Group photo at Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition Finals

Winners Announced in 2024 Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition

Following an evening of live pitching at this year’s in-person competition, winners for the Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition have been announced.

The second floor of the Joyce Cummings Center was full of excitement last Friday as attendees arrived for the Tufts $100k New Ventures Competition Finals, hosted by the Derby Entrepreneurship Center. This year saw a return to a primarily in-person format, with finalist teams pitching their ventures to a full house of attentive audience members and judges.

*Tufts University President Sunil Kumar delivers opening remarks at the Tufts $100k Finals.*

After last month’s Semifinals, judges had narrowed down the field to 15 teams – five from each of the competition's three tracks (General, Healthcare & Life Science, and Social Impact) – to advance to the Finals. The next few weeks went by in a flash, as these finalist teams refined their business plans and pitches in a flurry of coaching sessions and workshops. The live Finals showcased the culmination of countless hours of hard work, and offered teams the opportunity to secure funding and recognition.

Audience members at the Tufts $100k Finals

Reflecting on the event, Elaine Chen, Director of Derby Entrepreneurship Center and Cummings Family Professor of the Practice, shared, “This is my fourth Tufts $100k Finals and each year it gets better - the energy in the room is truly invigorating. Our entrepreneurs have put in countless hours to fine tune their pitch. What they are accomplishing in solving real world problems is truly inspirational.”

Bombyx presenting at the Tufts $100k Finals

Congratulations to this year’s winners:

Stephen and Geraldine Ricci Interdisciplinary Prize:

Microvitality

“Revolutionizing Microbiome Therapeutics.”

Friedman Nutrition Innovation Institute (FNII) Prize:

Isuku

“Sustaining hygiene and health education through soap making in rural Rwanda.”

General Technology

1st: Barlume

“The future of sunscreen is coming.”

2nd: GlutenFreedomForAll

“The Gluten-Free Experience - Where Gluten-Free is the Norm.”

3rd: Date Like Goblins

“Gaming Is The Solution To The Dating App Paradox”

Cummings Property Rent Credit: Barlume

*This year’s Finals also featured a networking afterparty where audience members and judges could mingle with finalist teams and enjoy refreshments.*

Healthcare & Life Science

1st: Microvitality

“Revolutionizing Microbiome Therapeutics.”

2nd: Bombyx

“Silk Solutions for Burn Wounds”

3rd: LymeAlert

“We improve access to medical care with our home-test kits for Lyme disease.”

Cummings Property Rent Credit: LymeAlert

Social Impact

1st: Patch

“Seamlessly Transitioning Young Computer Science Students From Block to Text Programming"

2nd: Striide

“Walk Confidently, Explore Fearlessly, Striide Purposefully”

3rd: VOTER

“Bridging the gap between people & power.”

Cummings Property Rent Credit: VOTER