Fast Pitch
Recap 2022
On November 16th, 2022, Columbia Engineering Entrepreneurship held Fast Pitch, a campus-wide annual elevator pitch competition where teams sell their business ideas to a panel of Columbia alumni and members of the NYC venture community to win up to $5,000 in prizes.
Each team had 60 seconds to pitch their project and an additional 60 seconds to answer questions. 36 teams consisting of undergraduate and graduate students participated in the competition, and we are excited to share this year’s winners!
✨Undergraduate Challenge
Lion Market
First place for undergraduates went to team Lion Market, represented by Christian Valadez (SEAS ‘24) and Christhian Salazar (CC ‘23). The Lion Market team suggested an app for Columbia students to safely buy and sell, winning a $1,200 prize.
Plugged
Undergraduate team Plugged, represented by a solo competitor, Gal Lev Ari (GS ‘26), came in second place, winning $800. Gal presented a platform connecting artists to businesses through live performances.
Blush
Another solo player, Kentrie Tran (SEAS ‘25), came in third place, winning $400. Kentrie competed with her idea of a new social networking platform, Blush, that provides a safe sexual environment.
Graduate Challenge
RePlaste: Creating Sapor™️
In the graduate group, Hamza Haider (SPS ‘23) came in first for a $1,200 prize with RePlaste: Creating Sapor™️ – Marble of the Future. Hamza presented the idea of reducing plastic pollution by recycling plastic wastes into solid blocks.
Airflow Seating System Technologies
Cooper Shifrin (SEAS ‘23) came in second place and won $800 with Airflow Seating System Technologies. Cooper pitched a medical mattress technology that eliminates pressure injuries.
Elivio Health
Albert Go (SEAS ‘22) came in third place for $500 with Elivio Health. Albert aims to use Elivio Health to redefine postoperative care.
Audience Choice Award
Sourceable
Apart from the places, Graduate/Alumni Team Sourceable, run by Lena Arkawi (SIPA ‘22) and Siddhant Rajeev Kumar (SEAS ‘23), won the Audience Choice Award, receiving $100 prizes. Sourceable presented a platform that provides verified data in real-time.
Congratulations to our winners, and thank you to all the contestants, judges, and audience members who came out to support entrepreneurship at Columbia!