Applications Soar as Students Unleash Their Inner Innovators
Ten teams led by Pitt students – ranging from freshmen to PhD and representing five different schools – pitched their early-stage ideas to solve a wide variety of problems in the 2025 Kuzneski Innovation Cup (KIC), hosted by Pitt’s Big Idea Center.
Their ideas ranged from a fun, gamified learning platform that substantially improves SAT scores, to an app that supports adult caregivers and helps combat loneliness experienced by isolated older adults, to a cheaper, more environmentally friendly process for creating synthetic graphite, a resource critical to several U.S. industries.
This year’s competition saw a record 45 applicants, representing an almost 100 percent increase over any previous year. This year’s ten presenting teams represented a highly competitive group of early-stage ideas. While in previous years a subset of presenting teams shared in the $25,000 prize pool, every team in this year’s KIC received an award to encourage and support advancing their innovative and entrepreneurial endeavors.
“We have seen the quality and the quantity of students improve and increase year after year,” Laurie Kuzneski said to the students. “Take this as a push to continue on and really vet your ideas. We saw something in each one of you and would really like to see you all continue with your ideas. Lean into the resources available to you through the Big Idea Center,” she said.
Andy Kuzneski added that he could feel the passion that the students brought to this, the 9th edition of the KIC (the 5th hosted by the Big Idea Center), that goes far beyond financial rewards.
“There are a lot of easier ways to make money than starting a business,” he said, but as an entrepreneur and investor, he appreciates the focus and dedication needed to bring something new and useful to the world.
Rhonda Schuldt, director of the Big Idea Center, thanked the Kuzneskis not only for sponsoring this unique early-stage innovation competition but also for generously giving of their time and sharing their network to support Pitt student innovators.
She echoed Laurie’s encouragement to the students to take advantage of the Center’s resources, support, and upcoming programming, such as the Big Idea Competition (with a $25,000 top prize), the Start Smart Legal Series, and ChangeMaker Series and Scholar Program.
Below, in alphabetical order, is a listing of the finalist teams from the 2025 Kuzneski Innovation Cup and the awards each team received.
Black Cat Sciences ($1,000)
Alex Kunisky (School of Business, School of Medicine)
Raahul Sriram (Carnegie Mellon)
Black Cat Sciences is exploring gamma peptide nucleic acids that can disrupt the production of toxic RNA species that contribute to neurodegeneration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Gimbl ($500)
C.J. Shores (Swanson School of Engineering)
Gimbl is developing an active mechanical knee realignment device to stabilize the knee for people who drive for long periods of time, such as truck drivers.
Grapheon ($8,000)
Nader Sawtarie (Swanson School of Engineering)
Aime Twizerimana (Swanson School of Engineering)
Grapheon enables the conversion of low-cost feedstocks, including natural gas, into premium-grade graphite for use in lithium-ion batteries with a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to existing graphite manufacturing methods.
Greenboard ($500)
Pranal Siriourapu (School of Computing and Information)
Greenboard is an eco-friendly replacement for conventional microcontrollers via a biodegradable polymer-fiber composite substrate that combines plant-based plastic with natural fibers.
InVivo ($1,000)
Elise Adjeroh (Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, School of Computing and Information)
Vaageesha Das (School of Computing and Information)
InVivo is gamifying biology education to increase the number of students who pursue careers in health-related professions.
Longevity Caucus ($3,500)
Ahmed Danquah (School of Nursing)
The Longevity Caucus aims to combat social isolation affecting millions of older adults with a program that matches them with younger companions with similar interests.
NoRegrets ($3,500)
Kevin Harned (Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences)
NoRegrets is a gamified SAT preparation platform that turns studying into a friendly competition resulting in improved scores.
OtoClear ($3,500)
Mark Morgan (Swanson School of Engineering)
Nanki Hura (UPMC resident)
Ritesh Shrivastav (Swanson School of Engineering)
Ruoquian Li (Swanson School of Engineering)
Aakash Kottakota (Swanson School of Engineering)
OtoClear is a noninvasive handheld device to clear ear tube plugs safely and quickly.
SSABR ($2,000)
Sabrina Bakhranova (Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences)
SSABR is a membership-based community for Muslim women to connect in a safe environment that includes a boutique and halal-certified café.
SoloSpark ($2,000)
Anastasia Rudenki (Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences)
SoloSpark is a skill bartering app where people teach their skills to others while learning new skills in return
Teams entering the University of Pittsburgh Big Idea Center competitions, including the Kuzneski Innovation Cup, may include students outside of the University of Pittsburgh, but must be Pitt student founded and Pitt student led. Awards are paid out to the Pitt students on the teams.
www.BigIdea.pitt.edu