BOSTON—TiE Boston announced the winners of their highly-competitive, annual TiE U-Boston Pitch Competition for collegiate-founders, which was held at the Venture Guides office in downtown Boston.
Ryan McNaughton, Co-Founder and CEO of PriMetaz, Boston University won the first prize and will go on to represent TiE Boston at the TiE U Global Pitch Competition in Silicon Valley. The first runner up is Al Kasani, Founder of Particle-N, University of Connecticut; and Rachel Domb, Founder and CEO of Rooted Living, Northeastern University won second runner up.
This year’s winner, Mr. McNaughton, said “PriMetaz is honored to have been selected as the winner of the TiE U Boston Pitch Competition Final. Thank you to the judges, event organizers, and TiE Boston community. We are grateful for your support and continued belief in PriMetaz’s vision for revolutionizing the magnetic resonance imaging exam. Our team is beyond excited to represent Boston at the Global Pitch Competition Finals, and are proud to be included with such an inspirational group of entrepreneurs.”
During a high-energy live event, the Competition provided a platform for nine founders/co-founders to present their pitches, vying for prizes and the chance to advance to the TiE U Global Pitch Competition. More than 45 Founders from over 16 universities in New England applied to the competition for a chance to win the ultimate prize of $25,000 equity-free cash reward and potential investments totaling $1 million. A special thank-you was given to the TiE U-Boston Pitch Competition venue host, Venture Guides.
“I’m delighted at the strides we’ve taken since the Program’s launch. We’ve seen some remarkable student-founded companies join, and it’s evident that the quality is continuously improving as awareness of this fantastic program grows. TiE stands out as an exceptional platform for garnering global visibility for early-stage ventures,” TiE Boston President Yash Shah said. “My heartfelt thanks to all the participants who pitched, and congratulations to the winner, Ryan McNaughton, CEO of PriMetaz! Very grateful to Venture Guides for hosting the event, and to Venkat Maroju who chaired the competition.”
Each finalist took the floor to deliver a concise pitch, attempting to appeal to Judges: Purnanand Sarma, Hong Zhuang, Swarna Balasubramanian, Venkat Maroju, and Sanjay Aggarwal.
The contestants fielded tough questions to paint a full picture of their startups. From dollar opportunity to exit strategies, the nine participants were put in the hot seat for Q&A after each pitch to ensure the judges could make a calculated and informed decision in selecting the winner.
“The pitches presented by the nine finalists were both inspiring and invigorating. Each finalist showcased brilliance, serving as an inspiration to everyone. Congratulations to the three winners! We eagerly anticipate witnessing the remarkable success of each entrepreneur,” said Venkat Maroju, the 2024 Chair of the TiE U-Boston Pitch Competition.
First runner-up Al Kasani, Founder of Particle-N, said, “It was a pleasure to be a finalist at TIE Boston. I personally enjoyed asking questions from the jury members and learned from their answers regarding leadership and business development. Thank you for being generous in sharing your experiences with me.”
Second runner-up Rachel Domb, Founder of Rooted Living said, “I’m thrilled that Rooted Living secured third place in the TiE University Boston Pitch Finals. The journey of applying and pitching with TiE has been an invaluable experience of dedication and learning. I feel lucky to be part of such a nurturing community that supports both my personal growth and Rooted Living’s expansion in Boston and beyond.”
The following companies were in the finals of the TiE U-Boston Pitch Competition: ·
Brock Alpher, Founder of Sneaker Soul, Babson College ·
Drew Botta, Team Member, Vitaliti, Boston College ·
Rachel Domb, Founder of Rooted Living, Northeastern University ·
Al Kasani, Founder of Particle-N, University of Connecticut ·
Skye Lam, Co-Founder of MabLab, Harvard University ·
Ryan McNaughton, Co-Founder and CEO of PriMetaz, Boston University ·
Emily Nieves, Co-Founder of Delineate, MIT ·
Arjav Shah, Co-Founder and CEO, hydroGel, MIT ·
Milan Tahliani, Co-Founder, Open Lake, Boston University.
