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The University of Cincinnati’s annual UC Elevator Pitch Competition returned on November 18th, and this year’s event was one of the strongest showings yet.
With 13 finalists, a record-breaking applicant pool, and a judging panel made up of local entrepreneurial leaders, the UC elevator pitch highlighted just how deep Cincinnati’s pipeline of emerging founders has become.
Participants were diverse and well-prepared for the UC Elevator Pitch challenge. One minute. No slides. No props. Just a microphone, a concept, and the ability to communicate vision under pressure. This is the essence of a UC Elevator Pitch.
The competition, hosted by UC’s Center for Entrepreneurship, drew students from across multiple colleges—engineering, business, computer science, and even the College of Allied Health Sciences. From AI tools to climate platforms to hardware innovations, the range of ideas proved that Cincinnati’s next generation of builders is thinking broadly and ambitiously.
A Judging Panel With Local Impact
This year’s judges each brought a different perspective from Cincinnati’s business, tech, and community-building ecosystems. I judged alongside:
- Ashley Anderson — Senior Manager, Marketing & Communications at CincyTech, bringing a seasoned venture capital viewpoint on traction, market viability, and storytelling.
- Byron J. Stallworth Sr. — Founder of Inclusion Building Solutions and a community leader known for championing equitable economic development in Cincinnati, has 20+ years in F500 diverse supply chain sourcing across the US.
- Adam Koehler — (myself) Cincinnati entrepreneur, founder of Content Credits, Reversed Out, CovWorx, and The Cincinnati Exchange.
Each judge focused on different strengths—market clarity, real-world feasibility, communication, confidence, and the founder’s ability to execute. The UC Elevator Pitch format highlighted these traits effectively, and despite our varied backgrounds, every judge independently ranked the top teams almost identically, a strong sign of standout pitches.
I was impressed with the quality of problem solving the students presented in the pitch competition. Believing you are solving a problem, defining market opportunity and how you are different are the key steps to revenue.–Byron Stallworth
Kate Harmon Sets the Tone
The UC Elevator Pitch competition is led by Kate Harmon, Assistant Vice President, Executive Director, and the El and Elaine Bourgraf Director of Entrepreneurial Practice at UC’s Center for Entrepreneurship. After the event, Kate shared a message that summed up the evening:
You all provided such great questions and feedback to the students — all who participated felt recognized, heard, and appreciated. And the fact that you all arrived at the same top teams reflects on your own individual talent for recognizing solid pitches. We look forward to assisting these students on their venture development and sharing their progress in the coming months.
Kate’s leadership has meaningfully strengthened UC’s role in Cincinnati’s startup ecosystem, helping student entrepreneurs gain confidence and move from idea to execution. Her commitment shows in the growing number of applicants and in the caliber of founders taking the stage each year. The UC Elevator Pitch competition continues to thrive under her guidance.
The Winners: Innovation Across Disciplines
The 2025 UC Elevator Pitch Competition winners reflected a mix of engineering innovation, consumer insight, and life sciences creativity. This year’s top awards went to:
🥇 1st Place — VHSMO ($2,500)
Founders: Dhruv Bhilare, Aryan Metkar, Rishit Singh
College: Engineering & Applied Science
VHSMO is developing an airdrop-style digital retro camera that sends photos instantly to your mobile device—merging vintage aesthetics with modern usability. With 12,500+ waitlist signups and 1.1M+ content views, this concept has already proven demand. Their pitch was tight, confident, and backed by a provisional patent.
🥈 2nd Place (Tie) — Nila ($1,000)
Founders: Joshua Jerin & Sujaay Prakash
College: Engineering & Applied Science
Nila presented an autonomous security drone platform aimed at eliminating blind spots in commercial warehouses and facilities. They showcased a real, validated need in the security sector and a hybrid revenue model that blends hardware sales with subscriptions. Their approach was highly structured and scalable, a testament to the rigorous preparation demanded by the UC Elevator Pitch.
🥈 2nd Place (Tie) — Serechikitty K-POP ($1,000)
Founder: Natalie Harvey
College: Lindner College of Business
With incredible energy and clarity, Natalie pitched Cincinnati’s first dedicated K-pop retail experience. This concept fills a cultural gap in the Midwest and taps into one of the fastest-growing entertainment fandoms in the world. Her pitch demonstrated market understanding and immediate consumer traction potential.
⭐ CincyTech Life Science Award — Cryocore ($500)
Founder: Grayson Stinger (MBA)
Cryocore develops “organoids on demand” through advanced cryogenic technology. This pitch struck a balance between technical sophistication and practical application, earning recognition from CincyTech for its scientific potential.
A Deep Bench of Finalists for the UC Elevator Pitch Competition
Beyond the winners, the finalist lineup showed a wide range of creative thinking, as was seen throughout the UC Elevator Pitch journey:
- NEEM (Srividya Bade Vinod): A climate-impact investing platform enabling Gen Z to invest in vetted climate startups for as little as $5.
- Quarz (Samarth Edlabadkar): An AI prompt-scrubbing plugin that protects enterprises from data leakage into LLMs.
- CareCom (Zoe Campbell): An AI-powered communication solution addressing hospital delays that contribute to billions in malpractice losses.
- Cryocore (Grayson Stinger): Cryogenic storage and organoid solutions for life sciences.
- Advanced CNC Plasma Cutter (Michael Brown): A next-gen metal fabrication platform built for accessibility and precision.
- The Library Concept (Calvin Boedecker): A concept currently under review but well-received by judges.
- AI Resume Builder (Philip Rosca) and others representing consumer tech and AI usability.
Together, they represented the strongest mix of engineering, creativity, and entrepreneurial resilience the event has showcased in years.
Cincinnati’s Entrepreneurial Future Looked Bright at the UC Elevator Pitch
As a judge, what struck me most was how these students think. They’re not just building products — they’re building companies. They talked about manufacturing partners, provisional patents, regulatory pathways, beta users, and real revenue models.
These founders aren’t waiting for permission or perfect conditions. They’re building now — and they’re building here, in Cincinnati. With resources like CincyTech, 1819 Innovation Hub, the Office of Innovation, and local mentorship networks, the region continues to evolve into one of the Midwest’s strongest talent ecosystems.
UC’s Elevator Pitch Competition proves one thing clearly: Cincinnati’s future founders are already emerging, and they’re more than ready for what’s ahead.
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