2018 Brown Venture Prize Finalists
Welcome to the first annual Brown Venture Prize, a friendly competition showcasing Brown’s most advanced ventures. The 2018 top 8 finalists were carefully selected by an esteemed group of experienced Brown Alumni entrepreneurs. Learn more about the top 3 winners, the other finalists, and the judges below.
PENTA – 1st Place Winner ($25,000)
Penta provides low cost, high-quality prosthetic care for low-income amputees in Vietnam
and other developing countries through innovative and sustainable solutions.
![Trang Duong](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Trang-Duong.jpg)
Trang Duong
trang_duong@brown.edu
![Victor Wang](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Victor-Wang.jpg)
Victor Wang
CLOUD AGRONOMICS – 2nd Place Winner ($15,000)
Cloud Agronomics is automating disease identification in orchards and providing farmers precise, actionable data
about the location of the infection and probable spread vector.
![Jack Roswell](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Jack-Roswell.jpg)
Jack Roswell
jack_roswell@brown.edu
![Julian Vallyeason](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Julian-Vallyeason.jpg)
Julian Vallyeason
julian_vallyeason@brown.edu
![Alex Zhuk](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Alex-Zhuk.jpg)
Alex Zhuk
oleksiy_zhuk@brown.edu
TEXTUP – 3rd Place Winner ($10,000)
TextUp is a software tool for social workers that creates cost savings, as well as builds capacity, saves time
and improves professional quality of life.
![Michelle Petersen](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Michelle-Petersen.jpg)
Michelle Petersen
michelle_petersen@brown.edu
![Eric Bai](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Eric-Bai.jpg)
Eric Bai
eric_bai@brown.edu
![Hanna Oh](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Hanna-Oh.jpg)
Hanna Oh
SUBLY
Subly is a subletting marketplace for landlords, tenants, and subletters to find sublets and negotiate terms, simply and legally.
![Samane Mahbub](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Samane-Mahbub.jpg)
Samane Mahbub
samanee_mahbub@brown.edu
![Sahil Prasad](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Sahil-Prasad.jpg)
Sahil Prasad
sahil_prasad@brown.edu
![Connor Lightsey](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Connor-Lightsey.jpg)
Connor Lightsey
connor_lightsey@brown.edu
![Trushitha Narla](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Trushitha-Narla.jpg)
Trushitha Narla
trushitha_narla@brown.edu
![Benjamin Perez](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Benjamin-Perez.jpg)
Benjamin Perez
benjamin_perez@brown.edu
![Andrei Voicu](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Andrei.jpg)
Andrei Voicu
andrei_radu_voicu_moldoveanu@brown.edu
IVIDERE
iVidere is an intelligent visual prosthesis for people with visual impairment.
We hope iVidere will empower users to increase their independence.
![Morgan Talbot](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Morgan-Talbot.jpg)
Morgan Talbot
morgan_talbot@brown.edu
![Raghu Nimmagadda](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Raghu-Nimmagadda.jpg)
Raghu Nimmagadda
kaushik_nimmagadda@brown.edu
![Peter Hahn](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Peter-Hahn.jpg)
Peter Hahn
peter_hahn@brown.edu
HELIOTROPE
Heliotrope Energy is using artificial intelligence to optimize and lower the cost of renewable energy production.
![Edward C. Williams](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Edward-C.-Williams.jpg)
Edward C. Williams
edward_c_williams@brown.edu
![Stephen Brawner](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Stephen-Brawner.jpg)
Stephen Brawner
stephen_brawner@brown.edu
RELIABRA
ReliaBra features backless and strapless “sticky bras” with removable and replaceable adhesives
—bras that women can truly stick with!
![Roja Garimella](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Roja-Garimella.jpg)
Roja Garimella
roja_garimella@brown.edu
![Rose Mangiarotti](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Rose-Mangiarotti.jpg)
Rose Mangiarotti
rose_mangiarotti@brown.edu
ACTION AUCTIONS
Action Auctions is a web app that uses game theory to make philanthropy fun!
![Anand Lalwani](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Anand-Lalwani.jpg)
Anand Lalwani
anand_lalwani@brown.edu
![Xuefei Yang](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Xuefei-Yang.jpg)
Xuefei Yang
xuefei_yang@brown.edu
![Aaron Mayer](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Aaron-Mayer.jpg)
Aaron Mayer
aaron_mayer@brown.edu
![Oscar Newman](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Oscar-Newman.jpg)
Oscar Newman
oscar_newman@brown.edu
2020 JUDGES
A huge thank-you to our judges for their time, energy, and support of the 2020 Brown Venture Prize!
![Luke Sherwin '12](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Luke-Sherwin.jpg)
Luke Sherwin '12
Co-Founder of Casper
![Ben Chesler](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/BenChesler_Headshot_01_Web_CK-1.jpg)
Ben Chesler
Founder of Imperfect Foods
![Jessica Kim '00](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/bernadette-1.jpg)
Jessica Kim '00
Venture Partner at Praxis / Founder
![Marcos Gonzalez](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Marcos-Gonzalez-1.jpg)
Marcos Gonzalez
Co-Founder of Away
![Lorine](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Lorine-Pendleton-Seated-1-1.jpg)
Lorine
Co-Founder of Collective-I
![Scott Norton '08](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Scott-Norton.jpg)
Scott Norton '08
Co-Founder of Sir Kensington’s
![Brad Weinberg '03, MD '11](https://live-nelson-center-for-entrepreneurship-new.pantheonsite.io/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Brad-Weinberg.jpg)
Brad Weinberg '03, MD '11
Co-Founder of Blueprint Health