Idea Submissions 2026
Below are the ideas submitted for the 2026 UM-Dearborn Business Idea Pitch Competition. Click on each to learn more!
Submissions
What is your idea?
VETCare Support Assistant is an AI-driven mental health intake and support system for U.S. veterans that enables emotional check-ins, optional grounding, crisis detection, and clinician escalation, staying with the veteran until care is safely transferred.
Who is your target customer?
Primary users are U.S. veterans experiencing stress, anxiety, PTSD, depression, or emotional overwhelm. Secondary users are clinicians and care teams who need better real-time insight into patient wellbeing between appointments.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Crisis hotlines, mental health chatbots like Wysa and Woebot, VA telehealth tools, and patient portals. Most lack continuous emotional intake, clinician integration, or real-time risk escalation with human follow-up.
What makes your idea different?
VETCare Support Assistant does not replace therapy or automate care. It acts as a safety-first emotional intake layer that logs interactions, offers grounding, flags risk, creates clinician tasks, and ensures every high-risk moment reaches a real human.
Why will your idea be successful?
Veterans often struggle between appointments when support is unavailable. VETCare Support Assistant reduces barriers to seeking help, detects crises earlier, and gives clinicians better emotional context, improving outcomes without increasing system strain.
What is your idea?
Imagine chatGPT, but instead of a screen, it lives in a pen. The Smart AI pen is an intelligent pen that can answer any question, read text aloud, help you write, translate and record.
All while you are writing on paper, you point at words, write a question or speak, and the pair responds instantly. No phone, no apps, no distractions.
Who is your target customer?
Students, professionals, and individuals with learning disabilities or limited literacy who prefer paper-based work. Schools, universities, workplaces, and organizations seeking accessible, distraction-free AI tools are also key customers.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Existing smart pens, voice-based AI assistants, and digital accessibility tools. These depend on screens or separate devices, while our Smart AI pen integrates AI directly into paper-based work.
What makes your idea different?
It puts AI exactly where thinking happens on paper.
Why will your idea be successful?
It meets a real need for faster, distraction-free learning and work. By placing AI directly on paper, the Smart AI Pen boosts productivity, supports accessibility, and empowers users who struggle with screens or traditional tools.
What is your idea?
Neighborly, an innovative application that pairs passengers with drivers from their extended social circles. It is the intersection of Uber's convenience with LinkedIn's verified networks. Neighborly uses community networks to bridge the safety gap in traditional ridesharing, turning "pains" into trusted opportunities. Drivers would only be paired with passengers in their networks and vice versa.
Who is your target customer?
Women/Young People seeking safe late-night transit; Families requiring trusted "village" support for youth activities; and other at-risk passengers who avoid traditional apps due to safety concerns. We capture traditional ride-share users AND those who would otherwise opt out with concerns.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Incumbents like Uber and Lyft, which offer massive scale but rely on stranger interaction; niche safety apps like Safr, which focus on gender matching but often lack driver liquidity; and community platforms like Nextdoor, which have the trust but lack the transit infrastructure.
What makes your idea different?
By integrating your social capital (LinkedIn/Nextdoor type networks), we remove the "stranger danger" of traditional apps and employ your networks. I would never think to pay a friend's brother for a ride. When Neighborly connects us, I have a familiar driver, and he has a familiar passenger.
Why will your idea be successful?
Neighborly will be successful because there is nothing comparable. Whether functioning on campus or community-wide, it benefits riders and drivers. Social capital networks continue to expand, and rideshare safety and convenience should, too.
What is your idea?
RC Camp is a modular, multidisciplinary STEM experience for grade school students. Participants are given a set time frame to design their own remote controlled car, using any resources at the disposal of the camp host. Students may explore 3D printing, fabrication, electronics assembly, and CAD as they prepare their vehicle for a fierce competition: a series of durability and speed tests.
Who is your target customer?
My target customer is STEM non-profits and school districts looking to give their students affordable, multidisciplinary hands on experience. I will work with any organization looking to host RC camp to customize it to the resources they have available and provide custom designed components.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Many companies have attempted to enter this education space. Notably, LEGO has released a line of educational robotics products, Arduino provides small robot kits, and numerous organizations such as FIRST robotics develop similar kits and programs.
