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This fall, the Marcus Nanotechnology Building overflowed with energy as 35 student teams unveiled their prototypes during the Ideas to Prototype (I2P) Showcase. Attendees from the �鶹�� Tech community and beyond got a firsthand look at prototyped solutions that addressed problems across industries.

The showcase featured a diverse mix of innovators: Startup Launch alumni, returning I2P students refining earlier concepts, and first-time participants stepping into the entrepreneurial arena.

Top Three Teams

First Place: Gorginea Care

• Shalom Ejiwunmi – Applied Biotechnology, Fourth-Year, University of �鶹��
• Rakeb Tesfassellasie – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Third-Year, �鶹�� Tech
• Sophia Bereket – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year, Kennesaw State University

A cross-institutional team from �鶹�� Tech, UGA, and Kennesaw State introduced an at-home cervical cancer screening kit, designed to give women privacy and control over their health.

Taking the Leap

Team Gorginea Care started their journey at �鶹�� State University’s Perimeter College, where they participated in the MESA program (Math, Engineering, Science Achievement) — a dedicated study and research space located on Perimeter College’s Clarkston campus. The team was sparked by a simple question: Why isn’t there a better way to test for cervical cancer? The founders were planning on getting pap smears themselves, but they had heard about painful experiences from other women.

“We were hesitant to go through the process since it seemed uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.

So, Tesfassellasie, Bereket, and Ejiwunmi decided to consider alternatives to the plastic speculum used during standard exams and develop a tampon-like device.

“It's just giving women a choice basically to be able to take the samples and solve without having to be so vulnerable and uncomfortable,” Tesfassellasie said.

The team joined the summer I2P and continued to develop their prototype in the fall semester course. Bereket said CREATE-X gave them resources and space without taking ownership.

“The point of us being engineers is to make a difference in the world,” Tesfassellasie said. “CREATE-X gives you the chance to do that, and they don't take any intellectual property. You might be really passionate about whatever you're majoring in, but this is where you can start implementing what you learn in classes in real-life projects. CREATE-X is allowing you to do this without limiting you by Schools or where you're coming from.”

Initially, the team hesitated to enter the InVenture Prize competition, worried they weren’t ready.

“We thought we could work on more things and find more ways to improve,” Bereket said. “We can give ourselves a year. By next year, maybe we'll be ready to do Inventure Prize.”

But I2P changed that. Bereket said she was shocked by the win, as the team had thought they’d try Startup Launch first.

“Now it's the other way around,” she said. “We're excited to be part of the InVenture Prize, and we're going to see how everything works out as well.”

“If you have an idea, or even if you don't have an idea but you feel very strongly about working on something, go to showcases like this and talk to teams and professors. Half the time, teams are looking for somebody to help,” Ejiwunmi said.

Additional winning teams include:

Second Place: PedalSwap

• Wylam DeSimone – Electrical Engineering, Third-Year
• Zephyr Smith –Music Technology, Third-Year

This team reimagined guitar effects pedals by creating one main pedal case with interchangeable magnetic parts, reducing cost and increasing flexibility for musicians looking to experiment with new sounds.

Third Place: Matareal

• Lily Chisholm – Computer Science (Media and Systems), Fourth-Year
• Nicholas Castles – Mechanical Engineering, Fourth-Year
• Megan Liu – Industrial and Systems Engineering, Second-Year
• Gloria Goudjinou – Computer Science (Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity), Second-Year

Tackling inefficiencies in mural painting, Matareal developed a paint estimation tool that cuts planning time from two days to two minutes, saving artists thousands of dollars in wasted materials.

What the Winners Take Home

Beyond recognition, winners earn a golden ticket into CREATE-X Startup Launch, �鶹�� Tech’s summer accelerator program. This includes:

• Priority admission to Startup Launch.
• $5,000 in optional seed funding.
• Access to $200,000 in in-kind services, including legal and accounting credits.
• Mentorship from faculty and industry experts.
• Visibility from Demo Day.
• Automatic advancement to the InVenture Prize semifinals.

is open. Whether you have a fully formed idea or just a spark, I2P offers a $500 reimbursement, mentorship, and research credit to support you in making your ideas real.