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Explore inspiring achievements of our talented members.
Josh Silets, Gabriel Bryk, and Ryan McPhail, founders of GridLink, made an impressive debut by winning 1st place in Kaplan’s Pitch Tank Competition. Their victory propelled them into the national spotlight as they became the first Illinois Tech team to compete in the prestigious Rice Business Plan Competition. Their journey continued with an acceptance into the Techstars Chicago Accelerator program, where they secured $300,000 from a Chicago-based investor. Recently, GridLink received a Michigan Mobility Funding Platform grant to test their innovative software at the Detroit Smart Parking Lab, marking a significant milestone in their path toward revolutionizing smart parking solutions.
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Biagon Inc. formed by Dr. Davin Minh and David Cooper, pursuing his Bachelor's Degree in Medicinal Chemistry, is known for its cutting-edge machine learning algorithm that predicts the biochemical activity of new drug leads, and has achieved notable success by securing 2nd place in Kaplan’s Pitch Tank Competition. This accolade came with a $15,000 award, recognizing their groundbreaking work in accelerating lead optimization. Building on this momentum, Biagon further advanced its venture with an ART grant valued at $270,000, which will significantly bolster its efforts in developing and refining its technology for the pharmaceutical industry.
Siddhartha Upase’s Funzy, an innovative educational gaming app for kids, achieved a major milestone with its acquisition by App Smartz in June 2024. Funzy, which blends education with engaging gameplay, quickly gained traction among parents and educators for its ability to make learning enjoyable and effective. The acquisition by App Smartz, a leader in the ed-tech space, is a testament to Funzy’s success and promises to continue its mission of enhancing educational experiences for children.
Nitin Murali launched and deployed his AI HawkBot on Illinois Tech's Coursera pages. Through a volunteer opportunity with Chicago Startup Week, he met the founder from Aeropay and secured an internship as an Machine Learning Product Manager.
Thea Paskaleva founded Florena & Co., a family-operated floral business in the Chicago suburbs, driven by a passion for creating unique and meaningful floral gifts. Frustrated by the lack of captivating options available for a close friend’s gift, Thea set out to design arrangements that are not only visually stunning but also deeply personal. Florena & Co. now specializes in crafting unforgettable floral arrangements that celebrate life’s special moments.
Ryan Manthy, co-founder of GovGoose, is the first team to accepted into Y Combinator! GovGoose is revolutionizing permitting compliance for businesses and governments with an end-to-end solution.
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