FSU set to host 8th annual ACC Inventure competition

By: Britain Dwyre Riley | Published: | 12:59 pm | SHARE: Share on FacebookShare on LinkedInShare on X

ACC InVenture Prize Competition set to take place on Wednesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. EST.
The ACC InVenture Prize Competition set to take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27.

For the third consecutive year, Florida State University’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and the FSU Innovation Hub will host a Shark Tank-style innovation competition where teams of undergraduate students from ACC universities pitch inventions or businesses before a live audience and a panel of judges.

Florida State University team Zachary Asarnow and Ava Polly.
Florida State University team, Esperance Therapeutic, Zachary Asarnow and Ava Polly.

The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) InVenture Prize Competition will take place virtually at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 27. To watch the competition live, visit video.wfsu.org/livestream/.

“We’re excited to host this event for the third year and excited to see the innovative ideas that this year’s teams are presenting,” said Britain Dwyre Riley, internship coordinator for the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. “ACC InVenture is an opportunity for us all to enjoy the entrepreneurial spirit and to root for the Seminoles against rivals we usually find in athletic competition.”

Since its establishment in 2016, the ACC InVenture Prize has become the nation’s largest student innovation competition and has helped fund multiple student inventions and projects. Teams will compete for $30,000 in prizes.

The FSU team, Esperance Therapeutics, is led by Ava Polly and Zachary Asarno, two juniors majoring in STEM entrepreneurship at the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.

Mechanical engineering majors Michael Romega, Kristine Villarino, Andrew Burkhardt, Caleb Ward and Max McCammon, who represented FSU in 2023, won the People’s Choice prize for their technology, extraBREATH, which treats patients with severe lung injuries while eliminating the need for medical sedation and its negative side effects.
Mechanical engineering majors Michael Romega, Kristine Villarino, Andrew Burkhardt, Caleb Ward and Max McCammon, who represented FSU in 2023, won the People’s Choice prize for their technology, extraBREATH, which treats patients with severe lung injuries while eliminating the need for medical sedation and its negative side effects.

Esperance Therapeutics is a synthetic biology startup leveraging innovative research techniques to develop cell-based therapeutic solutions. It aims to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from overlooked diseases such as the rare genetic disorder trimethylaminuria.

In 2023, FSU mechanical engineering majors Michael Romega, Kristine Villarino, Andrew Burkhardt, Caleb Ward and Max McCammon won the People’s Choice Award for their technology, extraBREATH, which treats patients with severe lung injuries while eliminating the need for medical sedation and its negative side effects.

Viewers can vote for the People’s Choice Award from Monday, March 25 until the last team presents on March 27. To vote for the FSU team, text FSU to 415-965-7445.

For more information, visit jimmorancollege.fsu.edu or innovation.fsu.edu.