Student startup EduVerse wins $13K to rethink tech hiring

By founding EduVerse, George Mason University computer science major Jagan Yetukuri aims to make it easier for hiring managers in tech to determine if candidates can do the job. The startup, whose web application analyzes users' skill development over time, won $13,000 at the 2026 Patriot Pitch Competition.

With more than 5,000 users on its platform, EduVerse has met with early success. The app even helped Yetukuri evaluate and hire qualified software engineering interns for the startup.

Yetukuri pitched EduVerse to a judging panel comprising business owners from consulting to health care nonprofits at the 2026 Patriot Pitch Competition on April 9, 2026. He won $8,000 for winning first place in the Early-Stage Ventures Track and $5,000 for a Patriots' Choice Award, totaling $13,000.

EduVerse was one of four College of Engineering and Computing student-led startup pitches that took home prizes at the Patriot Pitch Competition. ExcelATC won second place in the Innovative Ideas Track. ARCAid won first place on the Social Impact Track, and CareAble won second place on the same track. Both EduVerse and ARCAid won the Patriots' Choice Award.

The annual competition, open to George Mason students and recent alumni from all majors and fields of study, encourages students to bring their business ideas to life and win prizes. For Yetukuri, the winnings will go a long way toward getting EduVerse off the ground.

"A chunky portion will go for legal fees and incorporation, and the other thing is marketing," he said, adding, "Marketing is the key for anything."

To learn more about the Patriot Pitch Competition and how to enroll, please visit their website.