What makes your idea different?
My experience is highly customizable to what the camp host has on hand. Rather than providing pre-built components, I encourage participants to learn how to design (simple) mechanical and electrical assemblies from scratch, working with diverse tools such as 3D printers or soldering irons.
Why will your idea be successful?
Multidisciplinary experience is valued now more than ever, as the world seeks to produce solutions that save lives, time, and money. Educators are recognizing the importance of exposing students to a multiple fields to give them the full picture: and RC Camp will help them get ahead quickly.
What is your idea?
University students build up an invisible “decision debt”’, unresolved decisions that occupy their minds. Unlike financial debt, mental debt is not recorded, but it affects productivity, academic performance, and mental health. Students don’t fail because they lack ability. They fail because they put off decisions. Each deferred decision adds to mental debt.
Who is your target customer?
My major target are;
STEM majors
Pre-med / pre-law
Scholarship students
Student leaders
Honors program students
Who are your biggest competitors?
My indirect competitors would be productivity tools such as Todoist and Notion, habit-tracking software, and mental wellness tools such as Headspace. But none of these tools specifically address and quantify the unresolved decision load as a separate mental burden.
What makes your idea different?
DecisionDebt does not track tasks, it tracks unresolved decisions and assigns a Mental Load Score. Rather than helping users organize their work, DecisionDebt relives mental load by walking users through a low-friction process of resolving decisions.
Why will your idea be successful?
Students are experiencing increased levels of anxiety due to the constant stream of choices and pressures. By turning invisible mental stress into quantifiable data with actionable advice, DecisionDebt fills a gap between productivity and mental wellness tools. Today’s Children are tomorrow’s future
What is your idea?
At Beyond Education, we will be hiring people who suffer from homelessness in Michigan. They will provide a service within the renovation skilled trades area to the community. Whether that be home and/or business renovations, repair, or upgrades. This way we are able to help those who suffer from homelessness return back into society as a working-citizen giving them tools they need to succeed.
Who is your target customer?
Ideally I am looking for someone who needs any home and/or business repairs or renovations done and may have a desire to help someone else have the opportunity to overcome the trials of life gaining work experience so they can once again live on their own and no longer suffer from homelessness.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Any home or business repair and renovation company in Michigan.
What makes your idea different?
Beyond Education is not some get rich quick enterprise, but it has the ability to fund itself while making a huge difference in real people's lives that are usually overlooked. This idea has the potential to truly make a dent in homelessness and impact people that may have lost hope or opportunity.
Why will your idea be successful?
Not only will this idea be able to fund itself, it can also receive grants and donations. Beyond Education will provide a service that all homes and businesses need which is the availability of handyman's and renovators. Structures will always be around and will always need fixing, upgrading, etc.
What is your idea?
PostGame is an app that connects former high school athletes so they can continue competing in college. Students sign up with their university email and represent their school in mini physical challenges against other campuses. Competitions range from fastest mile (on foot/bike), to reaction games and gym lifts like max bench press, etc. Stay active, compete, and boost your university’s rank!
Who is your target customer?
PostGame is targeted towards former student athletes who may have not been able to continue their sporting careers in university; either due to financial circumstances, lack teams on campus or skill.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Similar workout apps share the feature of "competing" with others. Unlike those competitors, they lack the team atmosphere that comes with PostGame. Apps like Strava track and monitor workouts similar to PostGame, but isn't built with former student athlete/current university students.
What makes your idea different?
As previously mentioned, PostGame brings the enjoyment of being on a team back to the former student athlete. By competing with your school email, you can raise the physical ranking of your University for the ultimate bragging rights, as well as possible university store deals!
Why will your idea be successful?
I believe in PostGame as it fills a void common in former student athletes, like myself. The longing to be apart of a team, as well as better myself physically. Many former high school classmates of mine failed to reach collegiate sports due to many factors, and PostGame is here to fill that void.
What is your idea?
SpotMe is a fitness matching app that connects gym-goers, certified personal trainers, and local gyms. Whether you're just starting out or ready to level up, SpotMe finds you the right workout partner or verified trainer nearby so no one ever has to walk into a gym alone again.
Who is your target customer?
