The Ideas session is for anyone with an idea that has not been expanded. It will involve three 60 second elevator pitch about an idea, not an active venture.

• EatMindfull – Lindsey Treweek 
  
  EatMindfull is a wearable device hoping to decrease stress-eating events through a gentle tactile reminder and noninvasive health metric monitoring. Instead of using a digital alert, EatMindfull aims to promote mindfulness around eating without the stress of another item on the to-do list.
  
  
• Cultivated Coil – Jerica Simmons
  
  The Cultivated Coil Loc Detox Tool promotes fresh retwist confidence for the at-home loctician and DIY stylist. This prototype will allow users to efficiently fight against the annoyances of lint, debris, and product build-up while maintaining the structural integrity of their hair. Take back control and fall in love with your loc journey with Cultivated Coil.
  
  
• Compact Digital Pill Counter – Cameran Paul 
  
  
  

The Academic Session will involve three 3 minute pitches about a class project, not an active venture.

• AccessWell – Parthay Patel
  
• Creative Correspondence – Luke Florio
  
• Polavizor – Susan Lewis
  
  Have you ever been blinded by the sun while driving? Susan has and is exploring ways to solve this problem with The Polavizor. The Polavizor has 2 retractable doors for a UV-polarized screen and can convert back to a standard car visor. This design allows for more customized options to block direct sunlight, especially when looking at a stoplight. This improved car visor allows for greater visibility and may improve driver safety.
  

The Alumni Session will involve three 3 minute pitches to judges for all alumni ventures.

• Hydrate RVA – Ash Malaisamy
  
• Iyagi – Alexis Paige
  
• Norveda - Linn Odegard
  
  
  

• Mapulder – Smita Damodar

  Mapulder is an artistic and sustainable clothing brand that weaves nature's beauty into unique and eco-friendly fashion. With a deep commitment to craftsmanship, we source handcrafted textiles from diverse regions of India, creating one-of-a-kind garments that blend comfort and style seamlessly. Our signature designs, characterized by practical features like big pockets, reflect our dedication to providing distinctive and sustainable fashion choices. Join us in the journey where artistry, nature, and fashion unite.

• Gewd Botanicals – Malique Middleton

  Gewd Botanicals is an all-natural skincare brand that prioritizes both science and your skin, and aims to be Gewd for the Earth, you, and everyone in between! By analyzing the entire regimen of skin care, we’ve created several products to make your skin look and feel Gewd.

• CMPLX Gaming – Cael Parker & Siera Fountain

• Connect – Joy Rowe

• EBTB – Celeste Chance & Catherine Emblidge

  Introducing the latest and greatest shocktails from Everything But The Booze (EBTB)! EBTB is a line of fresh, juicy, non-alcoholic beverages aimed to bring the fun and flavor back to parties and gatherings for sober curious folks. EBTB was founded by VCU Brandcenter students who started the company as a class project and are now on their way to bringing these awesome non-alcoholic "shocktails" to market this spring.

• Farm Paws – Isolde Wiles
  

William Benton, Professor of Product Innovation at VCU's da Vinci Center for Innovation, holds a doctorate in cultural anthropology, focusing on innovation ecosystem development. He focuses on venture creation, product innovation, and runs Software for Social Good, a software design and development project in collaboration with the VCU College of Engineering.

Brent Fagg, Assistant Director of Innovation for TechTransfer and Ventures at VCU, brings a unique blend of innovation and business expertise to his role, drawing from his background in engineering, microbiology, and entrepreneurship. His experience spans traditional tech transfer opportunities and collaborations between industry and university technologies, aligning perfectly with TechTransfer and Ventures' mission to foster innovation, industry partnerships, and new venture creation for the benefit of the public and VCU's community.

Mary Glerum, Founder & CEO of blu-M Consulting, thrives when solving problems and delivering value, particularly at the intersection of innovation and technology. With experience in digital product management and marketing across a variety of industries (financial services, higher ed, travel, real estate, and biotech), she founded blu-M Consulting in 2023. As a first-gen college grad, she is passionate about mentoring and coaching, especially women and youth in product and technology. She is an advisor to a variety of start-ups, companies, and nonprofits and is involved with The National Center of Women’s Innovations, the rvaTech ProductFest conference, and the Inspire Africa Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.

Christie Kallis, Director of Climate Strategy at Capital One, is an experienced Business Analyst who has held a variety of leadership roles during her 10 years at the company. Chrystie Kallis is an experienced Business Analyst who has held a variety of leadership roles in her 10 years at Capital One. Chrystie currently serves as a Business Director of Climate Strategy. In this role, she works closely with partners across the enterprise to develop new strategies and execute upon Capital One’s climate-related goals.

KT Schaeffer, Brandcenter Professor and Creative Director, has been leveraging her design talent, which she refers to as "Making Magic," to create unimagined experiences for global consumer audiences for over 20 years. Her work spans the advertising, retail, and entrepreneurial industries, having spent time at The Martin Agency, Anthropologie, NIKE, and currently the Brandcenter. She spends her time now focusing on being a creative problem solver as well as an avid promoter of all types of side hustles. KT takes great joy in teaching students how to get out of their own way to see great design, product development, or an environment from different perspectives.

Latisha Smart, Senior Director of Alumni Career and Personal Development at VCU's Office of Alumni Relations, is a dynamic professional with over ten years of experience dedicated to facilitating career growth and networking opportunities for VCU alumni. A proud graduate of Old Dominion University and George Mason University, Latisha's multifaceted career in higher education has seen her championing student success in areas such as housing, orientation, and financial aid before finding her niche in career advancement. Her passion lies in designing innovative programs that empower VCU's vast network of over 200,000 alumni worldwide such as the VCU Alumni Pitch Competition which provided a platform to showcase VCU alumni-founded ventures and an opportunity for them to compete for more than $15,000 in cash prizes and business resources. Through strategic collaboration and thoughtful programming, Latisha fosters meaningful connections among alumni, leveraging their collective expertise to propel each other towards professional success.

