Startup Yale

This prize competition also provides quality feedback from professional judges, extensive mentoring from faculty, and opportunities for participants to meet and pitch their ideas to top venture capitalists and leading industry professionals.

The Miller Prize is open to any team (both for-profit and non-profits welcome) led by a currently enrolled Yale student. This prize is managed by Tsai CITY and is possible due to the support of Brian Miller, the Chief Investment Officer of North Sound Partners.

Application Selection & Judging Criteria: 

• Viability: There is a clear solution to the problem and a realistic path for getting the solution to the end user. The team can continue to deliver the solution in a way that is financially and operationally sustainable.

• Pitch: Clarity and quality of the pitch.

• Catalytic-ness: The team has a plan to use grant proceeds to advance the venture effectively.
• Team: The overall team composition including knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to move the venture forward.

• 2023 Winner: Banofi Leather, founded by Jinali Mody (YSE ’23), is a material science startup that is creating a plant-based leather alternative by upcycling banana crop waste.
• 2021 Winner: Floe, founded by David Dellal (GRD ’24), Hector Castillo (GRD ’26), and Mitch Guillaume, is an environmentally-friendly, safe, and cost-effective solution to prevent extensive water damage caused by ice dams on roofs in the winter.
• 2019 Winner: Prepared, founded by Michael Chime (YC), Dylan Gleicher (YC), Neil Soni (YC), is a one-touch mobile alert system that is placed in the hands of trusted faculty at schools. PREPARED allows the school’s emergency response to be instantaneous and decentralized, while also streamlining the process of contacting authorities. In an emergency situation, seconds are lives, and clear, dynamic communication is vital.
• 2018 Winner: Snackpass, founded by Jamie Marshall (YC), Kevin Tan (YC), Jonathan Cameron, is an app that lets you order food from local restaurants and skip the line when it’s ready. And then they battled for our attention to try to get us to use their referral codes.