2019 Brown Venture Prize Finalists, Judges, and Event Press!
The 2019 Brown Venture Prize top 8 finalists were carefully selected by an esteemed group of experienced Brown Alumni entrepreneurs. Learn more about the top finalists, and the judges who selected them, below.
EVENT PRESS
Announcing the Brown Venture Prize Winners!
Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship
Brown Venture Prize finalists vie for $50K for big ideas Brown Venture Prize finalists vie for $50K.
Brown Venture Prize finalists vie for $50K for big ideas
O’rya Hyde-Keller, Brown University
All eyes are on the prize — and the entrepreneurial process — in this annual Nelson Center for Entrepreneurship competition among Brown’s most promising student ventures.
Formally Wins Big at Brown University's Venture Prize Competition
American Inno
Formally, a company that empowers applicants and attorneys by making immigration and legal forms easier to understand, took home the grand prize of $25,000
Brown Venture Prize awards $50K to top three pitches
Providence Business News
The competition featured eight finalists pitching their concepts and businesses to a panel of seven judges.
FORMALLY – 1st Place Winner ($25,000)
Formally empowers applicants and attorneys by making immigration and legal forms easy.

Benjamin Murphy '19
Computer Science
benjamin_murphy@brown.edu

Diane Mutako '20
Computer Science
diane_mutako@brown.edu

Noah Picard '18, '19
Sc.B. Computer Science/Mathematics, Sc.M. Computer Science
noah_picard@brown.edu

goTeff – 2nd Place Winner ($15,000)
goTeff is a mission-driven nutrition brand using Teff grain—a superfood from Ethiopia, with a vision to provide superior nutrition to US consumers while empowering Ethiopian small-holder farmers.

Saron Simon Mechale '19
Social Analysis and Research
saron_mechale@brown.edu

Abenezer Simon Mechale '21
UPenn - Development Economics
EMBONET – 3rd Place Winner ($10,000)
EmboNet focuses on developing a double-layered, pocketed mesh designed to securely capture and remove embolic debris from blood, reducing stroke risk and cerebral injury associated with cardiac bypass surgeries.

Berke Buyukkucak Sc.B. '18, M.Sc., '19
Biomedical Engineering
berke_buyukkucak@brown.edu

Ileana Pirozzi ‘18
Biomedical Engineering, Brown/Ph.D Stanford University
ipirozzi@stanford.edu

Emily Holtzman ‘18
RISD - Textiles
eholtzma@alumni.risd.edu

Celina Hsieh ‘18, M.D. ‘22
Biomedical Engineering; Alpert Medical School
celina_hsieh@brown.edu

Gian Christian Ignacio '18, M.D. ‘22
Biomedical Engineering; Alpert Medical School
gian_christian_ignacio@brown.edu
CRESS HEALTH
Everyone deserves support in the path to recovery. Cress Heath leverages mobile technology to fight addiction.

Justin M. Kim '21
Computer Science and Biology
justin_kim1@brown.edu

Sonny Mo '21
Computer Science and Philosophy
sonny_mo@brown.edu

Michael W. Lai '21
Hofstra University BS/MD - Biochemistry
H2Ok INNOVATIONS
H2Ok Innovations uses AI and data analytics to empower communities with cost-saving information that drive decisions ensuring sustainable access to clean drinking water.

Annie Lu '22
Harvard - Economics

David Lu '20
Chemistry and Computer Science
david_lu@brown.edu
INTUS CARE
Providing on-demand in-home care, care coordination, and enrichment for the elderly and disabled.

John (Robbie) Felton '21
Public Health
john_felton@brown.edu

Evan Jackson '21
Economics
evan_jackson@brown.edu

Samuel Prado '21
Public Health / Economics
samuel_prado@brown.edu

Teo Tsivranidis '20
Computer Science
theodoros_tsivranidis@brown.edu
SelectEd
AI-powered digital platform connecting international students with US educational consultants, streamlining personalized college application assistance.

Santiago Ibañez '13
MIT - Management of Technology, M.B.A./M.Sc.
sibanez@sloan.mit.edu

Amy Wang '19
Political Science
jo-shin_wang@brown.edu

Jessica Wang '22
Education and Economics
jessica_wang3@brown.edu
ZAP CHARGING
Zap Charging provides on-demand charging for electric vehicles, anytime and anywhere.

Joseph Asbel '19
BEO: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management
joseph_asbel@brown.edu

William Homza '19
BEO: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management
william_homza@brown.edu

Callie Smith '19
BEO: Entrepreneurship and Technology Management
callie_smith@brown.edu
2019 JUDGES
A huge thank-you to our judges for their time, energy, and support of the 2019 Brown Venture Prize!

Ben Chesler '15
Co-founder of Imperfect

Rufus Griscom ‘91
Co-Founder of The Next Big Idea Club

Liz Hamburg ‘86
Co-Founder of Upstart Ventures, Candoo Tech

Rajiv Kumar ‘05
Co-founder of ShapeUp

Heidi Messer '92
Co-Founder of Collective-I

Luke Sherwin '12
Co-Founder of Casper

Laura Thompson ‘09
Founder, VC

Adam Vitarello ‘05
Co-founder of Optoro

Jayna Zweiman ’01
Co-creator and co-founder of Pussyhat Project, Welcome Blanket