Workshops will lead up to Innovate Pitch Competition 2025 in March

The Innovate Pitch Competition 2025 is underway at Augusta University. AU and the Innovation team at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center will host the annual student competition this spring, bringing a varied group of students together to present their ideas in an effort to develop creative, collaborative solutions to address real-world challenges. 

“By developing a student pitch competition, we have ignited innovative thinking, strengthened workforce readiness and deepened community engagement through interdisciplinary collaboration — all to tackle real-world challenges head-on,” said Lynsey Steinberg, director of Innovation at the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center.

The Innovate Pitch Competition is a dynamic and exciting platform, designed to seamlessly connect students’ groundbreaking discoveries and innovative ideas with real-world opportunities. Competition prize money can also provide resources to help make their ideas a reality.

With a new title sponsor on board this year, Vinea Capital, there’s now an award open that is dedicated to the community. Any entrepreneur or member of the public, not just AU students, can submit their idea to win.

“Thanks to the generous support of our title sponsor, Vinea Capital, we’re able to provide an even greater platform for students and entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas and bring their innovations to life,” Steinberg said. “We are able to support student success through remarkable partners like Aurubis and the Cyber Fusion Innovation Center.”

To ensure students and participants are prepared for the competition, a series of three specialized workshops has been thoughtfully designed to provide essential support and guidance. The first workshop “Design Thinking” was held Feb. 5, with guest speaker Scott Thorp. There are two more events, including “How to Pitch Your Idea” and “How to Legally Protect Your Idea,” leading up to the final competition on March 27. Submissions are due March 10 for the first round of competition.

“How to Pitch Your Idea” will be held on Feb. 19 at the Georgia Cyber Center. The speakers for the event will be Kelsey Shill and Chris Ndeti with the Veterans Affairs Augusta Health Care System. Topics will include crafting compelling narratives, highlighting the value of your concept and connecting with your audience to make a lasting impression.

On March 5, “How to Legally Protect Your Idea” will take place at the Georgia Cyber Center. Beverly Lyman, PhD, JD, a patent attorney with AU’s Office of Legal Affairs, will speak on the basics of copyrights, trademarks, patents and trade secrets. She’ll also share information about navigating the legal landscape when it comes to invention.

“Both the Garage Makerspace and Innovate Pitch Competition enhance Augusta University’s reputation as a leader in innovation, entrepreneurship and interdisciplinary education,” Steinberg said. “By bridging academic programs with industry needs, these initiatives create pathways for student success, workforce development and economic impact. They support community-engaged learning by involving external stakeholders, business leaders and alumni, in mentoring and project-based learning. We are tremendously grateful for our community partners and supporters like the VHA Innovator’s Network.”

Last year’s undergraduate winners, Alex Larsen, Robert Voetglen and Laura Clifton pitched an app to help tackle inflation – “A community source application for beating inflation,” was designed to help families find the best deals on everyday needs like groceries. 

Graduate students Hiroko Tanaka and Rachel Laird collected the $5,000 first-place prize with their pitch “Training models for wound debridement.” The medical illustration students created 3D-printed models of wounds featuring different skin tones that can be used to practice cleaning wounds.

First prize in the entrepreneur, undergraduate and graduate categories is $5,000. The Innovate Pitch Competition also offers prize money for the second- and third-place winners.