IDEA Hub, under the aegis of CIED, sponsors the annual Pitch for Social and Creative Enterprise prior to the June Santa Cruz New Tech Meetup. The 3rd annual contest took place June 5, 2019, at Poly in Santa Cruz.
Winners
$3,000 First Place
TerraStep
Non-invasive sensory feedback system attaches to a prosthetic leg with sensors inside the user’s shoe that provide vibratory feedback to a band on the user’s thigh. Feedback informs the user of potentially hazardous and uneven terrain.
Megan Harrison, Founder and CEO . Justin Fortner, Lead Mechanical Engineer . Nicholas Rossi, Power Systems Engineer . Max Smalley, Embedded Systems Engineer . Cesar Vargas, Co-Founder, Electrical Engineer . Zixi Wang, Engineer
$2,000 Second Place
SlugSat
Aerospace initiative to integrate research and development payloads into custom-built microsatellites for experimentation in low Earth orbit.
Natalie King, Lead Engineer . Sarah Mitchell, Lead Engineer . Gabriel Barbosa, Mechanical Systems Engineer . Harley Berman, Payload Engineer . Jésus Bobadilla, Power Systems Lead . Kelby Gan, Payload Lead . Olyad Kebede, Emedded Systems Engineer . Alexander Martinez, Embedded Systems Lead . Lucas McKeever, Payload Engineer . James Michael, Mechanical Systems Engineer . Zee Moffatt, Embedded Systems Engineer . Spencer Neuschmid, Embedded Systems Engineer . Thomas Nijssen, Embedded Systems Engineer . Devin Riley, Payload Engineer . Luis Rivera, Mechanical Systems Engineer . Galen Savidge, Mechanical Systems Lead . Aaron Slagle, Power Systems Engineer, Power Team . Nick Tordoff, Payload Lead
$1,000 Third Place
theHotBox
Replaces decades-old technology found in conventional microwave ovens with cutting-edge cooking techniques. Result? A battery-powered microwave!
Antonio Valenzuela, Team Lead, Co-Founder, and Engineer . Nicholas Adams, Co-Founder, Engineer . Charlotte Monier, Co-Founder, Engineer . Mehdi Shafiee, Co-Founder, Engineer . Jared Waters, Co-Founder, Engineer
$500 Honorable Mention (at the discretion of the judges)
Incite! Fashion
Collaborates with artists of marginalized communities to create clothing items that are sustainable, ethical, made of high-quality materials, and affordable.
Sarah Baghdadi, Founder
Other Student Enterprises Competing
Forest Roaming Autonomous Nature Creator (FRANC)
Robotic device facilitates environmental engineering projects through autonomous seeding.
Pasha Stone, Founder, Team Lead, Software Engineer . Ibrahim Al Hanich, Mechanical Engineer . Karla Alvarado, Electrical Engineer . Salvador Campos, Mechanical Engineer . Donovan Kelly, Software Lead . Cain Martinez, Electrical Lead . Frank Osorio, Electrical and Mechanical Engineer . Kate Yeomans, Mechanical Engineer . Arik Yueh, Software Engineer
Head, Heart, and Hands
Workshop, class, and online tool provider of mental-health curriculum.
Suzanne Josselyn, Executive Director and Founder . Aaron Huang, Chief Marketing Officer . Chris Thomas, Chief Technology Officer
Passive Cleaner Boat Bot (PCBB)
Autonomous, solar-powered vessel intercepts waste in streams and rivers before it can reach the ocean.
Michael Choi, Team Lead . Richard Alves, Safety Officer and Power Management . Adam Grose, Hardware Navigation . Selina Guan, Hardware Communication Lead . Dan Li, Communication Lead, Motor Lead . Rafael Ramirez, Power System Converter Subteam, Team Progress Lead . Ricardo Rodriguez, Software Lead . Arina Romanova, Power System, Treasurer
Smokey the Slug Fire Detection System (SSFDS)
Autonomously detects forest fires and wirelessly alerts emergency services, incorporating cutting-edge technology with topnotch affordability to save lives and property.
Sean McHale, Founder, Detection Engineer . Michaela Arellano, Power/Mechanical Engineer . Colin Boblet, Detection Engineer . Andrew Calvo, Communications Engineer . Calvin Loi, Communications Engineer . Quang Nguyen, Power/Mechanical Engineer . Jackson Qu, Communications Software Engineer . Jonathan Riley, Power System Lead Engineer . Steven Thao, Detection System Engineer
UpVoice: Raise Your Voice
Mobile platform encourages effective civil assembly by providing financial incentive for those who cannot volunteer their time, thus boosting attendance.
Marius-Paul Dumitrean, CEO and Founder . Bobby Dhillon, Software Engineer . Sean Fronteras, UI/UX Expert . Ryan Manseau, Software Engineer . Thomas Pham, Software Engineer
Without A Trace
Free-to-play mobile game improves the user’s recycling habits.
Ryan Jacobs, Project Lead . Maia Dupuis, Project Manager . Ariel Goldblatt, Software Engineer