SpotMe is built for anyone looking to become or stay active, from first-time gym-goers to seasoned athletes and personal trainers. Our platform serves all fitness levels, connecting the right people at the right time
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our biggest competitors are apps like Strava and GymBuddy, which offer pieces of what we do. However no single app combines gym buddy matching, trainer discovery, local gym finding, and verified safety in one place. SpotMe owns that space.
What makes your idea different?
SpotMe is the only app that combines gym buddy matching, verified personal trainers, and local gym discovery in one place. Every user is ID verified for safety, and trainers can sell programs directly through the app. No competitor does all of this together
Why will your idea be successful?
Gym intimidation affects millions and no app has solved it through community. SpotMe tackles fear of judgment, safety, and guidance all at once. With three revenue streams and a verified user base, we are building trust in a space that has never had it.
What is your idea?
Collage is a student-only matchmaking application designed to connect college students based on their educational needs, without a romantic context and built for collaboration. Collage allows students to verify with their university, share the classes they are in and completed, list upcoming exams, share study times, and provide textbooks they have or need. Intelligent matchmaking then pairs them.
Who is your target customer?
Collage's target customers are college students. Specifically undergrad students at large universities with potential for thousands of connections that are currently inefficient and underutilized. Eventually, Collage can expand to graduate students and worldwide institutions.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our competitors include channels like GroupMe, WhatsApp, Discord etc. Also, academic platforms like Chegg, Course Hero, and Quizlet. However, these platforms are usually transactional and content based, they do not have the direct collaboration of verified students in real time on their own campus.
What makes your idea different?
Collage is different because it has verified student-only access with a structured academic matchmaking system, built for academic productivity, unlike social apps. Unlike tutoring services, it promotes peer-to-peer collaboration. Unlike group chats, it uses matchmaking based on real academic inputs
Why will your idea be successful?
Collage will succeed because it addresses the ongoing problem that students need help, resources, and collaboration each year. The demand comes from their own college experience. It builds on networking - as more students join, value increases, while also promoting affordability and accessibility.
What is your idea?
Financial institutions struggle with costly manual KYC processes and high false positives from traditional rule-based AML systems. Our platform uses human-in-loop AI agents to automate complex compliance tasks, while applying contextual reasoning and judgement instead of static rules to reduce risk, lower operational costs, and improve adaptability.
Who is your target customer?
Early customers are fintech startups, neobanks, online payment platforms, and regulated SMEs that must comply with AML/KYC requirements but lack large compliance teams. Initial go-to-market strategy focuses on fintech and financial SMEs in Southeast Michigan before expanding nationally.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Chainalysis, ComplyAdvantage, Alloy, and legacy AML vendors like NICE Actimize and FICO that provide compliance monitoring and risk screening solutions.
What makes your idea different?
Most AML tools use rely on rigid rules engines that generate high false positives. Our platform uses AI agents to analyze context across documents & data sources, reducing manual reviews while providing transparent, auditable reasoning behind every compliance decision.
Why will your idea be successful?
SMEs and fintech startups face strict compliance requirements but lack large compliance teams. Our AI-driven AML SaaS automates complex checks at a fraction of traditional costs. This enables regulated SMEs to scale safely while reducing operational overhead.
What is your idea?
A fixed, secure tap-to-pay device built directly into drive-thru windows. Instead of handing phones or pulling POS systems outside, customers tap their card or phone on a mounted contactless reader. This reduces awkward exchanges, prevents equipment wear, improves speed, and creates a smoother drive-thru experience.
Who is your target customer?
Quick-service restaurants and high-volume drive-thru businesses such as fast-food chains, coffee shops, pharmacies, any establishment that prioritize speed, efficiency, and customer satisfaction.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Existing POS providers like Square, Toast, and NCR, along with mobile handheld payment devices currently used in drive-thrus. Some chains also use basic window pass-through methods without dedicated mounted tap systems.
What makes your idea different?
Unlike handheld POS systems, this solution is permanently mounted, secure, and designed specifically for drive-thru environments. It eliminates device handling, reduces damage to equipment, improves hygiene, and integrates directly with existing payment systems.
Why will your idea be successful?
