Four UMass Amherst Student Startups Share $65K in Annual Innovation Challenge Pitch Competition
2026 UMass Innovation Challenge winners. Photo: umass.edu
Source: UMass News & Media
Four student-led ventures shared in a $65,000 prize pool in the Innovation Challenge: The Final—the culminating pitch competition hosted by the Berthiaume Center for Entrepreneurship at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Isenberg School of Management on April 30.
More than 50 ventures representing 10 schools and colleges across the university entered this year’s competition, with 25 invited to pitch at a preliminary event on April 15 and four advancing to the final. The top pitches spanned public health, agriculture, digital marketing and clean energy.
Each finalist delivered a five-minute pitch followed by a 10-minute question-and-answer session with a panel of judges made up of alumni and industry professionals.
“The Innovation Challenge highlights the depth of talent and initiative we see across campus,” said Gregory Thomas, executive director of the Berthiaume Center. “Students are not only identifying meaningful problems—they’re building solutions and developing the skills to bring those ideas forward.”
Chancellor Javier A. Reyes said, “This competition reflects the very best of what we strive to cultivate at UMass Amherst: curiosity, creativity, and the confidence to transform ideas into impact. These student entrepreneurs are not only innovating, but they’re also building the skills and mindset to lead. We’re proud to support their work and to see their ideas take shape in ways that contribute to the common good.”
The winners are:
$31,000, HertZ Innovation Inc. — Yuzhen Zhang ’25, College of Natural Sciences
HertZ Innovation strengthens public health by making advanced contamination detection accessible at the point of need. BactiSee is a rapid, reliable bacterial confirmation system designed to improve safety, reduce costs and support smarter decisions across industries.
$23,000, SwineShield — Ryan Ciulla ’27, College of Natural Sciences
SwineShield manufactures a patent-pending protective vest for newborn piglets that reduces crushing-related mortality by up to 40%, saving operators $15,000–$40,000 annually while also improving animal welfare.
$10,000, Vidovo — Elijah Khasabo ’26, Isenberg School of Management
Vidovo is a user-generated content marketplace and managed service that pairs brands with vetted creators to produce scroll-stopping, paid-ready video content at scale. It handles sourcing, briefing and production so brands get a steady stream of fresh ad creative without the overhead.
$1,000, Air-Gen — Alex Lombardi ’27, Riccio College of Engineering
Air-Gen generates continuous electricity from ambient humidity with no batteries, no sunlight and no moving parts. Its dual-mechanism hydrogel platform enables maintenance-free, energy-autonomous electronics for smart buildings and the internet of things.
The panel of judges consisted of Norman “Bud” Robertson ’72, an angel investor with Launchpad Venture Group and board member at OpenExchange Inc.; Richard Yazbeck ’01, president and CEO of NED Medical Inc.; Michelle Wirth, owner of Mercedes-Benz of Springfield and founder of Feel Good Shop Local; and Eileen McCaffery, executive director of Community Music School of Springfield.
This year’s cohort also received expanded legal guidance through a partnership with Anoo D. Vyas, assistant professor of law and director of the Community Development Clinic at the University of Massachusetts School of Law. The collaboration provided additional support to help student founders navigate legal considerations in building startups.
The Innovation Challenge is a cornerstone of the Berthiaume Center’s programming, offering students mentorship, experiential learning and access to funding as they develop ventures from concept to execution. The final competition marks both a milestone in that process and a launch point for future growth.