TiE Boston TYE Academy Showcases Next Generation of Young Entrepreneurs at 2026 Final Pitch Competition
Fifty high school students across Greater Boston presented startup ventures tackling real-world challenges in health, climate, safety, and technology
BOSTON, MA — TiE Boston’s TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Academy celebrated the conclusion of its 2025–2026 program year with its annual Final Pitch Competition on May 9, showcasing the creativity, hard work, and entrepreneurial growth of high school students from across the Greater Boston area.
This year’s TYE Academy brought together 50 students across 9 teams and 2 cohorts, who spent the program year developing startup ideas, conducting customer discovery, building business models, preparing financial projections, creating prototypes, and pitching their ventures to experienced entrepreneurs, executives, and investors.
The Final Pitch Competition marked the culmination of months of teamwork, mentorship, and hands-on learning. Students presented ventures addressing real-world challenges in areas including health, climate, sports equipment, transportation safety, and building technology. The event also featured esteemed guest speaker Tracey Noonan, of Shark Tank fame, who shared practical advice and encouragement with TYE’s up-and-coming entrepreneurs, emphasizing the importance of persistence, resilience, customer focus, and learning from setbacks.
As the first-place team, PulseAera will travel to Seattle in June to represent TiE Boston at the TYE Global Finals, while FreshPods, this year’s first runner-up, will compete later this month in the TYE Wild Card Competition.
TYE represents exactly what TiE Boston is committed to building: a strong, inclusive pipeline of future entrepreneurs and leaders,” said Purnanand Sarma, President of TiE Boston. “Our TYE students are not only learning what it takes to start a company, they are learning how to work as a team, solve problems, communicate ideas and lead with confidence. We are incredibly proud of what they accomplished this year.”
The success of the program was made possible through the dedication of TYE’s volunteer ecosystem, including Senior Mentors, who are founders, executives, and experienced professionals; Junior Mentors, who are university students studying entrepreneurship; Alumni Co-Directors, who returned to support the next generation of TYE students; and a range of guest speakers who brought real-world insight into entrepreneurship, innovation, finance, marketing, AI, and leadership.
“Serving as an Alumni Co-Director gave me an entirely new perspective on TYE,” said Shyani Patel, TYE Alumni Co-Director. “As a participant, I learned how to build and pitch a venture, but as a Co-Director, I learned even more about leadership, mentorship, communication, and what it takes to help a team grow over time.”
Parents also praised the program’s impact on students’ confidence, leadership, and readiness for future opportunities.
“I’ve been incredibly impressed by the quality and structure of the TYE Boston program. Through building a business plan with a team of co-founders, my son gained hands-on entrepreneurial skills, confidence in presenting, and valuable experience collaborating with peers — all while genuinely enjoying the process. The caliber of the mentors, guest speakers, and overall program experience was exceptional. Thank you to Adam and the wonderful team at TYE,” says Zenobia Moochhala.
2025–2026 TYE Boston Winning Teams
- 1st Place: PulseAera (Vihaan Tripathi, Shaurya Bedre, Chetan Pisupati, Arjun Singhania, Diya Nair, Zaid Rana)
Proprietary HVAC air filters using modular technology and industry-grade pressure and temperature sensors to seamlessly fit into existing HVAC systems, helping reduce costs, prevent allergy and asthma symptoms, and lower HVAC bills. - 1st Runner-Up: FreshPods (Drew Nguyen, Logan Potter, Zain Paulson, Xavier Cardoso, Sohalia Zafari)
- FreshPods helps athletes quickly refresh difficult-to-clean gear by using silica gel to absorb moisture, activated charcoal to reduce odor, and UV-C light to sanitize equipment between deeper cleans.
- 2nd Runner-Up: GuardianSync (Aarav Mandadapu, Widyane Al Jassim, Hauke Abeltsai, Mithra Vaddeboina, Myshtee Malavia, Navya Setlur)
- GuardianSync is a parent-controlled car safety system that combines hardware and a connected app to manage vehicle starter access, using features like a breathalyzer and GPS tracker to promote safer driving.
- Best Lean Canvas: AeroSynth
- AeroSynth uses IoT temperature and humidity sensors to monitor HVAC systems for proactive maintenance, helping urban buildings reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.
- Best Prototype: GuardianSync
TiE Boston extends its gratitude to the mentors, judges, speakers, parents, volunteers, and community partners who supported this year’s students. Their contributions are central to the TYE model and help students build entrepreneurial skills, financial literacy, leadership capacity, and real-world professional confidence.