Drive-thru speed directly impacts revenue. With chains measured on service times, reducing friction at payment increases efficiency and throughput. As contactless payments dominate, a fixed tap system improves workflow while lowering maintenance costs.
What is your idea?
MedClarity AI is an AI-powered roaming service robot that turns complex medical explanations into virtual reality visuals on its touchscreen plus native-language audio. It captures patient teach-back, converts them into a summary for the clinician, and outputs a comprehension score that flags misunderstood points to correct. It can be used for consent, routine visits, and discharge instructions.
Who is your target customer?
Primary customers are hospitals, surgery centers, and primary care clinics that need faster, clearer, multilingual patient communication. Secondary customers include Medicaid plans and public health organizations funding health-equity and language-access solutions.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Interpreter services and translation apps. However, interpreters may be limited by language availability or medical vocabulary and are costly to staff. These tools translate but do not verify patient understanding quantitatively while our robot is a one-time purchase.
What makes your idea different?
Unlike normal translation tools, MedClarity is an AI-powered robot that delivers virtual reality visual explanations and has a large variety of language audio choices. It then runs teach-back, generates a comprehension score, and flags misunderstandings for immediate clinician correction.
Why will your idea be successful?
Healthcare miscommunication drives errors, readmissions, and liability. MedClarity improves understanding while boosting safety and adherence for low-literacy or non-English speaking patients. B2B Software as a Service plus device sales fits hospital budgets and Medicaid or public health programs.
What is your idea?
Most businesses bleed capital by using massive, expensive Generative AI models to answer simple questions. Inquiro AI is an "Intent Orchestrator" that acts as a smart traffic controller for enterprise queries. Instead of defaulting to a costly LLM, it routes requests through a 4-Tier Efficiency Stack, prioritizing low-cost, high-accuracy retrieval methods and easy to deploy or integrate on systems
Who is your target customer?
Small-to-medium businesses, K-12 schools, universities, clinics, and non-profits. Any organization overwhelmed by routine inquiries that lacks the budget for expensive enterprise software or for expensive LLM Models and lacks a dedicated 24/7 support team which are overwhelmed by routine queries.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Competitors include generic chatbots (ChatGPT, Gemini which lacks internal data access) and expensive enterprise platforms (like Salesforce or ServiceNow). We also compete against static search functions on websites and Google Drive, which require manual digging and rarely provide accurate info.
What makes your idea different?
Our architecture uses a smart intent classifier, not just one generic LLM Model for all sort of queries and searches.
Tier 1: Route to a cheap, instant keyword search
Tier 2:Retrieve the Live web data: Web Scrapping
Tier 3:Don't guess, Route to RAG pipeline
Tier 4:Take action: Route to an API call
Why will your idea be successful?
64% of small businesses plan to adopt chatbots by 2026, yet only 25% have fully integrated AI due to cost and complexity. Our hybrid AI assistant reduces hallucinations and cost through intelligent routing, making reliable error proof, secure AI automation affordable for smaller - mid organizations.
What is your idea?
Mochitta is a financial wellbeing app that helps young adults build healthier spending habits. It combines transaction awareness, reflective spending check-ins, mood tagging, and smart nudges before and after purchases to help users pause, think, and spend more intentionally without feeling judged or restricted.
Who is your target customer?
Young adults, especially students and early-career professionals, who struggle with impulse spending, inconsistent budgeting, and financial stress. It is designed for people who want better control of daily spending while still enjoying life and working toward short- and long-term goals.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Mint-style budgeting apps, YNAB, Rocket Money, and spending trackers built into bank apps. Indirectly, habit-tracking and wellness apps also compete because they address self-control and behavior change, but most do not connect emotional reflection with real spending decisions.
What makes your idea different?
Mochitta focuses on behavior, not just budgets. Instead of only showing numbers after the fact, it supports users in the moment of spending through emotional check-ins, reflective prompts, and personalized nudges. It blends financial tracking with mindful decision-making and habit change.
Why will your idea be successful?
Financial stress and impulsive spending are everyday problems for students and young professionals. Mochitta solves a real, frequent pain point with a simple habit-building approach that is relatable, personal, and easy to use, making it more likely to drive repeat use and long-term value.
What is your idea?
