UT Tyler ETX Launchpad Announces 2023 Business Model Competition Winners
May 1, 2023
UT Tyler ETX Launchpad Announces 2023 Business Model Competition Winners
Office of Marketing and Communications
Follow @UTTyler TweetMay 1, 2023
Media Contact: Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)
The University of Texas at Tyler ETX Launchpad announced winners of the 2023 Business Model Competition. The annual event featured innovative business ideas from UT Tyler student entrepreneurs.
“We are extremely proud of all the participants and their outstanding presentations,” said Brandon Reynolds, UT Tyler ETEC director of competitions and mentoring. “This competition highlights the innovative spirit and entrepreneurial talent of our students at UT Tyler, and we look forward to seeing these ideas grow and develop into successful businesses.”
Prosenjit Ghosh of Bangladesh, a graduate electrical engineering student, was awarded first place and $7,500 for his presentation on AgroDrone. For use in the agricultural industry, AgroDrone combines Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) images and machine learning methods to detect current and potential diseases in cotton plants, while also suggesting remedies to cure and prevent them.
Md Fahim Shahriar of Bangladesh, Diala Bani Mustafa of Jordan and Md Irfan Khan of Bangladesh, graduate mechanical engineering students, were awarded second place and $5,000 for their innovative chair attachment, SlouchX. Their invention combines sensors and an app to help users correct poor posture while sitting and tracks improvements over time.
Sufian Almitwali of Jordan, a graduate mechanical engineering student, was awarded third place and $2,500 for his presentation on the Smart Artificial Ventilator, which combines artificial respiration with medication dosing. A significant part of the design involves the development and programming of a sophisticated feedback control system to measure key patient indicators in realtime and optimally adjust the flow rate of air into the lungs.
Winners were chosen by a panel of judges who evaluated each presentation based on the novelty of the idea, the feasibility of the business model and its potential impact. Open to all UT Tyler majors, the competition offered a unique opportunity for students to develop entrepreneurial skills and highlight their business ideas.
These teams will be invited to ETEC’s Launchpad Business Incubator Program this summer to obtain mentorship, gain hands-on experience and progress their ideas into viable opportunities to market. The program is also open to other UT Tyler student entrepreneurs to work on their ventures.
The UT Tyler ETX Launchpad works to improve economic development through entrepreneurship and innovation programming. The center’s competitions and programs provide mentoring and potential funding opportunities to ensure that viable new ventures accelerate and scale more quickly. For more information, visit uttyler.edu/entrepreneurship-center/
With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 80 undergraduate and graduate programs to 10,000 students. UT Tyler recently merged with The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler (now known as UT Tyler Health Science Center). Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center (HSC) and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.