2023 VCU Demo Day Awardees

This year’s event featured four different sessions with 16 different teams pitching their ideas or current ventures to an esteemed panel of judges from the da Vinci Center’s community partners and alumni.

The Ideas Session, where students gave quick pitches about an idea waiting to be made tangible. The Academic Session highlighted pitches that showcase entrepreneurship and innovation in our classrooms throughout VCU. The Alumni Session featured pitches for products and services created by VCU graduates. Lastly, the Featured Session consisted of seven student pitches on their current ventures. After the sessions, 47 participating student, alum, and community teams showcased their ideas and projects in Shift Retail Lab for the reception, and a People’s Choice Award was chosen by attendees.

Crowd Favorite Awardees:
Ideas Session:
Beddie, The Tall Friend Project
Entrepreneur: Quynh Nguyen
Quynh Nguyen is a grad student in the Master of Product Innovation program and working on a product that helps our tall friends get a good night of sleep.

Academic Session: FirstGFresh
Entrepreneur: Jameira Saylor
Jameira Saylor is a graduate student in the Master of Product Innovation program and is here to share her project in building a platform for high school seniors that will also be first-generation college students.

Alumni Session: Otterwise
Entrepreneur: Aliyah Desautels
Aliyah Desautels is an alum of Shift Retail Lab and Demo Day as well as her degree. She's back on the Demo Day stage to talk about her new venture that aims to make it easier for employers to vet high-quality hires and for candidates to be seen.

Featured Session: TowNinja
Entrepreneur: Jack Oppenheim
Jack Oppenheim is a graduate student in the Master of Product Innovation program who is on a mission to make towing a pleasant experience for all!

People's Choice (reception): Morada Bowls
Entrepreneur: Laila Dajani
Laila Dajani is an undergraduate studying Business Marketing. Her idea is to start a DIY smoothie bowl service.

Other Pitch Teams included: The Math Path, Fusion AI Dynamics, 8Bus, Everything But the Booze (EBTB), Polavizor, Gewd Botanicals, Jawdropper Dental, C'est La Ve Vegan Charcuterie Packs, EmoteIt, Nationz Foundation - CreateAthon, MammoRisk

Ideas Session

Quick pitches about an idea waiting to be made tangible

Beddie, The Tall Friend Project
Quynh Nguyen is a grad student in the Master of Product Innovation program and working on a product that helps our tall friends get a good night of sleep.

Morada Bowls
Laila Dajani is an undergraduate studying Business Marketing. Her idea is to start a DIY smoothie bowl service.

The Math Path
Christine George is an undergraduate studying Statistics and Political Science. She is seeking to create a math tutoring business that aims to help people improve their math skills and overcome their fear of math.

Academic Session

Pitches that showcase the entrepreneurship and innovation in our classrooms throughout VCU

FirstGFresh (FGF)
Jameira Saylor is a graduate student in the Master of Product Innovation program and is here to share her project in building a platform for high school seniors that will also be first generation college students

Nationz Foundation
Jackson Amirshahi and his team of undergraduate students from the Robertson School are pitching a class project that they are working with NationZ Foundation to raise awareness about come public health issues.

Breast Cancer Risk Decoder
Gillian Fanning is an undergraduate studying Bioinformatics at VCU Life Sciences. They are working on a project where their team is building a tool to analyze and assess a patient's risk of developing breast cancer, using genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors.

Alumni Session

Pitches for products and services created by VCU graduates that they will present to a panel of judges

Otterwise
Aliyah Desautels is an alum of Shift Retail Lab and Demo Day as well as her degree. She's back on the Demo Day stage to talk about her new venture that aims to make it easier for employers to vet high quality hires and for candidates to be seen.

C'est La Ve
Another Demo Day and Shift Retail Lab alum from last year, Yosef Mirakov Cohen is here to update us on the venture he launched and pitched last year. C'est La Ve Vegan Charcuterie Packs are plant based snacks in compostable packaging.

EmoteIt
Rob Denison is a VCU alum that is working on his app that is in beta testing. Emotelt is a chat app built for a crowd.

Featured Session

Student pitches on their current ventures to a panel of judges

Gewd Botanicals
Mailque Middleton is a pre-med student that is passionate about skincare. He has been selling his products at Shift Retail Lab and will present the future of his venture.

Tow Ninja
Jack Oppenheim is a graduate student in the Master of Product Innovation program who is on a mission to make towing a pleasant experience for all!

Fusion AI Dynamics
Zachariah McDonough is an engineering undergrad studying Computer Science. He is striving to solve the challenge of helping businesses stay competitive by adapting to emerging technologies.

Polavizor
Susan Lewis is a graduate student in the Master of Product Innovation program that is exploring how we might reduce the risk of life threatening vehicle accidents and permanent eye damage due to bright sunlight.

8Bus
Jordan Reinecke in an undergraduate working on an interdisciplinary studies degree focusing on Advanced Media Production. He will present his vision of a creative label onboarding and leveraging blockchain technology.

Everything But the Booze (EBTB)
This team from VCU Brandcenter is working on a line of mocktails aimed to bring together non-drinkers and drinkers alike.

Jawdropper Dental
This team of Master of Product Innovation students are developing a dental simulation product. They have just created their LLC and will share the vision for the future of their product.