A versatile solar charger for USB devices. It is designed to be modular with removable batteries, solar panels, and various attachments for mounting to anything from balcony railings to bicycle handlebars. The system is scalable and can be customized based on each user's needs.
Who is your target customer?
The main customer is someone that is looking to get into solar charging. The product's modularity allows for options that range from simple to elaborate setups. The consumer can start small and work their way up to more advanced systems if desired.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Companies selling USB power banks with solar panels. There are many options all with slight variations. Jackery is one of the more successful brands, but they sell larger, more expensive systems.
What makes your idea different?
It is extremely modular. Someone going on a hike may want just a small solar panel. That same person can own a large battery attachment that they only bring on long camping trips. People at home can snap on parts that allow for solar panels to be mounted to decks, sheds, or put on a patio table.
Why will your idea be successful?
It fits the needs of people ranging from hikers and bicyclists to anyone with a back yard or balcony. The nature of the versatility even allows for users to come up with their own attachments to fit a specialized need.
What is your idea?
AI-powered mobile app that uses computer vision and conversational AI to assess mobility issues and musculoskeletal pain. Users describe symptoms, perform guided movement tests via camera, and receive personalized insights, posture analysis, and corrective exercises, like a virtual physical therapy assistant accessible anytime.
Who is your target customer?
Primary users are individuals with chronic pain, mobility limitations, or poor posture, especially students, remote workers, elderly adults, and people without easy access to physical therapy. Secondary customers include clinics, rehabilitation centers, and wellness programs.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Competitors include telehealth platforms, physical therapy apps (Hinge Health, Kaia Health), and fitness coaching apps. However, most lack real-time computer vision mobility assessment and interactive diagnostic-style movement testing.
What makes your idea different?
Unlike static exercise apps or telehealth visits, our app uses live computer vision to analyze posture, movement, and flexibility in real time. It conducts guided mobility tests through an AI avatar and provides personalized corrective plans based on actual movement data, not just self-reported symp
Why will your idea be successful?
Musculoskeletal pain affects millions, yet physical therapy is expensive and inaccessible for many. An affordable AI mobility assistant offers early detection and preventative care from home. With rising remote work and ageing populations, demand for scalable digital mobility solutions is growing.
What is your idea?
PULSE is an AI-powered campus wellbeing platform that helps students manage stress, stay active, and connect with peers. Using real-time behavioral signals, the app recommends micro-breaks, guided stretches, and short campus walks while enabling anonymous peer support circles. PULSE helps students recharge during demanding academic schedules and build healthier study habits.
Who is your target customer?
Primary customers are universities seeking scalable tools to improve student well-being retention, and engagement. End users are undergraduate and graduate students experiencing academic stress who need simple, daily tools to manage burnout, stay active, and connect with supportive campus community
Who are your biggest competitors?
Major competitors include wellness apps such as Headspace, Calm, and Finch, as well as campus community platforms like Discord or YikYak. However, these tools focus on meditation, productivity, or social interaction separately and are not designed specifically for campus environments.
What makes your idea different?
PULSE integrates AI personalization, real-time campus data, movement prompts, and peer support in one platform designed specifically for university life. PULSE uses behavioral insights to deliver contextual break recommendations and connect students nearby for healthy social interactions.
Why will your idea be successful?
Student stress and burnout are rising in universities worldwide. PULSE provides a scalable, preventive solution that fits into students’ daily routines. By combining AI guidance, movement, and peer support, it helps students recharge, stay focused, and build stronger campus communities.
What is your idea?
Hobbifi is an AI-powered platform that personalizes hobby learning for users. It offers customized learning paths, interactive challenges, community engagement, and AI feedback to help people discover and improve hobbies. The platform also includes a subscription model with “Hobby Crates” containing physical and digital resources.
Who is your target customer?
Hobbifi targets individuals aged 13+ who want to learn new hobbies or improve existing ones. This includes hobby enthusiasts, curious learners exploring new interests, and lifelong learners who enjoy skill development through personalized, community-based learning experiences.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Competitors include platforms like Udemy and Skillshare that provide online courses. However, they focus mainly on general course libraries. Hobbifi differentiates itself with AI-driven personalized hobby learning, community interaction, real-world projects, & a subscription Hobby Crate experience.
