One lap through the rows of posters at Colorado State University’s Demo Day highlights a diverse world of ideas.
On one end was design and merchandising student Corinne Sage, who demonstrated how virtual reality can help architecture students study faraway buildings. Another design and merchandising student named Bridget Brown showcased how the byproduct of kombucha can be used to make sustainable fibers. Just a few feet away was Hassan Mahmoud, a master’s student in bioengineering who created his own solution to help people suffering from jaw pain.
“I just want to make things that help people,” he said.
The ultimate goal of Demo Day is to provide a path for all of these ideas to become successfully commercialized.That’s why the April 17 event, organized by CSU STRATA, brought together both CSU students and researchers as well as members of the Northern Colorado business community and local emerging companies.
“I like being here because researchers like me are always in the lab – this way, we can introduce what we’re working on to people outside of that community,” said Ahmed Gad, a postdoctoral fellow at the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory whose research addresses the impact global warming is having on animal fertility.
Numerous teams won cash prizes to help them continue the long process of commercializing their ideas. After the poster showcase, they got to hear from Marcus Martinez, a CSU graduate who took the leap into startups after a fellow entrepreneur saw his thesis’s potential to become the basis for Aquanta Vision, a software that will make detecting methane leaks easier.
Martinez said that he was drawn to the startup because he is an engineer who loves solving problems.
“Figure out a way for yourself to enjoy that struggle,” he told the crowd.
Demo Day was just one part of Innovate CSU Day, which also included the annual Venture RAMS Business Showcase, which was organized by the College of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship.
This pitch competition involved six CSU students from different majors who showcased how their ideas could become viable businesses. The winner was ultimately first year business major Gabe Allen, who won $5,000 for his startup involving a unique backpacking table.
Read more about the students and their startups below:
Gabe Allen
MT Provisions
Allen’s startup centered around a portable backpacking table that straps to a tree and has an attachment for a camp stove. He came up with the idea while on a backpacking trip with friends, and created his first prototype in high school. He is part of the CSU Venture Accelerator Program and plans to launch in the next three or four months, as well as to find retail partners to expand his idea nationwide.
Bri Risk
Birota Foods
Risk is a doctoral student in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Her company, Birota Foods, focuses on using high quality ingredients to make a variety of products that improve health and athletic performance. Her goal is to scale up and serve the entire Front Range area, as well as find strategic partners that support her overall ethos. She was awarded $1,500 for a third place finish in the competition, and $750 for the Grit and Gold Award.
Logan Knaff
Dimensional Impressions
Knaff, a senior business student, launched Dimensional Impressions as a way to use virtual reality to provide tours of brick-and-mortar businesses like event centers, gyms and restaurants. His platform allows businesses to conduct virtual walkthroughs of their space as well as to provide titles and descriptions for additional context. It also allows users to garner measurements of certain spaces. His startup won $3,000 for a second place finish in the competition.
Heather Short and Nicholas Grant
Sniftek
One breath could save your life. That’s the inspiration behind SnifTek, a device that screens for colorectal cancer by having patients blow through a mouthpiece rather than through more invasive methods. This startup received $1,000 through the Hines People’s Choice Award.
Geri Schiff
GeriFitness
Schiff, who received her MBA from CSU in 2023, said her business is inspired by “the grumpy old man who won my heart in cardiac rehab.” Her platform aims to help older adults stay active for as long as possible in an effort to decrease their risk of falls and subsequent need for assisted living. Her goal is to grow partnerships and memberships, and she’s part of the CSU Venture Accelerator program.
Kalaina Stroyan, Joyce Bohn, Ali Hamid and Declan Buggy
Step Up Prosthetics
Step-Up Prosthetics aims to provide custom 3D prosthetic devices to people in developing countries who would not otherwise have access to affordable, custom solutions. The team is made up of four engineering students, and their hope is to launch a clinical trial in Ecuador. This startup ultimately won the $1,000 Michael Best Business for a Better World award.
Full list of Demo Day award winners:
Innovative Excellence $1,500
Presented by CSU STRATA
- Elijah Barstis
- Joowon Park
- Rapid, colorimetric sensor for the diagnosis of STIs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis
People’s Choice $1,500
Presented by Meunier Carlin & Curfman
- Lauren Little
- Lodgeit. The Future of Vaginal Health
Innovation in Biotechnology $1,000
Presented by Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti
- Sandra Koziel
- The slow tango of iridium and vanadium
Innovation in Agriculture $1,000
Presented by the College of Agricultural Sciences
- Jacob MacWilliams
- Minor Cannabinoid Major Potential
Innovation in Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Science $1,000
Presented by the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
- Leslie Stone-Roy
- Pupil Pro: An interactive teaching tool for pupillary responses
Excellence in Software $1,000
Presented by Cooley & Patterson + Sheridan
- Corinne Sage
- Increasing Educational Access to Rural Areas Through the CSU-AVL
Innovation in Engineering $1,000
Presented by the Walter Scott, Jr. College of Engineering
- Ryan Ruhle
- David Durney, Larry Maple
- Edge-Sealed Solar Panels for Reduced Cost and Improved Longevity
Game Changer Award $1,000
Presented by the Institute for Entrepreneurship
- Gabe Allen
- Ella Coates
- MT Provisions – Backcountry Table
Excellence in Human-Centered Design $1,000
Presented by Sheridan Ross & Haukaas Fortius
- Sarah Looney
- EXPO: A novel parent-mediated intervention to support executive function development in young children with Down syndrome.
Innovation in Natural Science $1,000
Presented by the College of Natural Sciences
- Rae Bellows
- Kira Rahn
- Electrochemical Sensor for Portable and Rapid Measurement of SARS-CoV-2 Immunity
Innovation at CSU Pueblo $1,000
Presented by Maschoff Brennan
- Chris Moody
- Infused Fitness- Hemp supplements for fitness and wellness
Research Excellence $1,000
Presented by the Vice President for Research
- AJ Brown
- Alex Enriquez
- Low-Cost IoT Water Sampler
Innovation in Health & Human Science $1,000
Presented by the College of Health and Human Sciences
- Briana Risk
- Birota Foods, Addressing Our Health and Nutrition Concerns
Excellence in Energy $1,000
Presented by the Energy Institute
- Ethan Quinn
- Biodegradable adhesives and packaging materials created through stereomicrostructural engineering and homologous blending
People’s Choice Runner-Up $1,000
Presented by Neugeboren O’Dowd & Casimir Jones
- Amanda Cherwin
- Trey Pittman
- A New Diagnostic Tool for Heart Failure Biomarkers in Saliva
