Innovation Blooms at the Spring 2026 MIX Innovators Launchpad Final Pitch Event
Group photo with MIX Innovators Launchpad teams, guests, panelists, faculty advisors, and organizers.
On April 17th, the Spring 2026 session of the MIX Innovators Launchpad concluded, marking the successful completion of the program’s second cohort. Designed to launch student innovators toward market success, the Launchpad program integrates the NSF I‑Corps program, providing teams with mentorship, guidance through the customer discovery process, and access to funding opportunities. This final event included five team pitches with four seasoned industry panelists. Through three generous sponsors, AthletesInnovate, NEXT Powered by Shulman Rogers, and Engineering Unleashed by the KEEN Foundation, the program awarded cash prizes to the first and second-place winners.
Over the course of the program, student teams refined their go‑to‑market strategies, strengthened their pitches, conducted more than 20 customer interviews, and evaluated their business models to prepare for real‑world impact. Read here about their personal takeaways from the program and advice to aspiring innovators.
Spring 2026 Teams
Mosy – Building smart rodent control technology for warehouses.
Engineering Lead - Mohamed Aghzal, PhD, Computer Science
Entrepreneurial Lead - Cheyenne Bajani, BS, Computer Engineering
BioxVerse.AI – An autonomous AI care coordinator that executes healthcare administration on behalf of patients and caregivers — so nothing gets missed, delayed, or dropped.
Engineering and Entrepreneurial Lead - Bhushan Kakade, MS, Computer Science
Willis Technologies – A simple, handheld screening tool that quickly checks for potential issues with blood flow to the brain during a routine visit, making early detection more accessible in primary care.
Engineering Lead and Faculty Advisor - Dr. Siddhartha Sikdar, Professor, Department of Bioengineering, George Mason University, and the Director of George Mason’s Center for Adaptive Systems of Brain-Body Interactions (CASBBI)
Clinical Faculty Advisor - Dr. Kirk Beach, Professor Emeritus of Bioengineering at the University of Washington
Entrepreneurial Lead - Davi Lima, MS, Bioengineering
DNS Quantum Cryptography Monitor – The DNS Quantum Cryptography Monitor helps organizations assess their readiness for post-quantum cryptography and identify what needs to be fixed.
Faculty Advisor - Dr. Jean-Pierre Auffret, Director, Research Partnerships in the Costello College of Business, and Director, Center for Assurance Research and Engineering (CARE), George Mason University
Engineering Lead - Rishikesh Kashyap, MS, Computer Engineering
Entrepreneurial Lead - Nidhi Somashekar, MS, Data Analytics Engineering
Local Decode – Local Decode develops microchip designs that enable AI processing on programmable chips (FPGAs), allowing AI software companies to deliver robust applications with predictable operational costs.
Engineering and Entrepreneurial Lead - David Matthew Jr., MS, Computer Science
Judges
We extend our gratitude to our panel of judges:
TJ Master - Innovation Commercialization & Mentor, ICAP
Adam Phillips - Founder and Managing Partner, AthletesInnovate
Eta Nahapetian - Manager of Innovation Programs and Strategy, Fairfax County Department of Economic Initiatives
Christopher Carr - Associate Dean, OSSE, GMU
Sponsors
We also sincerely thank our sponsors for their continued support of student innovation:
Engineering Unleashed by the KEEN Foundation
$750 - First Place
$250 - Second Place
NEXT Powered by Shulman Rogers
$500 - First Place
$250 - Second Place
🥇 1st Place Prize – Mosy
(Left to right) Adam Phillips, Mohamed Aghzal, Cheyenne Bajani, Eta Nahapetian, and TJ Master with prize checks.
“The program gave us a great place to begin our entrepreneurial journey in an approachable and educational way. It met us where we were as early-stage students and gave us the confidence to pitch our idea even if it was far from perfect. It taught us how to refine our idea through real customer discovery. Without the customers we spoke to, we would have never gathered all the perspectives we needed to iterate on our idea and make it closer to “great.” A good startup idea is shaped by a need. The pivots we realized we had to make after speaking to potential customers are what eventually led us to the right place. Most importantly, the program also changed how we think about pitching: a good pitch is always a story that speaks to an audience, and becoming a better pitcher means becoming a better storyteller.”
🥈2nd Place Prize – Willis Technologies
Davi Lima (left) receiving the second-place prizes from sponsor, panelist, and founder of AthletesInnovate, Adam Phillips (right)
About the Program
Gisele Stolz, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs and Mason I‑Corps Director
The Launchpad was designed by Gisele Stolz, Senior Director of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programs and Mason I‑Corps Director, and Sampson Addo, Mason I‑Corps Manager, with program support from the MIX Program and Operations Coordinator Minjin Batzorig. Over 12 weeks, teams moved through three phases:
Phase 1 - Workshops on Lean Startup fundamentals and idea validation by Gisele Stolz and George Siragusa, plus an AI for Customer Discovery seminar by Sampson Addo.
Phase 2 - Participation in the March NSF I‑Corps program, including customer discovery training and completion of 20+ interviews, along with mentor meetings with ICAP mentors, William McPheat and Elizabeth Pyle, and SBDC mentor George Siragusa.
Phase 3 - A Pitch Deck workshop by Adam Phillips, guidance from panelist and mentor, Dan Woolley, and the final pitch presentation day on April 17th.
Apply for the Next Cohort
Are you or someone you know a dedicated, driven, and innovative graduate‑level student pursuing innovation in deep science and/or tech?
Inquire for the Fall 2026 cohort by contacting Minjin Batzorig at mbatzor@gmu.edu.