麻豆app

At the , there鈥檚 more to gain than just first place. 听

Teams at all stages of the competition 鈥� whether eliminated early or finishing as runners-up 鈥� gain valuable feedback, connections and sometimes funding that advances their ideas. The process of brainstorming, pivoting, pitching and refining provides students with real-world skills they'll carry into their careers.听

From Inspiration to Innovation: Student Ideas Take Shape 听

Brett Schultz 鈥�25, a finance and sustainability dual major, had been thinking on and off about his idea for a few years 鈥� a system that reduces electricity costs for cold-storage warehouses through predictive pricing and strategic pre-cooling. 听

鈥淚 worked in a cold storage warehouse back in high school. For the finance folks in the room, it鈥檚 like having a heart attack every day because you never know what you鈥檒l be paying. You don鈥檛 see the data until the utility bill shows up,鈥� Schultz says.听

Trent McGoldrick 鈥�25 found inspiration in a different setting. While volunteering at senior living facilities in December 2024, the finance and entrepreneurial studies major noticed a service gap. 听

"Seeing how the seniors were so excited just to have someone come in, something new to do, made me realize there鈥檚 a real opportunity to bring new kinds of learning into these spaces,鈥� McGoldrick says. 鈥淎fter talking with activity directors and seeing the activities already on the schedule, it became clear that a lot of what residents do is repetitive 鈥� there鈥檚 not always much cognitive stimulation.鈥� 听

Building Stronger Teams: Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration 听

McGoldrick knew his idea needed diverse perspectives. He partnered with classmate Mons Langaard 鈥�25, but both recognized they needed senior care expertise. They distributed flyers through nursing and gerontology professors, attracting Sadie Caddell 鈥�26 鈥� a nursing student and licensed nursing assistant 鈥� to their team. 听

鈥淚鈥檝e been working in long-term care facilities throughout school, and I鈥檝e seen how important it is to have that emotional connection with your patients, especially in hospice, where there often aren鈥檛 many medical interventions left,鈥� Caddell says. 鈥淚鈥檝e also seen the gaps in mental health care for these patients 鈥� how bored they are and how they lack a sense of community.鈥� 听

By mid-January, the team created New Age Crafts, a direct-to-facility subscription service providing hands-on STEM learning activities for residents. 听

Meanwhile, Schultz assembled a complementary team by partnering with finance student Shea Garland 鈥�27 and mechanical engineering student Rowan Baptista 鈥�27 to form Granite State Systems. Baptista 3D-printed the hardware prototype in his dorm. At the same time, the team developed a data-driven pricing algorithm that pre-cools storage units during low-cost electricity periods 鈥� saving money while maintaining food safety. 听

Beyond Classrooms: Real-World Market Research 听

Both teams quickly learned that theories needed real-world validation. 听

The New Age Crafts team interviewed over 20 activity directors at senior living facilities across New Hampshire, studying activity calendars and gathering budget information. 听

Their research showed that only 10% of residents typically engage in activities. Additionally, they learned that staffing issues can sometimes limit the offerings. 听

鈥淲e found that this low social engagement led to prevalent mental health disorders for this patient population 鈥� 85% of nursing home residents reported a mental health disorder, and there's also a correlation between depressive symptoms and dementia,鈥� Caddell says. 听听

The monthly subscription box activities the team developed included birdhouse building for hand-eye coordination, custom chess sets for problem-solving and socialization and donation projects like knitting socks for homeless shelters to enhance residents' sense of purpose. 听

Schultz and his Granite State Systems teammates connected with more than 150 facility managers at refrigerated warehouses. Their research revealed a key insight: only larger and medium cold storage operations are subject to volatile wholesale electricity pricing. 听

鈥淭hat's allowed us to shift our focus to very specific markets rather than just targeting all refrigeration facilities," Schultz says. 听

Four companies committed to testing Granite State鈥檚 technology. Tests in a mini fridge and walk-in freezer demonstrated a 16% reduction in electricity costs and a 12% decrease in overall operating expenses. 听

The Pitch: Testing Ideas with Industry Professionals 听

The Bud Albin Challenge, the competition's semifinal round, provided both teams with professional feedback. The New Age Crafts team received positive responses about their unique product line, but faced questions about their go-to-market strategy and long-term scalability 听

鈥淚t鈥檚 not easy presenting under pressure, but I felt our presentation was strong, and we presented a problem that people could relate to,鈥� Langaard said. 鈥淭hey asked about also marketing to other populations, which seemed like a good sign."

Despite their solid presentation, the team didn't advance to the championship round. However, Caddell sees lasting value in the experience and hasn鈥檛 ruled out revisiting the idea.听

鈥淚 think our business idea has lots of potential, and I hope it inspires others to act on solving similar problems. While a lot of healthcare focuses on solving the clinical picture, I think it is valuable to look at the underlying issues that are often overlooked 鈥� like mental health and supporting patients holistically,鈥� Caddell says. 鈥淲orking in the field, this concept is something I wish to pursue further since true patient satisfaction is only met when we consider our patients鈥� mental well-being alongside their primary admission diagnosis.鈥澨�

Granite State Systems advanced to the championship round, where they impressed the judges with their market research and stage presence, and won the competition.听

Schultz says the team built momentum heading into Holloway by competing in onther competitions, including Baylor University's New Venture Competition (earning an honorable mention and $1,500), TCU's Values and Ventures competition, and the e-Fest competition in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

"I think our ability to demonstrate traction with our product and showcase a clear market need helped us," Schultz says. "I'm leveraging these pitch competitions to accelerate our growth. We contributed personal funds to this company, which serves as a catalyst for the progress we've been able to generate."听

In addition to their Holloway winnings, Granite State Systems, secured a grant from the UNH Entrepreneurship Center and will be working on the product full time in the months ahead. 听听