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2025 University-Wide Innovation Competition
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!
Application Deadline: March 16th at 11:59pm
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.
We’ll support you with a Pitch Workshop:
- Friday, February 21st, 12:00 - 2:00pm
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 $2,500 will be provided to the winners. Plus, the 1st and 2nd place teams will earn a spot to compete in the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition*
*Need to meet the requirements of the Sunstone CSU Startup Launch Competition
Questions: carlsen.center@csus.edu
Pitch Workshop & Insights to Support You
We will support you with a Pitch Workshop at the Carlsen Center (Library 1520):
Tuesday, Feb 21st from 12:00 - 2:00pm
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!