John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship

What an incredible week celebrating the next generation of entrepreneurs! Congratulations to the Butler Tech students who completed the Entrepreneurship Experience and finished with a Shark Tank-style pitch competition at Miami University's Farmer School of Business. Over three days, students built ideas, developed brands, strengthened their entrepreneurial mindset, and pitched their ventures to business leaders and educators.

A special thank you to Jeremy West for his partnership and commitment to creating opportunities for students to develop confidence, creativity, and real-world business skills. It was great to collaborate with you, we look forward to more opportunities to work together.

This experience would not have been possible without an amazing team effort. We were proud to host the students at Farmer School of Business, with faculty and staff serving as judges, mentors, coaches, and educators throughout the program. Thank you to Brenda Homan, Beth Troy, Sarah Meaney, Suraj Maraboyina, and everyone who invested their time and expertise in these students. A special thank you as well to alumnus Dewayne Greenwood, MBA 2021, for serving as one of our Shark judges and giving back to the next generation.

This is what entrepreneurship education is all about. Bringing together K12 education, higher education, alumni, and community partners to help students build confidence, solve problems, and discover what is possible.

The future of entrepreneurship was on full display at Miami University's ESP 401 RedHawk Venture Pitch Competition last week in Taylor Auditorium.

As the culminating project for the course, student teams pitched their ventures live to alumni coaches and ecosystem partners after a semester of building, testing, and refining their business ideas. The winning team, Mithril Exchange, was awarded $5,000 to help launch their business.

One of our coaches, Sean Brown, shared, “The student groups in the RedHawks Ventures Pitch Competition were outstanding. Amazing ideas, deeply researched, and well thought-out financials. I can’t wait to see them execute in the market.”

The level of competition, preparation, and creativity made it clear that these students are ready to make an impact beyond the classroom. Congratulations to all of the teams who participated and brought their ideas to the stage.

Big ideas took the stage at the ESP 201 Business Model Roadtest pitch competition last week in Taylor Auditorium.

After spending the semester developing and refining their business concepts, student teams pitched live to alumni coaches as part of the course’s final project. The winning team, Graved with Care, took home $2,500 to help bring their business idea to life.

Miami Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR) Kelly Dolan commented, “Judging this pitch competition was energizing. These students demonstrated the kind of curiosity, resilience, and ex*****on that is required for entrepreneurship. In a matter of weeks, teams turn early-stage ideas into thoughtful, well researched business concepts and pitch them like a pro.”

Congratulations to all of the students who stepped up to pitch, problem-solve, and think entrepreneurially throughout the semester. It’s always inspiring to see the creativity, confidence, and innovation coming out of the classroom.

As we wrap up the year, we turn to gratitude for our faculty, staff, students and ecosystem! Thank you for all you do!

🏆 RedHawk Ventures Pitch Competition 1st Place Finisher: ModMobility

Congratulations to ModMobility—founded by Tyler Jackson, Tucker Mills and Shakhzodkhon Mukaddaskhonov—for tackling a critical accessibility challenge. With more than 5.5 million Americans relying on manual wheelchairs, the team identified a clear gap in mobility solutions that fail on slopes, curbs, uneven terrain, and long-distance travel.

Their universal power-assist attachment delivers traction control, slope assistance, improved braking, and intuitive controls—bringing the benefits of electric mobility without the cost, weight, or transport limitations of traditional powered wheelchairs. A strong example of innovation driven by empathy, engineering, and real-world impact.

Congratulations team and thank you to Dr. Jeni Al Bahrani for her semester long guidance.

Until next semester for more problems, solutions, students and pitches!

Finishing the 2025 RedHawk Ventures Pitch Competition in 2nd place was SeptIntel!

Problem: Counties lack accurate septic system location data, and severe staffing shortages
make inspections unmanageable. Paper-based records and unknown septic locations lead to
preventable failures and environmental risks.

Their Solution: SeptIntel is an AI-driven platform that maps septic systems, digitizes inspection
workflows, automates scheduling, and identifies high-risk systems, reducing workload and
increasing public safety.

Congratulations to team members Andrew Hanrehan, Ryan Hess, Jake Muencz and Carson Norberg of SeptIntel and to Sid Vedula for his guidance throughout the fall semester! Great work to all!

As we wrap up December, we wanted to celebrate these talented Miami University Entrepreneurship students who impressed judges with their innovative ideas, thoughtful solutions, and confidence on stage. Their success reflects not only their hard work, but also the strength of our entrepreneurial community.

Finishing the 2025 Redhawk Ventures Pitch Competition in 3rd place was Pontis! Team members included Olivia Arms, Ryan Benne, Zach Brandner, Imke Breedijk, Michael Sapara, and Kathryn Schulte.

Their solution - a platform for contractors and their clients to use for streamlined communication. Did you know that 35% of a contractor’s time is spent doing administrative work and not the hands-on work they’re hired to do? With their product, the team aimed to give contractors time back so they could say “Yes” to an extra job in the calendar year.

Congratulations to the team of Pontis and to Theresa Sedlack for her guidance throughout the fall semester! Great work to all!

COhatch — coming in first on the this past years RedHawk50 nominee list — is preparing to open their newest location in February 2026 and our team here at the John W. Altman Institute for Entrepreneurship can't wait to see the space.

Led by Miami alum Matt Davis ’99, COhatch is redefining community-centered entrepreneurship through the restoration of historic buildings and the creation of vibrant coworking spaces. With its upcoming Hamilton, OH location, COhatch continues to strengthen downtowns and support entrepreneurs, startups, and nonprofits.

Learn more here: https://ow.ly/WE4l50XMOs6

🏆 Our 1st Place Winner of the Business Model Road Test Pitch Competition - AUVI ASSIST! 🌟

Team Members: Cecilia Chavez, Presley Holliday, CJ Munoz and Chloe Weigandt pictured with Dr. Jeni Al Bahrani and TA's Sarah Bosse & CJ DeBra

Did you know? Children and young adults who rely on Auvi-Q auto-injectors face daily risks
because their medication is difficult to carry, not always accessible in emergencies, and
vulnerable to temperature changes that reduce its effectiveness. Over 1.7 million children
suffer from anaphylactic allergies, and 225 deaths occur each year due to anaphylaxis.

AUVI ASSIST is a temperature-regulating, wearable carrying system designed
specifically for Auvi-Q. The product features a cooling front panel, a comfortable fabric
backing, and a versatile snap-on attachment that fits bags, belts, or clothing. It makes life-
saving medication easy to carry, accessible at all times, and protected from heat exposure.

Amazing work on your impressive, innovative and impactful solution!

Congratulations to all of the teams who participated in the 2025 Fall Semester Business Model Road Test Competition, and a special congratulations to Ilse de Vries, Avery Polcar, Ellie Reynolds, and Clodagh Sampim (pictured with Dr. Jessica Jones) on earning 2nd place with Fresh Filter! Their portable sink attachment improves skin health by filtering out minerals and chlorine—addressing the root cause of many students’ skin concerns. 👏