'We want our students to build confidence in communicating their vision, thinking critically about market impact, and learning how to transform innovative ideas into viable ventures.'
The students, faculty, and business leaders that attended the 2026 Ultimate Pitch Competition. (Claire Galvin/UConn Photo)
The first-ever Ultimate Pitch Competition recently brought bold ideas, innovative problem solving, and entrepreneurial energy to the Matthew & Margarethe Mashikian Innovation & Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub). Student teams pitched innovative startups and technologies to a panel of judges, competing for top honors while gaining real-world feedback from experienced entrepreneurs and industry leaders.
The eHub, located within the UConn College of Engineering, held the first competition on April 24.
Pitch teams were organized into two tracks, with the first track including students in the early-stage, or with limited experience. The second track consisted of students with some experience from prior competitions or venture progress.
"Events like the Ultimate Pitch Competition give students the opportunity to move beyond the classroom and test their ideas in a real entrepreneurial environment," said eHub director Leila Daneshmandi. "We want our students to build confidence in communicating their vision, thinking critically about market impact, and learning how to transform innovative ideas into viable ventures."
Students presented for five minutes, then answered questions from the judges.
Dr. Michelle Augustyn, business advisor at the Connecticut Small Business Development Center and adjunct faculty member at the UConn School of Business and Pat Adams '85 (CLAS), product development manager at Naveris, offered to judge the students. The two judges questioned the students on their product and plan, offering them suggestions for tightening their arguments or expanding their market view.
For Session I, the first-place winner was PressSure and the second-place winner was Organize Your Thoughts.
The PressSure team consisted of Kyle Kamay, Isabella Yuzon, and Miyu Hasegawa, while the Organize Your Thoughts team consisted of Millenia Polanco.
For Session II, the first-place winner was Crescent Intelligence and the second-place winners tied: Dropiotectics and KinetIQ.
Crescent Intelligence included Haseeb Chaudhry; Dropiotectics included Usama Sheikh; and KinetIQ included Dar Jankovic, Lucy Li, Palavi Lawate, Sonal Selvakumar, Alyssa Elliott, and Jonathan Hylton.
The first-place winning teams took home $1,000, while the runner-up teams earned $400.
Before the event, Daneshmandi explained the entrepreneurship courses and programs offered within UConn Engineering that are designed to enhance students' entrepreneurial experience and knowledge, from ideation to exit.
Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship I and II; Innovation Entrepreneurship; Startup Consulting; Technology Entrepreneurship: Startup Strategy; Entrepreneurial Skills; and Innovation for Defense are the current courses offered by the eHub.
More photos of the event are visible online.
