On April 22, 2022 in the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery (WID), the first in-person Transcend Innovation Competition in two years finally began! After many months of diligent planning from the Transcend Team, UW-Madison students arrived ready to pitch each of their unique ideas to our panel of distinguished judges.
The Transcend 2022 Innovation Competition consisted of two days of activities for the participants. One of the highlights of the competition was the poster session on the first day. With the glorious sun shining down on the competitors through the big windows, they chatted with anyone who passed by about their ideas. The opportunity to see everyone gathered together in the same space after long periods of social distancing was truly inspiring.
All teams entered the competition on a level playing field, and after pitching on Day 1, the judges divided them into either the Top 5, the Advanced Track, or the General Track. Different prizes were available for each group of competitors. After having the opportunity to pitch to a new set of judges on Day 2, deliberation between the judges commenced. Anyone who walked through the WID during the competition could feel the excitement and adrenaline and spirit of innovation that emanated from all the competitors and the Transcend Competition Team.
During the awards ceremony at the end of Day 2, Transcend’s President Paul Pak, gave an eloquent speech, describing the impact and importance of supporting the ideas of everyone in the Madison community. He spoke about how grateful he was to be able to share in the moments in the pitch room when everyone shared the same mindset of entrepreneurship and innovation.
All in all, the Transcend 2022 Innovation Competition was a smashing success, and the Transcend Team hopes to take the momentum gained from this exciting spring semester to continue to grow and support budding entrepreneurs at UW-Madison.
A list of the prizes and the winners can be found below.
Prizes, Awards, and Winners
General Track
| Award + Amount | Team Name | Team Members |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Award ($500) | GroceryMule | Prafull Sharma, Dhruv Jain, Harry Wang |
| Best Visual ($750) | Hydroponics Control Automation | Anders Bandt |
| Best Pitch ($750) | EZ Rent | Matthew Redlinger |
| On the Horizon Award ($1,500) | MetaSpace Labs | Devon Smith, Jennifer Dyken, Sam Johnson, Kwesi Kwapong |
Advanced Track
| Award + Amount | Team Name | Team Members |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni Award ($750) | Agrowhere | Patrick J McPartlan |
| Best Prototype/Demo ($1,000) | Phone Mount People | Teekay Kowalewski, Emily Knaebe |
| Best Pitch ($1,000) | forfeited | forfeited |
| Future Prospect Award ($2,500) | Stellar Tech Girls | Marina Bloomer, Samantha Betlej, Courtney Lynch |
Top 5
| Award + Amount | Team Name | Team Members |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Place ($5,000 + 3 mo. Lodgic Workplace Membership) | Solis | Thor Larson, Jan Wodnicki |
| 2nd Place ($7,000 + 3 mo. Lodgic Workplace Membership) | My Home Stars | Joel Baraka, Anson Liow |
| 1st Place ($10,000 + 6 mo. Lodgic Workplace Membership) | Nudge by Longevity Solutions | Rufus Sweeney, Megan Murphy-Belcaster |
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