Affordable air filter system, EquAirity, wins inaugural PGE Foundation Powering Impact Award at PSU CleanTech Challenge

David Castro grew up in a low-resource household and knows firsthand the challenges families face when money is tight. That experience provided the driving force for his award-winning entry in this year's CleanTech Challenge at Portland State University.

"EquAirity aims to solve the problem of health equity," said Castro. "A lot of residents aren't able to afford high-quality air filtration devices and have to endure pollutants in their environment."

David's product, pitched at the "Shark Tank"-style event in late March, aims to solve that problem with an affordable, sustainable device featuring a washable filter. Last week, this vision earned EquAirity the first-ever PGE Foundation Powering Impact Award.

The PSU CleanTech Challenge is an annual event for student entrepreneurs run through the University's Center for Entrepreneurship. This year marks the launch of the $2,000 PGE Foundation Powering Impact Award, awarded to a team whose solution demonstrates meaningful environmental and community impact. Students were eligible for a total of $6,000 in prizes during the competition.

"The PGE Foundation is excited to get involved as the presenting sponsor of this event-part of our deep belief in the power of student-led innovation to shape a more sustainable, equitable future," says Melissa Dubois Lewis, program officer. "It's truly inspiring to see the ideas coming from PSU's talented students."

The CleanTech Challenge is Portland State University's premier prototype competition, bringing together students from across disciplines to tackle pressing environmental and social challenges. Teams receive mentorship, coaching, and prototyping funds, and spend 10 weeks working through design thinking, business modeling, and market research, culminating in a live-pitch competition and prototype exhibition at the finals.

By focusing on equitable access to indoor air solutions, EquAirity is helping ensure that Portland's most vulnerable residents are not left behind as we face the increasing challenges of climate-driven smoke events and pollution.

To learn more about the event, and to discover how innovative student solutions like EquAirity are shaping a healthier, more equitable future for Portland, the rest of the 2026 finalists, visit PSU's Center for Entrepreneurship .