Startup Yale

The wait is over! We are thrilled to announce the finalists for Startup Yale 2025, a landmark year as we celebrate a decade of supporting groundbreaking student ventures at Yale. These teams have demonstrated remarkable innovation, creativity, and dedication, and they are now one step closer to securing funding and recognition for their transformative ideas.

This year’s finalists are competing for a variety of prizes, each aimed at supporting promising ventures across a range of industries. From social impact initiatives to cutting-edge technological solutions, these teams represent the next wave of changemakers shaping the future.

Meet the Finalists

Creative Entrepreneurship Prize ($12,500 x 2)

Creative Venture 

• Calmware – Integrating tactile stimulation and guided breathing into everyday objects to help manage stress and anxiety in real-time.
• FrameShare – A digital platform designed specifically for art therapists, enabling secure virtual sessions and creative collaboration.
• Hillhouse – A film and theater production company focused on mass-appeal entertainment with high artistic merit.
• Makerstate – Teaching creators entrepreneurship through an AI-powered platform tailored to artistic career development.

 Creative Project

• Ensemble Éclat – Developing a multimedia opera that fuses technology, music, and feminism.
• Palette to Purpose – An immersive audiovisual gallery blending art and music to inspire climate action.
• Patience: an opera – A one-character multimedia opera representing previously silenced disabled femme voices.
• Unboxed Musicians – Making contemporary classical music more accessible through interdisciplinary projects.

Manolo Sanchez Prize ($25,000)

• AL YUSUR – An equity crowdfunding platform connecting global investors with vetted entrepreneurs in emerging markets.
• Numanac – AI-powered digital almanac transforming casual conversations into structured farm data to optimize agricultural productivity.
• WealthMeUp – A fintech app integrating investing into everyday spending to make wealth-building seamless.
• Wings of Change – An entrepreneurship fellowship empowering Ghanaian youth through business training and mentorship.

Miller Prize ($25,000)

• AIMIGO – An AI-powered marketplace that helps users find the best AI tools for their needs while managing costs efficiently.
• Preservio – Innovative wine and food preservation solutions minimizing waste and maximizing freshness.
• Prevision Labs – VR software allowing designers and directors to visualize and plan live productions before moving into a venue.
• Sourcerer – AI-powered procurement agent automating supplier sourcing, price negotiation, and logistics.

New Haven Civic Innovation Prize ($25,000)

(Note: Finalists for this prize include ventures from both Yale and the broader New Haven community.)

• Black Obsidian Healing – Deploying holistic healing modalities to strengthen community engagement and well-being among Black men.
• Enrich Health – Establishing holistic maternity health centers to address perinatal disparities.
• ShellVive – Repurposing discarded oyster shells into sustainable water filtration solutions.
• Wealth Beacon Group Foundation – Providing affordable housing with wraparound support services to foster long-term stability.

Planetary Solutions Prize ($50,000)

• Harness – AI-driven financing marketplace connecting renewable energy developers with investors.
• Helix – A circular fashion marketplace enabling local buying, selling, renting, and repairing.
• Mudder AI – AI-powered disaster management platform enhancing emergency response through predictive analytics.
• Verustruct – Construction 3D printing technology creating sustainable, affordable housing for underserved populations.

Rothberg Catalyzer Prize ($25,000)

• Eloquia – Transforming speech therapy through AI-driven analytics for real-time progress tracking.
• TranscribeGlass – AI-powered smart glasses providing real-time subtitles for individuals with hearing loss.
• Vault Kinetics – Fit-tech startup redefining interaction with ground surfaces through force-sensitive flooring.
• whyMED – AI-powered voice assistant answering patient questions about medications and adherence.

Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Health or Education ($25,000)

• FulcrumCare – Tech-enabled dental care organization improving access for individuals with complex needs.
• Picksy.Quest – AI-powered gamified platform helping kids develop healthy eating habits.
• Project Hope – Mentorship program connecting past transplant recipients with pediatric transplant patients.
• Respond Crisis Translation – Providing life-critical interpretation and translation services for asylum seekers and refugees.

Yale Innovators Prize ($25,000)

• Aroomy – AI-powered 3D home design software making homebuilding accessible and affordable.
• EnglishSeekho – AI-driven language learning app improving English fluency for Hindi speakers.
• SummerStore – Full-service summer storage solution for college students.
• Whiskey Bravo – Youth-led organization supporting military families and fostering leadership skills.

These incredible teams will pitch their ventures live at Startup Yale 2025, where they’ll showcase their innovative ideas and compete for funding to help bring their ventures to the next stage. We can’t wait to see them in action and celebrate their achievements.

Join Us!

Don’t miss the chance to witness the next generation of trailblazers at Startup Yale 2025. Whether you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, investor, or simply a fan of big ideas, this event is for you!

📅  April 3-4, 2025

📍 Hotel Marcel, 500 Sargent Dr, New Haven, CT 06511