Florida State University’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship and the FSU Innovation Hub hosted the eighth annual Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) InVenture Prize competition March 27. Undergraduate students from 14 ACC universities competed in the televised Shark Tank-style 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 competed for $30,000 in prizes at the production studio at WFSU, pitching their creative projects in front of a live audience and a panel of expert judges.

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

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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.

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.

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.

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Florida State University took home the People’s Choice Award at the sixth-annual ACC InVenture Prize competition Thursday. FSU hosted the Shark Tank-style competition in which the 15 schools of the Atlantic Coast Conference sent teams comprised of undergraduate students to pitch their inventions and businesses. 
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Florida State University took home the People’s Choice Award at the sixth annual ACC InVenture Prize competition Thursday.  

FSU hosted the Shark Tank-style competition in which the 15 schools of the Atlantic Coast Conference sent teams comprised of undergraduate students to pitch their inventions and businesses. 

A three-judge panel crowned the Fighting Irish of the University of Notre Dame the winners, while online voters chose FSU for the People’s Choice Award. 

The competition was broadcast on WFSU with teams presenting to an in-studio audience in addition to those watching from home.  

Mechanical engineering majors Michael Romega, Kristine Villarino, Andrew Burkhardt, Caleb Ward and Max McCammon, who represented FSU, 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. 

The team won $5,000 in prize money. 

McCammon said he was a little intimidated going into the competition but noted that FSU’s team was well prepared.  

“As mechanical engineers we don’t necessarily think about entrepreneurship in our day-to-day lives,” he said. “But we had a lot of resources and mentorship when it comes to entrepreneurship that have been really valuable in preparing us for all the non-engineering things this competition requires.”

Hosting the event for the second year in a row and claiming the People’s Choice Award caps a great year for FSU at the competition, said Britain Dwyre Riley, instructional specialist and internship coordinator for the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship.  

“It’s just a fantastic showcase of entrepreneurship and winning the People’s Choice Award shows that people are really bought into the entrepreneurial endeavors happening across FSU,” she said.  

The Notre Dame team’s LifeDrive, a wheelchair that offers alternative control solutions including eye, voice and mobile stick control, earned top prize and $15,000. Duke and Syracuse universities tied for second place.  

Since its establishment in 2016, the ACC InVenture Prize has grown to become the nation’s largest student innovation competition and has helped fund multiple student inventions and projects.    

For more information, visit accinventureprize.com. 

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