BOSTON– TiE Boston announced that its Regional Winner at the TiE University Students Pitch Competition, Uros Kuzmanovic, has won the First Prize at the Global Championships held on May 15, 2022.
The annual TiE University Global Pitch Competition attracted 1,455 teams from across 24 countries. Thirty regional winners competed in the semi-finals, and 12 teams moved into the finals.
The Global Championship First prize went to TiE Boston’s Biosens8 from Boston University. Biosens8 focuses on helping couples get past infertility through the use of biosensors. The founder, Uros Kuzmanovic, is a biotech entrepreneur, and has won a cash prize of $50,000.
On winning the first prize Uros said, “I would like to give a huge thank you to TiE for accepting me into their amazing ecosystem of mentors, investors, and inspiring entrepreneurs. The whole journey allowed me to strengthen my plan for helping couples start families. I especially appreciated the international nature of the event since I became more aware of problems and needs on a global setting.”
Anu Chitrapu, President of TiE Boston said, “I am delighted, but not surprised at TiE Boston winner Uros winning the first place in the global competition! His company will allow millions of women, especially the ones currently underserved, to improve their chances of successful pregnancy and safe delivery. Our co-chair, Swarna, put together a stellar team of reviewers composed of charter members and industry experts, who gave feedback to Uros prior to the competition. I am excited for Uros and the future of BisSens8.”
The Co-Chair of TiE Boston University’s Competition this year, Swarna Balasubramanian, said, “It is so great to see the Boston team win the global championship in its first year of participation in the TiE-University program. It was a tough competition and being selected to be the first-place winner from 1400+ startups is no small feat. Kudos to Uros and his team! I am also grateful to the TiE-Boston mentors, judges and organizers who supported him along this entrepreneurship journey.”
Chapter winners went through the semifinal rounds on 14th May 2022. They were mentored by local TiE chapters and supported by global workshops, startup bootcamps and mock sessions. The virtual event was viewed by over 500 audience members from around the world. Teams pitched diverse business ideas covering ed-tech. sustainability, and social impact, amongst others. The event also featured a spotlight on Thomas Healey, Founder and CEO of Hyliion, a young millionaire who made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Dr. Paul Lopez, Founder and Global Co-Chair of TiE University said, “We congratulate the global competition’s #1 winning team, BioSens8, from Boston U and the chapter’s mentors and organizing team for their fantastic results during this inaugural year! A special thanks to TiE Boston for helping to build out the ecosystem in keeping with TiE-U’s mission “to empower college students to become entrepreneurs.”
TiE Boston turns 25 this year. From a simple networking idea 25 years ago, TiE Boston today is leading the startup ecosystem with its signature programs such as TiE Boston Angels, TiE ScaleUp, TiE Young Entrepreneurs, and TiE Women. From a simple networking idea 25 years ago, TiE Boston today is leading the startup ecosystem with its signature programs such as TiE Boston Angels, TiE ScaleUp, TiE Young Entrepreneurs, and TiE Women.The TiE Boston community encompasses students, founders, experienced entrepreneurs, angel investors, and venture capitalists. Its programs foster trusted, long-term relationships between its participants — span education, mentoring, networking, and funding.
TiE University, an initiative of TIE Global, aims to foster entrepreneurship among college students. University startup teams gain access to learning resources, mentorship by successful entrepreneurs and given opportunities to participate in global Hackathons, Startup Bootcamps, and Pitch Competitions. These interactions and experiences help startups take their business from a campus idea into a viable business.
