By Lewis D'Vorkin
April 8, 2019
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Energetic CSUN students from schools across the campus bravely revealed their startup ideas to local-area judges in a noisy trade show-like setting. The 4th annual competition was hosted by the David Nazarian College of Business and Economics.
I'm the CEO of Newsroom AI. We want to bring storytelling like this - tappable, visual and immersive - to the mobile Web. I'm also an Entrepreneur in Residence at CSUN. I'm giving students a taste of startup life from the front lines.
There were 20 semi-finalists. Here are just a few of the would-be entrepreneurs hoping to advance to the next round - and vie for $40,000 in cash prizes.
The Pitch: There's too much sodium in our lives. Here's a healthier alternative - a flavorful, low-sodium hot sauce.
The Pitch: People in the creative arts need a place to find opportunities. This is a Web-based platform to help them do that.
, racking up millions of views online.
The Pitch: Ground transportation needs to be ranked for saftey, cost and speed. These two young women, specials guests from Village Christian High School, have an app to do it.
The Pitch: Prosthetics need to be reliable, easy-to-use and built on trust.
The Pitch: Students need to learn, assimilate and memorize information. Genius in Education and Learning Opportunities (GELO) helps them do it.
The Pitch: Why wait to get your security deposit back when you're moving. Now you don't have to.
The Pitch: Ever spill anything in your car? Who hasn't? Here's a way to keep take-out food locked in place in a seat.
The Pitch: There is student life and there is the real world. Collegians can now close the gap and find their dream careers.
The Pitch: Businesses want new customers. With this solution they can tap into the ride-share industry with on-car and in-car advertising.
The Pitch: Ride-sharing solved all those short-distance travel issues. Matching long-distance travel is the next hurdle.
The Pitch: Does your luggage get mangled in transit. Reusable bag covers solve the problem. And a chip provides real-time tracking.
The Pitch: Older adults can't remember everything. With augmented reality there's a path to better mental health as they tour family life through photos on a headset.
Celebrate entrepreneurial spirit. Join us on April 23 for the finals.