There's a new winner for Georgia Tech's "American Idol for Nerds" competition.
Delta Jacket, a startup that produces an inflatable, reversible and fashionable jacket to help homeless people through weather changes, won first place and people’s choice in 13th-annual InVenture Prize competition.
Six Georgia Tech student teams pitched their startups to three judges for a chance at grant prizes and legal assistance with patent filings to jumpstart their companies.
Delta Jacket Founder Aya Ayoubi won $25,000, patent assistance and entry into Georgia Tech's CREATE-X Startup Launch program. The competition was televised on Georgia Public Broadcasting without an audience for Covid-19 precautions.
StartProto, an internet-of-things startup that produces a shop management platform, took home second place — a $10,000 grant and patent assistance.
Tech Square Ventures Managing Partner Blake Patton, The Bean Path CEO Nashlie Sephus and OXOS Medical Strategy and Operations Lead Dev Mandavia judged the pitches.
Ayoubi, a senior industrial design major, plans to use the prize money to retool the prototypes and expand testing to make it more effective before starting manufacturing. Much of the jacket was created by Ayoubi, using Georgia Tech maker spaces and teaching herself how to sew in her dorm.
Her first improvement? Pockets.
"The initial prototype, because of me not knowing how to sew, didn't have pockets," Ayoubi said. "That's the first thing I would add, then look at different lengths, sizes and colors, since it's going to sell to consumers, too."
Ayoubi said she plans to market the Delta Jacket as outerwear for campers. She told the judges she has about 500 preorders on her website, which launched a few days ago. Preorders have come from around the world, including Italy and the Middle East, she said.
For every Delta Jacket sold, Ayoubi will donate one to a person in need through partnerships with nonprofits.
“Winning the Inventure Prize means that I can help potentially hundreds of thousands of people,” Ayoubi said after she won.
The Delta Jacket is inflatable, so it could also be used as a sleeping pad, and it’s lined with reflective material to trap body heat. Once reversed, the jacket can help keep people cool. She has a patent pending on the inflatable aspect of the jacket and the manufacturing process.
Inspiration for the jacket came from the refugee crisis in Jordan, where Ayoubi is from. She wanted to find a way to help and settled on the Delta Jacket in her studio design class. She initially planned to start a Kickstarter to fund the project but decided to enter the Inventure Prize instead.
The outpouring of support she's received since the InVenture Prize competition validated the usefulness of her design and encouraged her to continue its development, Ayoubi said.
"I've been approached by people of all walks of life who want to love and want to donate to the cause," Ayoubi said. "I'm so thankful for that."
Ayoubi’s startup won out of 58 teams, a record number of applicants for the competition.
Medsur, Block Transfer, CADe and Spot Harness were also finalists.