What makes your idea different?
Hobbifi transforms hobby learning with AI-personalized learning paths, hands-on projects, community interaction, and a unique “Hobby Crate” subscription delivering tools and resources. It creates a more engaging, personalized experience than traditional online course platforms.
Why will your idea be successful?
The growing demand for online and personalized learning creates strong market potential. Hobbifi’s AI customization, community engagement, and unique hobby crate subscription provide a more engaging experience than traditional course platforms, helping attract and retain users.
What is your idea?
The patent‑pending Halo Handle is an automated, self‑sanitizing surface system that kills pathogens at every use, removes manual cleaning and prevents contamination. Ideal for high‑traffic, health‑sensitive spaces, it offers reliable hygiene where people often skip sanitation stations. It reduces infection risk and employee absenteeism for organizations managing large populations.
Who is your target customer?
The company will market to the healthcare sector, and then scale to business facilities and households. Large institutions will implement the Halo Handle throughout their facilities once the health and monetary savings are shown. Residential customers will enjoy the “peace of mind” that is offered.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Major competitors include self‑disinfecting and hygienic door‑handle makers using UV‑C, gel, or antimicrobial‑coating systems. Competition includes direct sanitizing handle systems such as CleanMotion, i-Clean Handle, and Tweaq Rise.
What makes your idea different?
Unlike passive coatings or sanitation stations, the Halo Handle cleans hands instantly at the moment of contact. It stops re-contamination in real time, tracks refill levels, and turns a simple door handle into an automated, scalable hygiene system for high-traffic spaces.
Why will your idea be successful?
Halo Handle solves a clear, growing problem: reducing germ transmission in high‑touch environments. Demand is rising as hygiene awareness increases. Market is projected to grow 12.5% CAGR. Revenue comes from product sales and a recurring automated sanitizer refill service.
What is your idea?
A student-only ride-sharing app that connects drivers(college students) with fellow students who need rides. Riders can request trips and set their own price, while drivers can offer seats and set a price per seat. Built-in messaging allows students to negotiate. The goal is affordable, flexible transportation powered by a trusted campus community.
Who is your target customer?
College students without reliable transportation—especially since nearly half of college students don’t own vehicles. This includes international students, budget-conscious students, those with long commutes, and students who prefer carpooling to reduce travel costs and carbon footprint
Who are your biggest competitors?
Major competitors include ridesharing platforms such as Uber and Lyft, as well as other transportation options available to students.
What makes your idea different?
This platform is community-focused, connecting college students with other students they trust. Unlike traditional rideshare apps, riders and drivers can set their own prices, offer seats, and negotiate ride costs directly through messaging, creating an affordable transportation option for students
Why will your idea be successful?
This idea will succeed because it offers a cheaper alternative to traditional rideshare apps while serving a large market of college students without cars. A student-only community increases trust and willingness to try it, while helping reduce transportation costs and financial burdens for students
What is your idea?
The Rolling Rouge Project is a community-centered nonprofit that rescues abandoned bicycles and professionally restores them for resale. We collaborate with local communality centers, schools, & humanitarian organizations to organize: 1. student internships 2. free bicycles to the vulnerable 3. sporting events 4. special needs workshops 5. prevent disease 6. reduce pollution - one bike at a time!
Who is your target customer?
Everybody! 1. Donors who would like their bike to serve a nobler purpose than taking up space 2. Buyers seeking affordable bikes 3. Community members needing reliable repairs 4. Student interns seeking hands on experience 5. Special needs individuals looking for inclusive work 6. Sports Enthusiasts
Who are your biggest competitors?
Competitors include local bike shops and big box retailers. In addition to other nonprofit bicycle co-op organizations like 'Back Alley Bikes' in downtown Detroit.
What makes your idea different?
Local bike shops and big box retailers. However, our nitch is quite specialized, and neither of them really fill the gap we do. Other nonprofit bicycle co-op's don't focus on pollution reduction or collaborating with local centers as we do. Our programming is unique & we're close by!
Why will your idea be successful?
Because we serve a REAL & consistent need. Thousands of bikes are abandoned or sold dirt cheap in the winter, and everybody is ready to buy come springtime. Plus, our community needs sport programming! Our kids need internships, we need to reduce pollution, we need to get people off their phones!
