Posted on April 16, 2013 by Wendy Frost
Ten UTSA teams comprised of business and engineering students will compete for $100,000 in cash and business-related services at the $100,000 Student Technology Venture Competition, hosted by the UTSA Center for Innovation and Technology Entrepreneurship (CITE).
Logo for CITE at UTSA in orange and blue
The competition will be held on Tuesday, April 30 in the University Center Ballroom on the UTSA Main Campus. Public viewing is from 8:30 a.m. to noon. The competition will be held from 1-3 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Held semi-annually, the $100,000 tech competition at UTSA offers the largest award of all undergraduate business planning competitions in the nation. The competitors will offer new technologies poised to enhance health care, fitness and energy conservation.
The teams will be judged by local academic, business and entrepreneurial experts on their technology, business plan and presentation. At the close of the daylong competition, the winning teams will have the opportunity to pitch their companies to potential investors. In addition to a cash prize, the winning teams will receive consulting services, marketing services, office space and other benefits to support them in getting their projects off the ground.
UTSA established the competition in 2007 when it observed that its engineering students were developing new technologies and its business students were writing business plans, but neither group of students continued their efforts beyond turning in their projects for a grade. With the competition in place, UTSA’s students are now developing marketable technologies and forming viable new companies based on those technologies.
UTSA’s $100,000 Student Technology Venture Competition founding sponsor is the Texas Research & Technology Foundation. Additional sponsors are Cox | Smith, the San Antonio Technology Center, Startech, Rackspace, the UTSA Colleges of Business and Engineering and the UTSA Vice President of Research.
CITE, an interdisciplinary center in the Colleges of Business and Engineering, was established in 2006 to create a pipeline for UTSA faculty, students and surrounding business community to develop new technology ventures.
Through a process of education, experiences, resources and support, CITE is focused on fostering the growth of new technology-based ventures. Through hands-on activities, projects, internships and competitions, experiences are created that help unlock the inner entrepreneur in students, faculty and the public. CITE also coordinates resources for supporting early venture execution within the university or in collaboration with companies and provides linkages to IP protection, incubation and funding that support the successful launch of new technology ventures.
Schedule
8:30 a.m.-noon Public Viewing & Judging
1-3 p.m. Competition
Competitors
Artemis Care developed an indoor tracking system called Apollo’s Eye that safeguards special-needs individuals while respecting their freedom and privacy.
Circa-Invention created the Frisballer, a machine that launches Frisbees and tennis balls with a touch of a button.
ELD Energy Loss Detection Software detects energy leaks in a building and determines the fiscal losses caused by these leaks. It will also cost out the building improvements necessary to get rid of these problems.
Jack N’ Slide is a wheelchair accessory that aids patients in wheelchair-to-bed transfers. Their product replaces the canvas seat of a wheelchair with a mechanical lift seat that easily bolts to the frame of a standard wheelchair.
Leto Solutions’s Aquilonix provides a thermoelectric cooling system that adds comfort and improves hygiene for prosthesis users to create a cooled environment in the socket portion of a prosthesis while dissipating heat from the area.
Mommy Pad and Car Seat is a vibrating pad built into a car seat to comfort a child while in a car.
PLaCR I.T. provides a fast, accurate and easily-repeated method of centering a gamma radiation source for small-batch Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) and inspection of pipe welds in the 36”-60” diameter range.
Reddo Communication System created a portable device for translating sign language into voice.
Smart Steer is a steering wheel cover that manages the infotainment system of the vehicle without requiring the driver to look away from traffic - hence decreasing distractions and unexpected accidents.
Spyder Cycling Cyclosa invented a belt-driven bicycle that is lighter, quieter, stronger, more efficient and requires less maintenance.
Please send your comments to: wendy.frost@utsa.edu
— Wendy Frost
