Announcing the 25 Finalist Teams for e-Fest 2025

These undergraduates from colleges and universities around the US are set to compete in Minneapolis April 24-26.

MINNEAPOLIS, March 24, 2025 — Drumroll, please... EIX proudly announces the Top 25 Finalist Teams selected to compete at e-Fest® 2025!

From nearly 200 submissions from colleges and universities across North America, these 25 undergraduate teams have earned their place at one of the country’s most prestigious undergraduate entrepreneurship competitions. The Top 25 Finalists teams will head to Minneapolis, MN, April 24–26 to compete in the 9th annual e-Fest®, hosted by the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas.

What is e-Fest®?

e-Fest®  is a three-day event for student entrepreneurs looking to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply it in a real-world setting. Students pitch ventures they’ve built, tackle new challenges, and connect with peers and professionals from across the country.

Made possible by EIX and the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation, and supported by a strong community of mentors, judges, and faculty advisors from across North America, e-Fest is designed to give students practical experience, honest feedback, and new connections that support their next steps—whatever those might be.

Here’s what the Top 25 in ’25 can expect:

• Pitch their ventures to experienced entrepreneurs, executives, and investors
• Compete for $220,000 in cash prizes across four competitions, including the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge and Pitch Slam
• Collaborate with peers in the fast-paced Innovation Challenge
• Learn from workshops led by industry professionals and educators
• Connect with students, mentors, and judges from across the entrepreneurial ecosystem

Special Recognition Awards

This year, we’re also offering two additional $5,000 awards open to all finalists. These awards recognize teams who are going above and beyond—whether it’s through impact or engagement:

Potential for Impact Award

For ventures that are creating meaningful change, whether that’s in their local community or on a global scale. We’re looking for scalable ideas that address real challenges and have the potential to make a big difference.

Ready for Market Award

This one’s all about storytelling. Students will submit a short 45-second video that clearly communicates their problem, solution, and why it matters. Think engagement, creativity, and market-readiness.

Thank You to Our Judges

We couldn’t be more grateful to our network of over 40 expert judges—including entrepreneurs, investors, faculty members, and industry leaders—who volunteered their time and insight to carefully review this year’s submissions. Their thoughtful evaluations helped us identify and celebrate the most promising undergraduate startups from across North America.

Follow the Top 25 in ’25

Who will take home the top prize? Who will win the Potential for Impact and Ready for Market Awards? Who will walk away from e-Fest with new partnerships, ideas, and inspiration?

Follow us on our social media channels as we highlight the Top 25 in ’25, share stories on the road to Minneapolis, and celebrate the students driving the future of entrepreneurship.

LinkedIn: e-Fest - Home of the Schulze Entrepreneurship Challenge

Instagram: efest_biz

2025 e-Fest Top 25 Finalist Teams

(Teams appear in alphabetical order)

Aldental

Florida Atlantic University

Recognizing that oral health greatly impacts life expectancy, the Aldental project is an initiative aimed at making intraoral scanning more affordable and accessible, thereby revolutionizing dental care through high-quality 3D teeth models.

BiliRoo

Calvin University

BiliRoo is a patent-pending, non-electric, low-cost medical device designed to treat neonatal jaundice in low-resource settings.

BRCĒ

Michigan State University

BRCĒ is a high-impact proprietary material-tech startup, developing an ecosystem of performance & safety gear to support athletes, tactical & industrial use-cases, built with composites that are stronger than steel, fire-resistant & remarkedly lightweight with data-backed product designs providing performance advantage. 

DisposeOil

SUNY New Paltz

DiposeOil is an innovative solution that disposes of used cooking oil/grease/fat in a convenient and environmentally friendly manner.

ELTUH

Farmingdale State College

ELTUH delivers autonomous aerial monitoring with AI drones and wireless charging towers, enhancing early detection and response capabilities for utility companies. Our system strategically monitors rural areas for anomalies around power lines, preventing disasters before they escalate. We target large-scale operations, offering seamless network coverage and continuous operation to ensure safety and efficiency.

emPATCH

University of Southern California

emPATCH. is an all-natural, transdermal patch designed to provide instant and lasting PMS relief. It aims to encourage women to embrace their periods as a symbol of strength, not a burden.

Granite State Systems

University of New Hampshire

Granite State Systems is a leading provider of smart energy management systems for cold storage warehouses. Our novel sensor technology and a proprietary algorithm optimize energy consumption by pre-cooling or pre-heating a climate-controlled facility during periods of lower electricity prices, saving operators over $5,000 monthly and 20 hours weekly on manual monitoring.

