By Rowena Kay Mascarenhas
Washington, D.C— The future of innovation took center stage at George Mason University’s Fuse Center last week as 29 high school teams from across the globe gathered for the 2025 TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Pitch Competition. Against the backdrop of rising global challenges, these young entrepreneurs pitched powerful, purpose-driven ideas aimed at creating real-world impact.
“I am so inspired by the creativity and drive of the students in the TYE Global Pitch Competition,” said Murali Bukkapatnam, Chair of the TiE Global Board of Trustees, delivering the opening address. “Their bold ideas and entrepreneurial spirit are a powerful reminder that the next generation is already building solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.”
Students, parents, educators, and seasoned entrepreneurs filled the innovation hub, while an elite panel of global judges, Yasmin Rose (Rise Birth Center, Dubai), Frank Scavo (Strativa, California), Kamal Wadhera (TYConline, India), Arunmozhi Balasubramanian (L&T Infotech, California), and Bindu Subramaniam (Entrepreneur, India), listened intently as these young minds took the stage.
Across the 29 pitches from cities as far as Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Tampa Bay, Kochi and Boston, several themes rang clear. Whether it was a wind-powered home energy solution from TiE Ahmedabad, an app from TiE Hyderabad to assist the elderly with labor and translation support, or a portable biofuel converter for farmers in Rajasthan, the common thread running through the pitches was unmistakable: a fierce commitment to build a better world.
The event concluded with awards for the top-performing teams. – First Place went to Kymavi (Seattle) for their regenerative biodegradable bag that helps clean ocean ecosystems. – Second Place was awarded to Key Beauty (Seattle), a marketplace curating international beauty brands tailored for people of color
– Third Place went to OOMI (Rajasthan), Introduced a centralized cooling system featuring a single underground outdoor unit connected to multiple indoor units.
Representing Seattle, the Kymavi team brought a compelling twist to the global conversation on plastic pollution. Their idea is a biodegradable plastic bag that, upon breaking down, doesn’t just disappear but releases additives that support ocean health. The innovation lies in the materials: the bag is made from PCL, a polymer known for its land and marine biodegradability, and infused with Chitosan and Calcium Carbonate. These substances help reduce acidity, support plankton growth, and assist in breaking down existing marine pollutants, making the bag a tool for regeneration.
“We kept seeing plastic pollution every time we visited our home countries, Egypt and India, on beaches, in streets, and wanted to create something that doesn’t just reduce harm, but actually benefits the ocean,” said Tayem Keshk, CEO and ninth grader at Skyline High School, Seattle. The other Kymavi team members, Arjun Panpaliya, Rajal Maheshwari, Aadhav Muthukumar, and Ishaan Pathania, shared the same commitment to shifting the narrative from less damage to more repair.
“These young entrepreneurs are shining examples of what’s possible when mentorship, innovation, and opportunity come together,” said Prashant Mishra, TiE Seattle President.
Beyond the top three winning teams, several other standout ventures captured the judges’ attention and the audience’s imagination with their creativity, purpose, and potential for real-world impact.
The team from Boston, Inventrack, won the Best Business Model prize. They presented a solution to making inventory management efficient and stress-free for small business owners. It integrates AI powered features, a customizable interface into one convenient app to help businesses track inventory input, advanced data analysis, and Order & Supplier management. Members of the Inventrack team include 10th and 11th graders Reya Kannan, Reva Sankla, Rucha Daphal, and Jui Rajwadkar. The judges praised the team’s clarity of mission and the practical, scalable approach.
“We came here to the finals with a business idea,” said Rucha Daphal of TYE Boston’s Inventrack team, “but we’re leaving with a mission and the belief that we can actually make it real.”
Access to clean, safe water remains a daily challenge in many parts of the world. The Fibre Flow team, comprising Yashwanth Raghu, Han Nguyen, and Sameeha Vaswani from Houston rose to this global challenge with a low-tech, high-impact solution: a sustainable water filtration system built using locally available natural materials like moringa seeds, charcoal, sand, and banana-stem fabric. What set Fibre Flow apart was its approach: it’s eco-friendly and community-centric. They won the Best Execution prize.
From Houston, Ginny Philps, faculty at the Entrepreneurship Department, The Village School, said, “The TYE program has been a transformative experience for our students, providing them with real world exposure, mentorship and the confidence to pitch their ideas on a global stage. Having two of our teams, Fibre Flow and Step In, compete at the finals in Washington DC, was an incredible honor. I am deeply grateful to the TiE Houston leadership for their unwavering support to nurturing young entrepreneurs.”
Oregon’s team tackled a widely experienced but rarely discussed health issue, Tinnitus. Affecting an estimated 24 to 45 million Americans, chronic tinnitus is a constant ringing or buzzing in the ears that can disrupt sleep, concentration, and mental health. Jonathan Wilkinson, Samuel Castillo Fernandez, Owen Hendren, and Akim Arkhangelski presented Hive: a smart tinnitus masking device that blends sound therapy with intuitive technology. Unlike traditional sound machines, Hive is customizable, hands-free, and automatic, designed to activate ambient sound only when needed, offering targeted relief. “HIVE was born out of our founder’s chronic tinnitus. When Jonathan’s sleep, relaxation, focus and mood were all impacted by the ringing in his ears, we had to come up with a solution. Our mission is to make non-invasive tinnitus relief accessible. You’ll forget you have tinnitus,” the team promised during their pitch.
If the goal of entrepreneurship is to solve problems, this generation is off to a bold start with better products and with bigger purpose. The TiE Young Entrepreneurs Global Pitch Competition has become more than a platform. It is sowing seeds of change.
