Media Release: Announcing the 2016 NVC Finalists

2016 Finalist Teams Announced for UC Santa Barbara's New Venture Competition

Six teams will advance to the finals, one of the major highlights of UCSB’s New Venture Competition

The Technology Management Program has announced six finalists who will compete at the 2016 New Venture Competition Finals and move on to the Finals on May 19th at UCSB Corwin Pavilion.

Dermachill, EVMatch, InGrain, Opal, OSMO, and Vibe were selected from 18 student groups who recently presented their business ideas at the New Venture Fair last week.

The following list the 6 team finalists:

Dermachill

Jeffrey Fung, Chris Keane, Vince Kuppamala, Jonathan Young

Dermachill is a handheld cooling-system device that alleviates itchiness associated with eczema and other skin conditions. The Dermachill solution provides relief in a portable, cost-effective and healthy manner.

EVMatch

Heather Hochrein, Kelsey Johnson, Shannon Walker, Erin Williamson

EVMatch is an online marketplace that connects electric vehicle owners in need of charging with local owners of residential EV charging infrastructure. With EVMatch, Users can easily find nearby, affordable charging, while Hosts can generate returns on their home charging infrastructure investment.

InGrain

Terra Alpaugh, Cameron Dunning, Talia Ibarguen

InGrain transforms brewery waste into sustainable packaging products and marketing solutions for the craft beer industry. InGrain’s initial products, six-pack holders and bar coasters, provide functional use and a unique branding opportunity to craft beer makers.

Opal

David Hwang, Asad Mughal, Christopher Pynn

Opal designs and manufactures high resolution displays for applications in wearables and near-eye consumer electronics.  Opal's patented fabrication technology enables the realization of direct emission µLED displays that perform better and operate more efficiently than OLEDs and LCDs.

OSMO

Kyle Neumann, Rahul Sangodkar, Edixon Puglisi, Anjana Krishnan

OSMO is a unique, versatile and portable water sampling device that offers unprecedented sampling capabilities, which have important applications in water quality monitoring and management across a variety of oceanic and freshwater conditions.

Vibe

Kelsey Judd, Janek Metzner, Harald Schafer

Vibe is empowering the visually impaired with a new way to navigate their surroundings. Our device consists of a wearable ultrasonic sensor, which translates information about the environment to the user through unique vibration patterns.

To learn more about the finalists, visit dev.tmp.ucsb.edu/nvc/new-venture-competition.

This year, over 80 student participants and more than 30 teams entered into the competition. Beginning Fall of 2015, these students developed their startup ideas by working with local entrepreneurs, business executives, and mentors on market analysis, finance, intellectual property, operations, communication, industry analysis and much more. Of the 30 student teams who entered in the competition, 18 teams were selected to present their business ideas at the New Venture Fair. 

The six teams will now advance to the finals for a chance to win prize money and compete for the title of 2016 Winner of UC Santa Barbara's New Venture Competition.

To RSVP for the New Venture Final, please register here: https://nvcfinals2016.eventbrite.com