Bac-Be-Gone Wins $41,000 in Innovation Challenge: The Final

Hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship, the four-part 2019-20 Innovation Challenge concluded with The Final on Wednesday, September 23. In front of a panel of four judges, four student-led startups gave five-minute pitches describing their ventures and participated in a five-minute Q&A session.

Each venture earned $1,000 in equity-free funding in Spring 2020 in recognition of advancing to The Final (inevitably postponed due to the pandemic). The judges awarded $61,000 in additional equity-free funding after Wednesday’s final pitches.

Earning the top prize of $41,000, Hadley Beauregard (junior, biochemistry and molecular biology and German and Scandinavian studies), Hailey Charest (senior, biochemistry and molecular biology) and Bryanna Lexus Freitas ‘20 (chemistry and psychology) are the founders of Bac-Be-Gone.

In a tweet: MRSA is an antibiotic resistant bacteria that kills thousands of people a year in hospitals across the USA. Our company, Bac-Be-Gone, creates products that immediately eliminate MRSA on contact. Our cleaning products save lives.

Winning $20,000 on Wednesday, Connor MacFarlane (sophomore, engineering) is the founder of Improved Insulin Delivery (IID).

In a tweet: IID is an insulin-delivery system for all insulin-dependent diabetics that reduces pain, plastic waste, the amount of supplies they need to carry, and the amount of time spent managing their disease, allowing for a life with increased happiness, comfort and freedom.

Finalist Matthew Kiefer (senior, marketing) is the founder of Kiefer Games.

In a tweet: Kiefer Games’ custom entertainment is easy to learn and focuses on fun and unique gameplay mechanics. Challenge within games should come from your competitor, not from remembering the rules.

Finalists Noah Kortkamp ’20 (sport management) and Sam Darkwa (senior, management) are the founders of RealTime Sports.

In a tweet: RealTime Sports aims to provide the casual fan with an outlet to actively engage with their favorite sport by simplifying conventional sports betting into a simple, fun, and social predictive gaming platform.

UP NEXT: Innovation Challenge: The Minute Pitch (apply | attend)

JUDGES: Michele Equale, Jason Janoff, Bud Robertson, Vivek Soni

SPONSORS: EY, The Heiser Family, Norman “Bud” Robertson, Kumar Ganapathy, Jeff Glassman (Darn It!), John & Sally Burke, Joe Suyemoto, Jerry O'Connor, Valerie Post (Engel & Volkers, Boston), Larry Post '75 (Post Hospitality Group)

WATCH: https://youtu.be/9tTN2MLvdmo