Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to correct a typo of Srishti Lodha’s name.
The Transcend UW startup competition hosted student entrepreneurs in the Discovery Building April 16 to 17, according to the Transcend website. At the event, participants pitched ventures and connected with investors and industry professionals, according to Transcend President Siddharth Singh. Prize winners walked away with thousands of dollars for their innovations.
The competition, which has increased over recent years, is designed to provide student entrepreneurs with a platform to present their work and build connections beyond campus, Singh said.
The two-day event opened April 16 with preliminary rounds where teams delivered 10 minute pitches outlining their ventures, followed by Q&A sessions, according to the Transcend website. A midday poster session allowed participants to present their products interactively to judges and the public, according to the website.
On April 17, 16 teams advanced to the final round, where finalists delivered pitches with extended Q&A sessions and live demonstrations, according to the website. The event concluded with a networking session and awards ceremony.
“The purpose is to give [student entrepreneurs] a platform to showcase what they have been building and for them to connect with investors, industry professionals and the broader entrepreneurship community,” Singh said.
This year, 120 students signed up and roughly 60 teams pitched, which is nearly double last year’s total, according to Singh.
The competition is open to all majors, according to the website. Singh said students from a range of disciplines, including engineering, computer science and business, competed in this year’s event.
Projects presented at the competition varied widely in scope and development, Singh said. Some teams entered with ventures they had been building for several years, including projects with early revenue, while others developed ideas more recently and refined them over the course of the semester, Singh said.
Transcend UW was founded in 2010 as a student organization focused on fostering innovation and entrepreneurship on campus, according to the website. The group later took over an existing campus innovation competition and has hosted an annual pitch competition for more than a decade, awarding funding to top teams and expanding participation each year, according to Singh.
“The biggest thing isn’t the prize pool,” Singh said. “It’s whether you can take away meaningful feedback and connect with people who could become mentors.”
First place and a $12,500 prize were awarded to BeachEase, a student startup that pitched an innovative vending machine solution for beach and pool environments.
BeachEase founders Srishti Lodha and Mason Fewel said the competition marked the culmination of a long preparation process.
“It’s always been the biggest competition that happens,” Lodha said. “It takes up a lot of late night hours, and at the end of the day it pays off when you prepare well.”
Fewel said the preparation required attention to fine details, including written submissions, developing materials and coordinating competition attire.
Lodha said the idea for BeachEase began about a year and a half ago after experiencing the inconvenience of forgetting flip-flops at the beach. The team later refined the idea through mentor feedback and testing before launching the startup six months ago, Lodha said.
“We’ve been trying to get this business off the ground, and now we won an award for it,” Lodha said. “It’s like, wow, it’s a real thing that’s actually happening.”
Singh said the competition reflects a broader entrepreneurship ecosystem at UW and in the Madison area which offers substantial opportunities for students, though many aren’t aware of these opportunities.
Efforts are underway to better coordinate and increase visibility of entrepreneurship resources across the university, including initiatives aimed at connecting existing programs and strengthening outreach, Singh said.
