Engineering students are known for inventing solutions to everyday technical challenges, but sometimes they find it difficult to negotiate the steps from concept to successful product launch. That is why the Laboratory for IT Entrepreneurship (LITE) created the Pitch IT competition where teams of Mason students, can present their IT-related business ideas in a low-pressure environment.
LITE launched Pitch IT last year as a program aimed at funding student entrepreneurs with a promising business idea and a preliminary prototype or proof of concept. "The goal of LITE is to help students unleash their entrepreneurial spirit and to guide them throughout the process of turning their ideas into successful ventures," said Max Albanese co-director of LITE and associate professor in the Department of Applied Information Technology.
At the competition, each team of students made brief presentations to a panel of five judges. After the presentations, the judges and audience asked questions about technical specifications, and application challenges as well as marketing and advertising. Then the panel provided feedback, met, and selected the winners.
The competition followed the same program as in 2014, but there were some differences. "Last year Pitch IT was sponsored by the AIT Department," said Albanese. "This year, thanks to our corporate sponsor, Pragmatics, we were able to double the prizes, and introduce an audience award."
"The competition was a great way to get a chance to do something outside the classroom experience, " said Houda Kerboub a senior in the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research. Kerboub, a licensed pilot, who works under the supervision of Lance Sherry, director of Mason's Center for Air Transporation Safety and Research developed a project called "SwiftCert." The project proposed a system for simulating the interaction of pilots with new cockpit devices to facilitate FAA accreditation of the devices. Kerboub who works as an analyst for Booz-Allen Hamilton said she hasn't ruled out the possibility of continuing her work with SwiftCert after graduation.
"Even though not every team won a prize, I consider all of the teams winners. We screened all the entries and chose the best ones to compete in this competition. We hope to see even more students compete next year and more prizes offered," said Mihai Boicu, associate professor of Applied Information Technology and co-director of LITE. "This is a valuable experience for students, making their first step in transforming their ideas into real products on the market."
The first-place team of Umair Javid, Mannan Javid, Tayab Waseem, and Haider Javid presented a mobile app-enabled charging hub for taxis and rideshares, that eliminates the need for cables and battery packs and provides mobile users with a convenient option for charging their devices on the go. The team also won the audience choice award.
Pragmatics CEO, and friend of the Volgenau School, Dr. Long Nguyen said, "We are pleased to sponsor this event and particularly proud to champion a competition that rewards the initiative, innovation, and tenacity of these students. I congratulate all of the participants and encourage them to continue to pursue their business ideas — they are the future of information technology."