In This Story
“Let me be clear, innovation has always been, and will always be, the solution to the world’s challenges,” said Patriot Pitch emcee Patrick Soleymani, associate dean for outreach and strategic engagement at George Mason University's Costello College of Business. “Innovation transforms potential into power and drives us forward as an institution, community, and ultimately a civilization.”
As emcee of the 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition, presented by 22nd Century Technologies Inc., Soleymani addressed the packed house. Eight final teams—two from each track—had been refining their business models with their mentors and practicing their pitches for several weeks in preparation for the afternoon’s competition.
Housed within the Costello College of Business, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) led the programming efforts and organized the final pitch event on Thursday, April 10. Ajay Vinzé, dean of the Costello College of Business, reiterated the importance of entrepreneurship and what it meant to the college’s namesake.
“In 1976, Donald and a partner founded Century Stair Company, which grew to become one of the largest stair manufacturers on the East Coast,” he said. “His passion for entrepreneurship is here with us, in spirit. Today, we are honored to have his trusted former business partners, Joe and Peg Contrucci, with us in the room.”
George Mason University President Gregory Washington was also in attendance, along key stakeholders from the George Mason entrepreneurial ecosystem.
After Ava Uppal, BS Marketing ‘19, interviewed technology founder and executive Sid Banerjee (founded Clarabridge that was acquired by Qualtrics in 2021 for over $1 billion) in an illuminating keynote discussion, the competition commenced—this time with a record amount of prize money.
One by one, finalist teams in the STEM, Social Impact, General Entrepreneurship for Undergraduate Students, and General Entrepreneurship for Graduate Students and Recent Alumni tracks took the stage to make their pitches to four judges—subject matter experts chosen for each track—and to the audience of George Mason community members. Following each 5-minute pitch, the presenting team fielded questions from the judges. Students in between classes quickly filled the back of the Johnson Center Bistro as they cheered on their classmates and friends.
Anticipation filled the air as another Costello alumnus and community leader, Jason Howell, BS Accounting ‘97, took the stage to announce the winners:
STEM
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First place: Barty AI (Sahil Jagtap)
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Second place: Q Haven (Caden Green)
Social Impact
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First place: CarbonSecure (Maddie Gray, Maha Raja, Ryland Plodpluang, Juan Zambrano-Lozano)
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Second place: The Allocated at Delia’s House (Marisela Zelaya Delcid, David Osorto)
General Entrepreneurship Undergraduate
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First place: Valor (Caleb Fink)
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Second place: NOVAFoam (Ethan Ford, Trevor Geissler, Mikhail Ivanov, Stephano Barra)
General Entrepreneurship for Graduate Students and Recent Alumni
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First place: Viralbite (Emmanuel Nwokeabia)
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Second place: EchoPods (Raghu Manjunatha, Pooja Manjunatha Swamy)
Following each track of presentations, audience members scanned a QR code on the screen to vote for the separate Mason’s Choice Awardees. The winners were The Allocated at Delia’s House and Viralbite.
Emmanuel Nwokeabia, a 2024 graduate of the Costello College of Business, received the most prize money—$13,000 between his two awards. “This was more than a win—it was a powerful encouragement to pursue my vision. I encourage anyone with an idea to take that bold step, and see how the world responds,” said Nwokeabia.
The 2025 Patriot Pitch Competition showcased the entrepreneurial spirit of the Costello College of Business and George Mason University. Approximately 250 audience members attended to watch the innovative concepts and products being pitched.
