Strakosch Venture Competition

Start@Shea's annual Strakosch Venture Competition is an opportunity for student founders to win equity-free funding to grow their startups. Whether you're eager to compete or simply want to be part of the excitement, come join us!

2026 Finals

Check back in the spring for our 2026 Application!

THE PROCESS

After rigorous screening rounds, 10 teams are selected to advance to the finals. Finalists will have 4-minutes to pitch their startup to a panel of esteemed judges as well as an enthusiastic student audience.

Judges then probe teams with questions around their business models, revenue streams, scaling strategies, and go-to-market plans.

Following thoughtful deliberation, the judges will determine the top three teams to receive equity free funding to fuel their ventures, while the audience selects a crowd favorite.

2025 Winners!

Thrival

Cameron Smith

Thrival creates innovative, adjustable deep tissue massage tools designed to target and
relieve pain in the hip flexors, glutes, back, neck, and more. With a design that adapts to
any body and muscle group, Thrival brings the power of a personalized massage therapist
into your home.

To The Trade

Emma Mooney

To The Trade streamlines the sample ordering process for interior designers, allowing them
to order fabric and wallpaper samples from across vendors after only registering for one
trade account. This saves time for designers and helps them expand their sample libraries
to include new and smaller vendors.

Jo by Juliana

Juliana Owen

Transforming flat designs into innovative, fashion-forward handbags that blend
architecture, art, and engineering. Crafted for the minimalist, design-conscious consumer,
these bags redefine luxury through intentional design and craftsmanship.

BranchOut

James Koonce, Josiah Kondo, and William Kelly

BranchOut connects students with people they wouldn’t normally meet through low-pressure group meetups of 4–5 people. By matching small groups based on shared availability, BranchOut makes real-world connection
effortless—no swiping, no planning, just showing up.

Ted Wind

Canvas for Meditation and Yoga studios. Allowing instructors to create custom at home
lesson plans for their students.

Decodables

Christopher Risio, Ivan Chiu, Seamus Sutula, Samuel Craft

Providing comprehensive and customizable texts to dyslexic students. Decodables use dyslexia markers to generate stories that adhere to the word patterns the students can read to provide a seamless reading experience and keep them reading at grade level.

CachaNova

Sophia Gregory, Kaylin Marshall, and Sydney Snyder

Cachanova is a bold, tropical, and premium canned cocktail made with Brazilian Cachaça.
We make life feel a little easier through connection and celebration, one sip at a time..

Write Away

Drake Cote and Dominic Landry

Write Away creates customizable signature stencils to help individuals with disabilities sign documents independently and confidently. our mission is to provide accessible, personal, and portable solutions that enhance autonomy and streamline the signature process for everyone.