CSU’s entrepreneurs showcase the next great innovations

One lap through the rows of posters at Colorado State University’s Demo Day highlights a diverse world of ideas.

On one end was design and merchandising student Corinne Sage, who demonstrated how virtual reality can help architecture students study faraway buildings. Another design and merchandising student named Bridget Brown showcased how the byproduct of kombucha can be used to make sustainable fibers. Just a few feet away was Hassan Mahmoud, a master’s student in bioengineering who created his own solution to help people suffering from jaw pain. 

“I just want to make things that help people,” he said. 

The ultimate goal of Demo Day is to provide a path for all of these ideas to become startups. That’s why the April 17 event, organized by CSU STRATA, brought together both CSU students and researchers as well as members of the Northern Colorado business community and local emerging companies. 

“I like being here because researchers like me are always in the lab – this way, we can introduce what we’re working on to people outside of that community,” said Ahmed Gad, a postdoctoral fellow at the Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology Laboratory whose research addresses the impact global warming is having on animal fertility. 

Numerous teams won cash prizes to help them continue the long process of commercializing their ideas. After the poster showcase, they got to hear from Marcus Martinez, a CSU graduate who took the leap into startups after a fellow entrepreneur saw his thesis’s potential to become the basis for Aquanta Vision, a software that will make detecting methane leaks easier. 

Martinez said that he was drawn to the startup because he is an engineer who loves solving problems. 

“Figure out a way for yourself to enjoy that struggle,” he told the crowd. 

Demo Day was just one part of Innovate CSU Day, which also included the annual Venture RAMS Business Showcase, which was organized by the College of Business Institute for Entrepreneurship. 

This pitch competition involved six CSU students from different majors who showcased how their ideas could become viable businesses. The winner was ultimately first year business major Gabe Allen, who won $5,000 for his startup involving a unique backpacking table. 

Read more about the students and their startups below: