How a unique competition united students from different backgrounds while establishing a foundation of leadership and entrepreneurial skills

Dr. Arti Santhanam realized she’d have to try something different. It was fall 2022, and the former executive director of TEDCO’s Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) was looking for a way to promote commercialization efforts for universities with limited research budgets.

What resulted was a series of investments outside of the MII’s regular parameters — including a unique event that blended elements of a hackathon with those of a business pitch competition.