The winners of Harvard Business School’s New Venture Competition, who won a combined $315,000, were announced at the end of a fast-paced event on Wednesday night at Shad Hall.
This year, 360 teams entered the competition: 127 in the Student Business Track, 69 in the Student Social Enterprise Track, and 164 Alumni track teams in 11 global regional competitions.
The finalists advanced through several rounds of judging, facing more than 300 judges from fields like venture capital, private equity, law, accounting, philanthropy and impact investing.
This year's winners are:
Student Business Track
• The Dubilier $75,000 Grand Prize and $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: HOUR 72+
HOUR 72+ is an insect-repelling tech that lasts three days (not hours) and will protect billions from insect-borne disease. Team: Andrew Rothaus (MBA 2018), Abraar Karan.
• Satchu-Burgstone $25,000 Runner-Up Prize: ALPHA VANTAGE
Alpha Vantage is a cloud-based platform democratizing access to financial market data for software developers and investors. Team: Olivier Porte (MBA 2018), Steve Z. (MBA 2018)
Student Social Enterprise Track
• Peter M. Sacerdote $75,000 Grand Prize and $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: UMBULIZER
Umbulizer is developing a low-cost, portable ventilator for patients in resource-constrained markets. Team: Hamza Khan (MBA 2019), Shaheer Piracha, Sanchay Gupta (Harvard Medical School 2021).
• Peter M. Sacerdote $25,000 Runner-Up Prize: NEPTUNE
Neptune is building a better grease trap to keep our pipes clean. Team: Noah Stern (HKS 2018, MBA 2018), Flint Holbrook (MBA 2018), Nic Cain.
Alumni Track
• $75,000 Grand Prize: DYNAMICARE HEALTH
DynamiCare Health is a digital platform for monitoring and rewarding recovery from addiction. Alumnus: Eric Gastfriend (MBA 2015), CEO, Region: New England.
• $25,000 Runner-Up: MAGMA TRADING
Magma Trading is a new kind of stock market for large trades. Alumnus: George Hessler (MBA 1985), CEO, Region: Northeastern U.S./New York.
• $5,000 Crowd Favorite Prize: WEMAINTAIN
WeMaintain is a platform dedicated to elevator maintenance services. Alumnus: Benoit Dupont (Program for Leadership Development Alumni 2016), Founder & CEO, Region: Europe.
