Entrepreneurs and innovators recently gathered at the Rady School of Management to watch innovative teams pitch ideas for companies dedicated to making positive environmental impact.
Now in its fifth year, the Triton Innovation Challenge is an annual business competition focused on fostering creativity and developing environmentally focused technologies generated by members of the UC San Diego community. This yearâs event boasted a record crowd of more than 250 attendees.
The challenge organizers accepted submissions in October which were reviewed by an expert panel. Out of more than 20 high-quality submissions, 7 teams were selected to pitch at the final event held on Nov. 29, and three teams were selected to pitch in the Social Innovation Track.
The event kicked off the event with a welcome from Dean Robert Sullivan. He recognized participants from the San Diego Jewish Academy who had presented pitches earlier in the afternoon and thanked sponsors from the William and Kathryn Scripps Family Foundation.
Steve Poizner, the Rady Schoolâs Entrepreneur in Residence, served as the emcee for the evening, and the event featured a panel of seven esteemed judges, ranging from professors to successful UCSD alumni. Seven teams pitched for the Tech Track finals, including five with Rady School affiliation.
Triton Innovation Challenge Finalists
ANSAÂ (Rady School of Management and Jacobs School of Engineering)
Braykion (Rady School of Management)
Greyble (Rady School of Management)
LifeCycled Materials (Jacobs School of Engineering)
MobeWash (Rady School of Management)
Morsel (Rady School of Management)
Tiny Fish (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
Three teams were also selected to participate in the Social Innovation Track, where they completed âquick pitchesâ: Competitive Online Videogames in Schools (Scripps Institution of Oceanography), One Village Philippines Solar-E Torch (Jacobs School of Engineering) and Squidtoons (Scripps Institution of Oceanography).
Challenge winners
LifeCycled Materials, a company dedicated to producing cheap alternative eco-friendly recyclable tiles, won the competition and the $10,000 prize. Braykion, a wearable medical device and interface that aims to rid the healthcare environment of preventable infections, took second place and received $5,000. ANSA, a product that aims to make agriculture more sustainable by effectively using space, sustainably consuming water and eliminating the use of soil, came in third and received $2,500.
A Social Innovation venture was selected by the audience. The winner of a $2,500 prize was One Village Phillipenes. The One Village Philippines team is working with the non-profit organization, Gawad Kalinga (GK), to design affordable, sustainable technologies to deploy at the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farm.