Sac State University-Wide Innovation Competition

The Sacramento State University-Wide Innovation Competition is an opportunity for student innovators and entrepreneurs to showcase their ideas, technologies, and/or businesses while receiving mentorship, and the opportunity to win prize money and a seat at a CSU-wide pitch competition.

Innovation and startup applications are accepted from across the campus, from any College, Department or Center.

All majors are welcome!

Register to Attend on May 1st, 5:00 - 7:30pm

About the University-Wide Innovation Competition

If you are a student - innovator, researcher, or entrepreneur looking to, or already working on, building a venture or turning an idea into reality, the University-Wide Innovation Competition is for you. The competition is a new competition on campus providing innovative student ideas, technologies, and/or startups with the opportunity to compete for $2,500 in addition to a spot at the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition in an in-person pitch event.

Finalists will be chosen on the strength of their slide deck and answers to these questions:

• What problem are you working to address and who has this specific problem?
• What is your proposed solution to this problem?
• How do you plan on making this business idea sustainable (revenue streams, costs, etc.)?

Prizes for 1st and 2nd Place

Prize money totaling $10,000 will be provided to the winners!

Coaching and support provided to selected finalists!

Questions: carlsen.center@csus.edu

2024 Winners

1st Place Winner:
Garrett Gillette, founder of Vael, a privacy-focused, estate settlement software solution for the digital age.

Second Place Winners: SafeGuard AI (now SentrySight)

2nd Place Winner: Team Azuki

Team Azuki‘s venture, SafeGuard AI, is a solution to prevent school shootings with an AI prediction/monitoring system.

Fresh from winning the inaugural AI Hackathon. the newly-formed team represents ECS and includes:

• John Son Dong
• Huy Duy Dao
• Gavin Garcia
• Enrique De La Torre
• Ritchie Martinez

CSU Startup Launch Competition

Both teams went on to compete in the CSU Startup Launch Competition and won prizes there!

Students win BIG!