On October 5th, 2019, The Ain Center for Entrepreneurship held a shark tank-style pitch event which provided an opportunity for University of Rochester student startup teams from diverse disciplines and schools with an opportunity to compete in front of a panel of esteemed judges for a $20,000 cash prize.
424 Capital Managing Partner, Brennan Mulcahey, sat on the judging panel during the event, which featured a format and drama similar to the hit television series Shark Tank on ABC.
Startup teams were judged in front of a crowd of over 200 people as well as an audience streaming through social media feeds.
Brennan commented: “It is important to foster and support the next generation of entrepreneurs. Particularly with student run companies, access to funding can go a long way. I’m excited about what the Ain Center is bringing to the University of Rochester, and the advisory board’s ability to make an impact.”
Winners of the event were WetWare BioSystems who were chosen for their pitch which utilized novel biotechnology to preemptively mitigate neurotrauma resulting from athletic, civilian, and defense-related traumatic brain injuries. The proceeds of the competition will go to help create the first three prototypes of their product.
About the Ain Center for Entrepreneurship
The Ain Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Rochester focuses on a broad definition of entrepreneurship: the generation and transformation of ideas into enterprises that create value—and that value can be economic or social. More than a discrete set of business skills or practices, the Ain Center believes entrepreneurship is a calling that can be pursued in many realms of experience and achievement.