{"id":23567,"date":"2026-09-16T14:40:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-16T18:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/?p=23567"},"modified":"2026-09-16T17:03:29","modified_gmt":"2026-09-16T21:03:29","slug":"innovative-solutions-abound-at-moonshot-pitch-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/2026\/Q3\/innovative-solutions-abound-at-moonshot-pitch-challenge","title":{"rendered":"Innovative solutions abound at Moonshot Pitch Challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Four teams led by Purdue University students won a combined $5,500 from <a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/a> for their ideas to address challenges related to accessible navigation, allergens in pharmaceuticals, inflammatory bowel disease, and low Earth orbit satellites and spacecraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Fifteen finalist teams had two minutes to pitch their solutions to judges during the finals of the fall 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/moonshot-pitch-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Moonshot Pitch Challenge<\/a>. More than 50 teams submitted a two-minute video to explain the problem they were addressing and to propose their solution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Solutions were grouped into one of three categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Earth: Ideas primarily focused on addressing social needs and challenges<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Orbit: Ideas primarily focused on business-to-business solutions<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Moonshot: Ideas primarily focused on solving a seemingly impossible problem<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge emphasizes ideating bold, imaginative solutions to challenges that affect our world,\u201d said Doug Applegate, Incubator associate director. \u201cPurdue students use their skills in critical analysis and creativity to take the next giant leaps to address the problems.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Submissions for the spring 2027 Moonshot Pitch Challenge will be solicited in January.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Winning teams<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">First-place teams in each category received $1,500 apiece. Teams that won the Best Pitch and Crowd Favorite awards received $500 each. The winners were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Earth category and Best Pitch: Rasta<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rasta is a personalized accessibility navigation app that gives people with mobility constraints more independence. It identifies barriers like stairs, steep slopes and missing curb ramps, then routes the user around them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Team members are Nirrbhay Raghavan, <a href=\"https:\/\/engineering.purdue.edu\/Engr\">College of Engineering<\/a>, and Ramya Rajaram, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/science\/\">College of Science<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/entr\/\">Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOur next milestone is to build a working Rasta prototype for Purdue and West Lafayette, with plans to expand in the future,\u201d Rajaram said. \u201cBy testing it with people who face accessibility barriers, we hope to create a global solution that meaningfully improves their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rajaram said she and Raghavan are grateful for the monetary awards, which will be used to fund Rasta\u2019s software, hardware and testing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis support will help us build a solution that allows people to navigate places more safely and independently,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge gave us confidence speaking in front of a large audience and taught us how to communicate what makes Rasta relatable,\u201d Raghavan said. \u201cIt also connected us with opportunities and resources to turn our idea into a real startup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Orbit category: Allergen Maps<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Drug manufacturers are not required to label food allergens on their products, making it nearly impossible for patients with food allergies to find safe drugs. Allergen Maps finds hidden allergens and provides safe alternatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Team members are Kai Fraehsdorf and Simon Tackett, <a href=\"https:\/\/pharmacy.purdue.edu\/\">College of Pharmacy<\/a> and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; and Alex Forman, Kean University. Tackett said Allergen Maps\u2019 next step is to expand its scope to pharmacies outside of Indiana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are also continuing to market our app AllergenMeds,\u201d he said. \u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge award will help us pay for marketing and keep our current servers running. We are currently seeking investors, and this will help us bridge the gap until then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tackett said participating in the Moonshot Pitch Challenge benefited Allergen Maps in other ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge really helped us improve our presentation skills and condense what we\u2019re doing into a short summary,\u201d he said. \u201cWe feel more confident and prepared to pitch for a room of investors.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Moonshot category: Sentinel Space<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sentinel Space is developing a sentinel satellite for small spacecraft in low Earth orbit. It launches with them, identifies and protects them during commissioning, then stages onto a special orbit to later provide reboost or end-of-life support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Team members are Moacir Fonseca Becker and Sidh Sikka, College of Engineering. Becker said Sentinel Space will use the monetary award strategically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOne potential use is supporting travel to conferences and other industry events where we can meet customers, partners and other companies working in this space,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becker and Sikka will conduct additional market research and customer discovery by speaking with satellite operators, ride-sharing providers and other companies in the space industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe want to better understand the practical needs of the on-orbit servicing market; identify potential strategic partnerships; map out grant, SBIR (small business innovation research) and pre-seed funding opportunities; and begin the early design phase while continuing to strengthen our business model and pitch,\u201d Becker said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Becker said competing in the Moonshot Pitch Challenge provided Sentinel Space an opportunity to connect with a wide network of people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe received immediate feedback and challenging questions from the judges, which gave us important things to consider as we continue to develop Sentinel Space,\u201d he said. \u201cCompeting also connected us with other student founders, members of Purdue\u2019s and Purdue Innovates\u2019 entrepreneurial community, and judges with experience in the space sector, which will be valuable as we build the company while still pursuing our doctorates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Crowd Favorite Award: CogniCell<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Inflammatory bowel disease is incurable with standard therapies. CogniCell develops a programmable bacteria able to live within the gut, monitor patient health, and produce multiple proteins that prevent and repair damage from the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Team members are Sofia Baloski and Mustafa Hasan, College of Science, and Adarsh Maheswaran, <a href=\"https:\/\/hhs.purdue.edu\/\">College of Health and Human Sciences<\/a>. Baloski said the next step is constructing CogniCell\u2019s DNA circuits to test within bacteria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBy examining the results of that step, we can calibrate and perfect our design,\u201d she said. \u201cThis award will go a long way in funding our research. We\u2019re excited to use the money to purchase our DNA components and begin assembling our product.