solution that will enable smaller municipalities to respond to emergencies much more quickly.

Ayli

Left to right: Kai Iseda, Chris Nguyen, and Gaury Verma

Founded by Brandon Hawkinson, Kai Iseda, Gaury Verma, Chris Nguyen, and Dat Nguyen, Ayli utilizes machine learning algorithms to gameify online personal data security. Users of Ayli will, in essence, have a 24/7 online personal bodyguard that will communicate with all of the other bodyguard’s in the Ayli ecosystem to quickly identify threats and help users avoid or neutralize those threats.

Captshield

Kylie Toney

Founded by Kylie Toney, Captshield aims to solve the growing problem of youth concussions through the use of a patented helmet. Kylie, who has witnessed soccer players suffer concussions earlier in her life while an athlete herself, has been working on this concept for some time and is confident that this solution will help reduce this problem.

Runball

Leonardo Gomez

Founder Leonardo Gomez was challenged by something that many dog owners have to deal with: a rambunctious dog who just doesn’t want to give up the ball he just fetched. Leonardo came up with the ingenious solution of combining the ball that dog’s fetch with a rope that is long enough to help the owner’s pet expend their doggy energy but keeps it tethered to the owner for easy retrieval.

Safe Space

Raul Chavez

Founded by Raul Chavez, Kasie Chen, Josue Flores, and Brian Brady, Safe Space’s mission is to give people with disabilities a safe space where they can exercise their bodies and their minds.

Tomorrow’s Tone

Left to right: Russell Gilchrist, Michael Ruiz, and Josh Sloane

Founded by Russell Gilchrist, Michael Ruiz, and Josh Sloane, Tomorrow’s Tone aims to provide a more effective learning environment to children with special needs. Through the educational power of music, this team has developed a revolutionary musical educational system that will help kids with autism and other needs to live the best lives they possibly can.

CSUF Startup Competition Finals – Friday, April 19

You can see all of these teams at the CSUF Startup Competition Finals on Friday, April 19 from 1pm to 4pm. The Finals are going to be held in the Titan Student Union in front of a packed house and our All Star panel of judges. To get your complimentary tickets for this event so that you can cheer on these innovative students please click on this link.

And a special thanks must be made to the judges at the semifinals. They included:

  • Director John Bradley Jackson
  • Dr. Atul Teckchandani
  • Professor Scott Sorrell
  • Professor Tom Miller
  • Professor Scott Landow

And thank you to all of the students who competed in the CSUF Startup Competition but are not advancing to the Finals. We hope that you continue your entrepreneurial journeys!

CSUF Entrepreneurship

We are dedicated to helping the next generation of entrepreneurs develop the skills that they need to compete locally and globally. The CSUF Entrepreneurship program does many things, including: consulting projects where students serve up fresh strategies to actual businesses, competitions for students from middle school to grad school, helping entrepreneurs go from concept to launch, frequent seminars and office hours for entrepreneurs and professionals, and much more. Interested in becoming a part of the CSUF Entrepreneurship community? Reach out to us at csufentrepreneurship@fullerton.edu for more information! CSUF Entrepreneurship depends on the support of the community, please go here to donate.


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