This year, a team of 嘿嘿视频 undergraduates took home the first prize in the annual . The EpiSense team won the $25,000 award with their pitch for a wearable device that could significantly improve quality of life for patients with epilepsy.
The team is co-founded by Jaya Athuluru, a third-year neurological cognitive science major, and Simran Lallian, a second-year neurobiology, physiology and behavior major. Their business idea features a wearable electroencephalogram, or EEG, paired with a mobile app that could give patients advance warning of an impending seizure 鈥 enough time for them to move to safety and prevent many common seizure-related injuries such as head trauma, choking and broken bones.
About 83 percent of the 65 million people with epilepsy are injured during seizures, amounting to millions of injuries each year. As someone with epilepsy, Athuluru has experienced this firsthand 鈥 she has had two major seizures that resulted in head injuries.
Although medication is available, it鈥檚 ineffective for many patients. Athuluru can control her condition with medication, but she said she worries about the side effects, which can cause significant health concerns including liver damage and infertility. The ability to spot seizures before they start and take appropriate action, the team said, could be a game-changer for millions of patients. 鈥淲e want to provide a solution to these problems, hopefully giving patients back their control and freedom and reducing their healthcare costs,鈥 said Lallian.
In addition to warning the person with epilepsy of an impending seizure, the app can also update anyone the patient designates, including emergency services. Data about past seizure activity is stored in the cloud so patients can share it with health care providers.
The 嘿嘿视频 connection
Athuluru and Lallian said the resources and mentoring they received as students at 嘿嘿视频 have made a huge difference in their ability to develop their business idea. They found support in several places at 嘿嘿视频.
In fall 2023, the pair won a prize in the 嘿嘿视频 campus round of the Ideas Competition hosted by the as an onramp to the larger competition comprised of emerging entrepreneurs from campuses across the United States. Representing 嘿嘿视频 in the national Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition, they took home the $10,000 prize as the top venture in Health and Life Sciences.
Throughout the academic year, the EpiSense team participated in workshops hosted by the Institute and received mentoring from entrepreneurs and medical specialists while continuing to refine their idea and practice their pitch. In winter 2024, they won a $1,000 prize in the Little Bang! Pitch and Poster Competition.
In addition, the team received mentoring and participated in Plasma through the . They ultimately won the Plasma Demo Day competition, taking home $10,000.
Along the way, Athuluru and Lallian received support from many students who helped them refine and communicate about their idea.
Through their activities in , for instance, they connected with other students also interested in solving complex problems. Athuluru and Lallian encouraged other Aggies to enter their own innovative ideas and apply entrepreneurial skills in the Little Bang! and Big Bang! competitions.
鈥満俸偈悠 is unique in its supportive startup community,鈥 said Lallian. 鈥淭here are brilliant students, knowledgeable faculty, and world-class education, building the foundation for student founders to bring their ideas to the market. The support we have had at our early stage has been pivotal to our journey.鈥
Embracing these varied opportunities to learn, iterate, and receive feedback, the EpiSense team integrated input from prospective customers and refined their venture as they progressed through the multiple rounds of the Big Bang! Business Competition.
鈥淭he EpiSense team demonstrated a strong commitment to addressing a complex issue that affects millions of people. They really made the most of the resources available at 嘿嘿视频 as they worked on their idea throughout the academic year. The encouragement they鈥檝e received to keep working toward a solution has been phenomenal to witness,鈥 said Joanna Siebert, associate director of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. 鈥淭heir enthusiasm has also inspired others to explore innovation and entrepreneurship, and that reflects the spirit of community and support that we believe helps innovative ideas flourish.鈥
Other members of the EpiSense team include product designers Nicole Chen (neurobiology, physiology and behavior) and Zubaira Amin (cognitive science); hardware prototyping engineer Suvan Sudan (mechanical engineering); hardware and software integration engineer Mihir Juneja (electrical engineering); and software developers Shivam Bhandari (computer science) and Aditya Sharma (computer science and engineering).
The team said it will use the $25,000 prize money from the Big Bang! competition to support device prototyping and help refine the software and app. They then plan to conduct clinical trials and seek FDA approval to begin marketing their device.