UMD Students Pitch Startup Ideas at Pitch Perfect Event  

Pitching startup ideas to a panel of experienced entrepreneurs has become a familiar format popularized by television shows like Shark Tank. At the University of Maryland’s Capital One Tech Incubator, six student entrepreneurs took part in a similar high-stakes experience during the Pitch Perfect event, where they presented their business concepts to a panel of seasoned mentors. 

Organized by the Mokhtarzada Hatchery program and Startup Shell, the event allowed students to refine their business concepts, gain industry insights and connect with professionals and peers in the startup ecosystem.

Participants pitched ideas spanning various sectors, including health, sustainable energy to real estate. Judges included Mokhtarzada Hatchery mentors Haroon Mokhtarzada (B.A. ’01, economics) and Zeki Mokhtarzada (B.S. ’01, computer science), as well as Arthur AI Founder and CEO Adam Wenchel (B.S. ’99, computer science). The panelists provided feedback and guidance, drawing on their experience leading multimillion-dollar ventures, including Rocket Money and Arthur AI.

Among the participants was Yonatan Tussa, a junior computer science major and recent transfer student, who pitched his startup, SONE. The idea aims to address patient falls in hospitals, a problem he identified through conversations with his father, a nurse at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Tussa explained that patients often fall while reaching for call lights, which have become inaccessible.

Tussa emphasized the importance of preparation in delivering a strong pitch. This includes understanding the problem, evaluating existing solutions and articulating why his approach offers a better alternative.

“The biggest thing that helped me in preparing was just pitching to people—talking to friends, getting comfortable speaking in front of an audience, and knowing the material,” Tussa said. “Having a real conviction for the problem and the solution we’re building was key.”

For Tussa, engaging with experienced entrepreneurs reinforced the feasibility of pursuing a startup.

“These judges and mentors went to UMD and built successful companies,” he said. “That’s inspiring and what I aspire to do.”

Yuexi “Tracy” Chen, a Ph.D. student in computer science, pitched a startup focused on artificial intelligence agents. Chen received feedback from mentors on her business, ArXtect, including the market size of her plan and the challenges competitors faced in generating revenue.

Chen found the judges’ feedback useful, particularly in identifying weaknesses in her vision and suggesting ways to make her idea more scalable.

“They also emphasized the use of AI in my work to be able to do much more,” Chen said. “One of the judges even shared that their previous company had used our competitor and noted some challenges they faced.”

For Chen, networking with like-minded students was another benefit of participating in the event.

“Events like this are valuable because, as graduate students, it’s hard to meet entrepreneurs outside of the Bay Area,” Chen said. “This incubator provides an opportunity to chat with other students with startup ideas and exchange feedback, which could help us a lot.”

Established in 2021, the Mokhtarzada Hatchery program offers student teams up to $10,000 in funding, mentorship from entrepreneurs and workspace in the Brendan Iribe Center. The program supports students from the early stages of idea development through product refinement, emphasizing market readiness. Students gain access to resources to navigate the challenges of launching a startup, including product development and market testing.

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications