Student entrepreneurs showcase public health innovations at 2024 Pitch Competition
November 22, 2024
The UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health recently celebrated student entrepreneurship during the third biannual Pitch Competition on Nov. 7. Six teams of student finalists participated in this head-to-head challenge, leveraging their public health knowledge to explore solutions to improve access to cervical cancer screening, provide AI-driven health education, help families find lodging during medical emergencies and more.
The 2024 Pitch Competition judges pose with Anne Glauber, Don Holzworth and the students from the first-place Sensible Pad team.
The Pitch Competition gives Gillings School students and recent alumni the opportunity to explore creative solutions to pressing public health challenges by pairing them with a coach who can help them bring their ideas to life and pitch them to a panel of judges. Students with a creative innovation team up with others across campus, and finalists compete for top prizes during the culminating event: First place ($3,000 + $5,000 in consulting services from BlueDoor Consulting), second place ($1,500), third place ($750) and People’s Choice ($200).
For many students, the Pitch Competition is their first foray into entrepreneurship.
Anne Glauber
“We were thrilled to see 48 students across 12 teams engage in this experiential learning program, with six teams advancing to the in-person finals,” said Anne Glauber, MPH, associate director of innovation. “Seeing their energy, enthusiasm and drive to use entrepreneurship to turn creative ideas into tangible public health impact was truly inspiring.”
This year’s competition featured three judges:
- Paula Brown Stafford, Gillings School alumna and Chief Executive Officer at Allucent and adjunct professor of public health leadership and practice
- Lee Phillips, Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Bluedoor Group, as well as co-founder and board director of Digital Health Institute for Transformation (DHIT)
- George Thomas, Chief Operating Officer for XB Market Ventures and member of the Gillings Public Health Foundation Board
The three winning teams were:
- Sensible Pad – First Place
- Sensible pad is a diagnostic menstrual pad that non-invasively screens for cervical cancer at a low cost. The team includes Nandini Kanthi, Vinitha Panchikarla (health policy and management undergraduate student), Spriha Manjigani, Vaishnavi Kode, Vrutika Soneji and Julia Ballou. They were coached by Erik Eaker, MHA, an undergraduate and graduate alumnus of the Gillings School.
- Olea Health – Second Place and People’s Choice Award
- Olea Health Transforms health care accessibility for underserved populations by providing AI-driven, SMS-based health education and preventative care solutions. The team includes Esther Ghim, Destiny Okonkwo and Aveena Khanderia (health policy and management undergraduate student). They were coached by Sammy Orelien, DrPH, an executive doctoral alumnus of the Gillings School.
- MedFam – Third Place
- MedFam provides discounted lodging rates to families in emergency medical situations through hospital and hotel partnerships. The team includes Carter Bridges, Varad Gurude (Master of Pubilc Health student) and Saipranav Kosuri. They were coached by Richard Kelly, an undergraduate alumnus of the Gillings School.
“We plan to put the $3,000 in funding toward finding a lab space to test our current prototype,” said the Sensible Pad team, who won first place. “We’re also very excited to utilize the Bluedoor Group consulting services to help navigate our regulatory pathway and go-to-market plan.”
The Olea Health student team answers questions from a panel of judges at the 2024 Gillings School Pitch Competition. The Olea Health team won second place and People’s Choice awards.
The Gillings School Pitch Competition launched in 2020 as part of the World of Difference celebration, hosted by the School’s Innovation@Gillings team, including entrepreneur in-residence Don Holzworth, MS. In addition to the head-to-head competition, the program emphasizes the importance of coaching in helping students shape their ideas into practical and financially sustainable ventures. Coaches are members of the Gillings School’s Advisory Council and Public Health Foundation Board, and many are alumni who share their own experiences as Carolina public health students.
“As a public health student, it was exciting to get to see the world of entrepreneurship,” said one student participant. “The whole experience taught me a lot of what a public health consultant could look like and how to explain theories and concepts we learned in class to people outside of public health.”
“We really enjoyed participating in the Innovate Gillings Pitch competition and are especially grateful for the great connections it brought us and opportunities with judges and coaches,” said another participant.
The MedFam student team answers questions from a panel of judges at the 2024 Gillings School Pitch Competition. MedFam won third place in the competition.
“The Gillings Pitch Competition at UNC provided me with invaluable insight,” another student commented, “helping me refine my vision for my product and see its potential impact in the real world.”
Check out more photos from the Nov. 7 event.
Contact the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health communications team at sphcomm@unc.edu.
