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04/21/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 04/21/2026 23:30

BU Entrepreneurs Shine at BU’s 2026 Innovators’ Night, Which Drew Hundreds of Spectators

BU Entrepreneurs Shine at BU's 2026 Innovators' Night, Which Drew Hundreds of Spectators

Ten student and alum teams pitched ventures across technology, healthcare, and social impact, competing for $80K in prize money

New Venture Competition winners pose at Boston University's Innovators' Night on April 15. Photos courtesy of Innovate@BU

Innovation

BU Entrepreneurs Shine at BU's 2026 Innovators' Night, Which Drew Hundreds of Spectators

Ten student and alum teams pitched ventures across technology, healthcare, and social impact, competing for $80K in prize money

April 21, 2026
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An underwater robotics company and a venture bringing vertical farming to schools earned top honors at Boston University's 2026 Innovators' Night on April 15, which drew a crowd of more than 500 to the George Sherman Union.

During the event, hosted by Innovate@BU, student entrepreneurs, many decked out in business attire, took the stage to compete in the night's pitch competition for a share of $80,000 in funding. Teams earned cash prizes for first, second, and third place, and audience choice.

For the New Venture Competition, 10 finalist teams-comprising current students and 2025 alumni-delivered one-minute pitches for their start-up ideas. The teams were evenly split between two tracks: a General Track, which features for-profit ideas from all sectors, and a Social Impact Track for ventures focused on large-scale positive change. Audience members were also invited to vote for their favorite teams, adding to the evening's energy, as the BU Pep Band played from the second-floor balcony.

"While Innovate@BU is a hub for innovation here on campus, Innovators' Night means to celebrate all students that make BU an innovative community and environment that develops leaders of the future," Siobhan Dullea (CAS'91), executive director of Innovate@BU, told the audience.

That message carried over into the competition itself, as a room filled with students, mentors, and participants leaned in to hear pitches from those working to turn their ideas into viable ventures.

The evening kicked off with remarks from this year's keynote speaker, Johar Singh (Questrom'24), founder of Astra Wellbeing, an AI-powered feedback platform that helps healthcare organizations drive improvements across the provider and patient experience. He spoke about building his start-up as a student at BU.

Johar Singh (Questrom'24) delivered the night's keynote speech, reflecting on his journey building Astra Wellbeing and returning to the event for a fourth time.

"Innovate@BU helped me figure things out, how to validate the problem, how to think about end users, [and] how to turn a scrappy prototype into a scalable platform," Singh said.

Drawing on his own experience, Singh emphasized the importance of persistence and purpose in building a venture, encouraging early-stage founders to focus on ideas they care about and the communities they hope to serve.

"If there's an idea that you truly believe, something you really care about…bet on the people who care, bet on the mission," Singh told the audience. "Most importantly, bet on yourself, because if you do that, it's only a matter of time for you to succeed."

The $20,000 first-place General Track prize was awarded to Magnesis Robotics. The venture, created by Pranav Sultania (ENG'27) and Isabella Santarpia (ENG'27), focuses on developing underwater robotics and fluid systems.

Magnesis Robotics, represented by Pranav Sultania (ENG'27), won the $20,000 first-place prize in the General Track at Innovators' Night.

Naya, a venture founded by Julia Yusupov (Questrom'25) that's developing reusable, self-disinfecting tampon applicators, earned the second-place prize of $10,000. Attorney Alert, a venture developed by Brian Namnoum (MET'26) that helps criminal defense clients connect with law firms, placed third, receiving $6,000. And Spectral Autonomy, developed by Anton Njavro (CAS'27), which builds portable, AI-enabled electromagnetic protection systems, was named the Audience Choice winner that came with a $500 prize.

In the Social Impact Track, Farms for Thought claimed both the $20,000 first-place prize and the $500 Audience Choice award. The venture, founded by Emma Hudson (ENG'27) and Maryam Bellakbira, a Cornell University student, brings vertical farming and STEM programs to schools in food deserts.

Farms for Thought, represented by Emma Hudson (ENG'27), won the $20,000 first-place prize and the Audience Choice award in the Social Impact Track at Innovators' Night.

JoHil eKlinics, a peri-urban healthcare network in Ghana, created by by Samuel Amoako-Kusi (SPH'27), earned second place and $10,000. And DesignMy Education, developed by Aryan Jain (CAS'26), which helps libraries turn patrons' ideas into real businesses, placed third for $6,000.

In addition to the pitch competition, the evening also recognized members of the BU community advancing work across disciplines.

Six recipients were honored with Outstanding Innovator Awards: Mya Kelly (CAS'27), nominated by the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program for her research on financial barriers to education and student access; Signable, a student team nominated by BU Spark! for its innovative approach to American Sign Language learning; Robert Pak (SHA'27), nominated by the School of Hospitality Administration for his work repurposing unused food from large-scale events; Jolin Edmondson (Wheelock'26), nominated by the Earl Center for Learning and Innovation for designing equitable learning features for AI systems; Anna McClean (COM'26), nominated by the Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact, was recognized for her research on how algorithms shape public trust and democratic participation; and Nevaeh Calliste (COM'26), nominated by Innovate@BU, was honored for leading SA Warriors, a platform supporting survivors of sexual assault and harassment.

Student Innovators of the Year recipients Mya Kelly (CAS'27) (from left), Team Signable, Robert Pak (SHA'27), Jolin Edmondson (Wheelock'26), Anna McClean (COM'26), and Nevaeh Calliste (COM'26) pose at Innovators' Night.
Anna McClean (COM'26) and fellow student innovators exchange ideas and showcase their work during Innovators' Night.

The Henry Morgan Award, which recognizes individuals who have made lasting contributions to entrepreneurship at BU, was presented to Megan Trainor, senior lecturer of administrative sciences at BU's Metropolitan College, who was recognized for her mentorship and continued support of student innovators.

"One thing we do very well is recognize people who have done a lot of good, especially people who contribute to the success of others," said Peter Marton, director of entrepreneurship partnerships at Questrom and last year's Henry Morgan Award recipient. "Entrepreneurship is hard enough, but it's different when you have people who believe in you."

Eric Sun (ENG'17), senior team lead at Miele's Emerging Technologies Lab, was named Mentor of the Year, recognized for his contributions guiding student founders at Innovate@BU.

This year also marked the introduction of the Abdullah Almarzouq Environmental Entrepreneurship Award, a $5,000 prize supporting innovations designed for global collaboration and environmental impact. The award promotes the open sharing of environmental innovations, particularly in developing regions. The inaugural award went to Vetra Technologies, founded by Kylie Perales (Questrom'26) and Richard Shure (SHA'26), which builds a platform that uses AI to help organizations model decisions and predict outcomes.

As the evening came to a close, the focus returned to the students behind the ideas and the founders turning classroom concepts into real-world ventures.

The event celebrated the growing role of entrepreneurship at BU, where students are increasingly building ventures across industries, including technology, healthcare, education, and sustainability.

"Our mission is to help students-any BU student from any school or college-build innovation skills and an entrepreneurial mindset so that you can make meaningful change in your lives and your careers and your community," Dullea said during the event. "The people we're celebrating tonight are those students who have already built and applied these skills and mindset, albeit in many different ways."

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Boston University published this content on April 21, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on April 22, 2026 at 05:30 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]