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Baloski said the team benefited from the opportunity to present the CogniCell project and pitch it to judges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Moonshot Pitch Challenge gave us a better idea of where we wanted to head with our project as well as introduced us to resources that we didn\u2019t know existed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Honor roll of finalists<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Moonshot Pitch Challenge finalist teams were:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Aphelion Aeronautics. Aphelion Aeronautics is engineering lighter steering systems to enable lower-cost satellites. Aphelion significantly reduces weight and component count through its novel, patent-pending spherical motor topology. Tobin Palmer, College of Engineering; Brandon Kirbyson, California Polytechnic State University; Landon Kummer, Santa Monica (Calif.) High School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>BoilerBins. BoilerBins turns Purdue dining hall food waste into compost for campus and local farms. This creates a closed-loop system that supports sustainability, student research, agriculture and measurable waste reduction. Hannah Carlson, <a href=\"https:\/\/business.purdue.edu\/\">Mitch Daniels School of Business<\/a>; Jake James, Evelina Rubchinsky and Dashal Smothers, College of Engineering.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>CarbonHaven. CarbonHaven captures atmospheric carbon dioxide and synthesizes it into structural polymers to 3D-print resilient, affordable housing. It turns humanity\u2019s greatest climate liability into low-cost shelter. Jacob Faulstich, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cla.purdue.edu\/index.html\">College of Liberal Arts<\/a> and Daniels School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>EnerTree. EnerTree is a biomimetic wind energy harvester that uses piezoelectric leaf strips to generate voltage from collisions in the wind. The voltage is rectified and stored to be used in urban areas for lighting or sensors. Li Bing Lim, College of Engineering.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Kova. Kova is a student-only ride-sharing platform that helps verified college students find affordable rides, connect through trusted campus communities, and access local businesses and events. Starting at Purdue, Kova is built to scale nationwide. Hassan Berbich, College of Engineering and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Mehdi El Mansar, College of Engineering; Nikhai Tonwar, College of Engineering and Daniels School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Lucent. Lucent is a modification for traditional watches that allows users to have smartwatch features without losing mechanical watch aesthetics. Krish Sinha, College of Science.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Perigee. Perigee is an orbital factory that builds what gravity won\u2019t let us build on Earth. It is the first industrial manufacturing hub in space. Ayush Karkare, College of Engineering and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Joey Kokinda, College of Liberal Arts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>PoliStock. Everyday investors can\u2019t react fast enough when markets move in seconds. PoliStock lets users turn an idea into an autonomous trading agent that monitors more than 100 sources and executes trades based on their investing strategy and budget. Aryan Kiran Chamarajanagar and Aditya Pachpande, College of Science and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation; Nivan Gujral, College of Science.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ReForge PCs. ReForge PCs refurbishes retired workstations into affordable, high-performance computers. Powerful PCs become more accessible, and electronic waste is reduced. Ryan Farashuddin, Alexander Morales and Joyce Yao, College of Engineering; Chloe Kim, Daniels School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Serva. Restaurants run five to eight delivery apps at once and miss orders daily. Serva puts the apps in one dashboard, plugs into the point-of-sale systems restaurants already have and uses AI to pace incoming orders when the kitchen is overwhelmed. Iris Dey, College of Engineering and Daniels School.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>ShootingStars. ShootingStars is a network of autonomous logistics stations that supports reusable electric-propulsion cargo spacecraft. It enables efficient refueling, servicing and transportation for future missions to the moon, Mars and beyond. John Chang, College of Engineering and Certificate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/purdueinnovates.org\/incubator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Purdue Innovates Incubator<\/a> is the front door to the rich ecosystem of programs and services designed to help early-stage startups take their next step. Programs provide settings for cohort work and one-on-one consultations. Content includes clarifying problems from the customer\u2019s perspective, developing a business model, conducting customer discovery interviews, team building, determining regulatory pathways and legal structures, and more. Purdue alumni and community members interested in becoming mentors are invited to contact the Incubator team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Purdue University<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Purdue University is a research institution ranked among the top 10 public universities in the United States. More than 111,000 students study at Purdue across multiple campuses, including more than 57,000 at our main campus locations in West Lafayette and Indianapolis. As a land-grant university committed to affordability and accessibility, Purdue\u2019s main campus has frozen tuition 14 years in a row, enabling more students than ever to graduate debt-free.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"note\" class=\"post-content__attribution \">\n    <div class=\"columns\"> \n                    <div class=\"column\"> \n                <p class=\"post-content__source\">\n                    <strong>Media contact:<\/strong> Steve Martin, <a href=\"mailto:sgmartin@prf.org\">sgmartin@prf.org<\/a>                <\/p>\n            <\/div>\n                    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. \u2014 Four teams led by Purdue University students won a combined $5,500 from Purdue Innovates Incubator for their ideas to address challenges related to accessible navigation, allergens in pharmaceuticals, inflammatory bowel disease, and low Earth orbit satellites<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":23569,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[316],"tags":[],"department":[],"source":[35],"purdue_today_topic":[],"coauthors":[44],"class_list":["post-23567","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prf","source-purdue-research-foundation"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23567","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23567"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23567\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23580,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23567\/revisions\/23580"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23567"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23567"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23567"},{"taxonomy":"department","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/department?post=23567"},{"taxonomy":"source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/source?post=23567"},{"taxonomy":"purdue_today_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/purdue_today_topic?post=23567"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.purdue.edu\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=23567"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}