Helwa

Rhodes College

Helwa is a purpose-driven jewelry brand redefining fragrance with an elegant metal bracelet featuring a refillable compartment for premium Arab perfumes. Combining style and convenience, Helwa offers a personalized, portable scent experience with a mission to give back.

Lens AI

University of California, Irvine

We are building smart glasses designed for engineering R&D and specialized applications. Our glasses integrate advanced vision AI and real-time computational tools to assist engineers, researchers, and technical professionals in engineering environments. They provide hands-free access to critical data, visualization of technical information, and seamless documentation to enhance productivity and efficiency in research and development workflows.

LetAllGirls

Babson College

LetAllGirls is transforming education in underdeveloped regions with AI-powered learning devices that deliver high-quality, locally tailored education- without relying on internet or existing infrastructure. With edge-computing and machine learning, LetAllGirls helps teachers create dynamic lesson plans and enables students to learn independently- all at a price sustainable for governments, NGOs, and school networks, making quality education accessible anywhere.

LockGuard

Rutgers University - New Brunswick

LockGuard is disrupting the home security industry by creating portable devices specifically designed for dorms and apartments. Unlike traditional competitors that require deadbolt changes, LockGuard retrofits onto any door, adhering to the leasing terms of landlords and college housing. Its portability also allows it to be used while traveling, in scenarios ranging from hotel rooms to cruise ships.

Métopi

University of Virginia

Métopi is developing the first wearable, multi-pack prescriptible rescue inhaler to help the nearly half a billion respiratory disease patients who have experienced a potentially life-threatening flare-up without access to their rescue inhaler. At Métopi, we believe the best rescue inhaler is the one you have with you!

Morph Labs

Florida State University

Morph Labs is redefining prosthetics with the world’s first non-invasive, AI-powered, brain-controlled hand, giving amputees effortless, natural movement—just by thinking. At a fraction of the cost of existing solutions, our breakthrough technology eliminates muscle fatigue, invasive surgery, and limited dexterity, restoring not just function but true human capability.

My Salon Suite

Talladega College

My Salon Suite by Traylor Made ignites the entrepreneurial spirit in beauty professionals, offering luxurious, fully-equipped salon suites that empower them to elevate their craft and client experience in a sophisticated, private setting.

Pathway

Harvard University

Pathway Oncology is pioneering a cutting-edge suite of tech-driven solutions to transform cancer survivorship and care, starting with our flagship product, Pathway Care. By seamlessly integrating AI, telehealth, and personalized medicine, Pathway Care delivers proactive, long-term support for cancer survivors while redefining the future of oncology care.

PlayVision

University of California, Berkeley

At PlayVision, we leverage AI and computer vision to produce advanced analytics for sports teams, saving time and providing teams with a competitive edge.

QTex AI Inc.

Boise State University

QTex AI is a software start-up out of Boise, Idaho, focused on improving engineering workflows to enable engineers to develop better products faster. Our flagship product, PartWise, is a chip search tool that allows engineers to look up parts through a conversational search, save parts and chats to a project, and get real-time availability and pricing.

Recrura

University of Wisconsin - Whitewater

Recrura is an AI-Powered job matching platform for college students and employers.

SentrySight

California State University, Sacramento

SentrySight is a proactive AI meant to utilize existing surveillance systems to detect and notify when a firearm is in frame.

SparkFluence

Rice University

Our AI platform connects small businesses with ideal influencers using audience demographics, engagement metrics, and brand alignment. We democratize influencer marketing through data-driven matches that optimize ROI. Our algorithm analyzes 25+ variables to predict partnership success, reducing marketing waste and helping small businesses compete digitally. With transparent analytics and simplified contracting, we eliminate friction in influencer collaborations.

Splash Smartech

California State University, Sacramento

Splash is making pool care easier than ever by providing pool owners with daily chemical readings and chemical balancing instructions to ensure a perfectly balanced swimming pool.

SurfStick

East Carolina University

SurfStick is a heat-resistant, sand-protective applicator/container for surf wax.

Sync Labs

University of Pennsylvania

Sync Labs is building Alice, a privacy-first AI monitoring system that integrates fall detection, meal tracking, and activity monitoring into one seamless platform. We are transforming senior care by improving efficiency, safety, and quality of life in assisted living.

Technotonin

Worcester Polytechnic University

PAWE is a lightweight, easy-to-attach power-assist device designed for manual wheelchair users who need extra support. It’s simple, portable, and gives you more freedom to move without switching to a heavy power wheelchair.

TouchStone

Stanford University

TouchStone is an API-first platform for ecommerce retailers that integrates into customer support ticketing software to detect refunds fraud and returns fraud during live customer support chats and calls.