Clark Tank App Design Challenge 2022 Winners Announced

In six short weeks, nine Clark University students with app design ideas went from idea to a full funding pitch with mentor help from, Matt Bailey, founder and CEO of GameOn. The hard work paid off today, February 28th with each venture participant presenting to a judging panel for prize funding.

The School of Management and Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program introduced the Clark Tank App Design Challenge 2022 this year to add another exciting branch to the popular Clark Tank events and activities. During the student’s app design journey, Matt brought in guest speakers Shafin Tejani, founder and CEO at Victory Square Technologies, and Santi Jaramillo, Chief Product Officer at GameOn and former Product Lead at EA Sports (FIFA) to share their experiences in design and startups. Through the class ENT222 Entrepreneurial Design Thinking, Matt also shared his experiences of pitching GameOn and the trials and tribulations of startups.

The Clark Tank Committee included funding awards of $500 for first, $250 for second, and $100 for third place. The judging panel included alumni, a school of design faculty member, a startup founder, and a computer science student. Each designer was allowed five minutes to pitch their venture with an additional five minutes of Q&A from the judges.

Clark Tank App Design Challenge 2022 Winners

Congratulations!

on campus app — Mahdi Boulila and Caleb Kluchman

First Place $500 Mahdi Boulila ’23 computer science and mathematics major with a minor in data science and Caleb Kluchman ’23, data science major with a computer science minor – OnCampus a campus-community engagement and student businesses app.

Tied second place $250 each, Martina Villanueva ’23 studio arts major with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation – owner of Magpie Collects, retail selling app; and

Sean Christy ’22 global environmental studies with a minor in entrepreneurship and innovation – Mental Sound a men’s mental health app.

Third place $100 Nik Sokol ’22 psychology major – Moon Lit a PTSD mental health app.

Additional participants include:

Jared Brudner ’23 a boating lifestyle app
Clarissa Ko ’25 a Scavenger Venture app
Chris Nguyen ’23 BookEz app
Aniket Pandey ’25 a Nepal stock trading app

Judging Panel

Tracy Deforge, founder and CEO of The Players’ Impact
Crysta Spitzfaden ’19 developer of Fresh Food Waste app
Alex Turgeon ’16, ’17 Booz Allen Hamilton and founder of two small businesses
Terrasa Ulm, Professor of Practice Clark University Game Design
Dilasha Shrestha ’22 computer science major, and Digital Content Manager of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at Clark University

Luncheon guests: Paul Cotnoir, Ph.D., PE, GMfgE Dean of Becker School of Design and Technology at Clark University, and Alan Eisner, Ph.D. and Dean of School of Management.

Additional thanks to Victoria Pastor ’24 for helping with the day’s events.

For more information on Clark Tank events and activities, and the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Program at Clark University, please check out the E&I Program student-run website at www.clarkstudentventures.com or contact Teresa Quinn, E&I Program Manager.