What is your idea?
RoEmotion is an emotion detection tool that consists of a wristband with an LED in the center and either a phone camera or just a camera, and this is useful in college classrooms to help professors be able to gauge how the class is feeling. For example, if the professor mentions a topic and students feel nervous or confused, then they can adapt their lesson to better tailor to the students.
Who is your target customer?
Our target customers are universities and colleges looking to improve student engagement and teaching effectiveness.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our biggest competitors include emotion AI companies such as Affectiva, Realeyes, Kairos, and Noldus Information Technology, which provide emotion recognition software.
What makes your idea different?
What makes our idea different is that there are already multiple emotion detectors out there, but there isn't one used in a classroom setting to help improve understanding and promote deeper understanding.
Why will your idea be successful?
Our idea will be successful because there is a need in the education sector. After speaking to multiple professors I had in the past, they said the same thing: they put in multiple hours into their lessons, but they are not sure how well the students are able to retain the topic.
What is your idea?
There are many buildings, plazas, and lots downriver that are vacant and/or eyesores to the community. This presents an opportunity for a group of medical professionals (such as MD, DDS, PharmD, PT, etc.) to practice in a single location. This would mimic medical plazas that already exist such as Cherry Hill Medical Village (Dearborn) and Garfield Park (Traverse City).
Who is your target customer?
Downriver residents seeking convenient and personal medical care. In my work and clinical experience downriver, I've seen and heard of patients frequently changing doctors in various medical professions, since that type of care is continuously lacking. This is an opportunity can be capitalized on.
Who are your biggest competitors?
With the increasing abundance of corporate dental offices, and the monopoly of corporate pharmacies over their respective market, for example, large corporations are the biggest competitor in this type of business. The best way to overcome them is by emphasizing personalized medical care.
What makes your idea different?
This would be different because we would be selling downriver patients on personal care, with individuals who know and have lived in the community their whole life. It would also be easy to host community events in a plaza space, as well as take care of the next generation of medical professionals.
Why will your idea be successful?
This idea is a formula for success because having the medical professional staff composed of community born and raised individuals builds a strong foundation of patients. Success with the patient base will increase credibility and bring new patients in, overcoming any advantages corporations have.
What is your idea?
EcoPick is a micro-delivery platform that reduces food waste by connecting restaurants and bakeries with end-of-day surplus food to nearby customers using small autonomous delivery vehicles. For inedible food and food waste, a bigger autonomous robot collects waste from subscribed businesses as a complimentary service weekly.
Who is your target customer?
Primary customers are restaurants and food vendors with surplus meals. Secondary customers are students and urban residents seeking affordable food. Municipalities and campuses also benefit from reduced food waste through compost delivery services.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Too Good To Go: Marketplace for discounted surplus food, but no delivery for unsold food.
DoorDash / Uber Eats: Provide delivery but are expensive and do not focus on reducing food waste.
Robotic delivery services: Focus on campus delivery, but no food redistribution or waste reduction.
What makes your idea different?
EcoPick combines surplus food marketplaces, autonomous micro-delivery, and compost logistics. Edible surplus is delivered to customers, while spoiled food is routed to compost facilities using larger robots, creating a closed-loop waste reduction system.
Why will your idea be successful?
Food waste and delivery demand are rising globally. EcoPick turns unsold food into revenue for restaurants, lowers delivery costs through automation, and reduces landfill waste through composting, creating financial and environmental value.
What is your idea?
ClassRide is a student-only commute matching app built for commuter campuses like UM-Dearborn. It connects students with similar class schedules and travel routes so they can share rides, split gas costs, lower commuting stress, and make getting to campus safer, cheaper, more reliable, and more sustainable than commuting alone every day.
Who is your target customer?
Our target customers are commuter college students, especially those who regularly drive to campus, spend too much on gas, parking, or daily travel, and want a more affordable, reliable, convenient, and less stressful way to get to class, campus events, study sessions, and university activities.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our biggest competitors are Uber, Lyft, general carpool apps, public transit, and student group chats. These options are often expensive, inconsistent, less flexible for class schedules, or not designed specifically for trusted, student-only commuting between home, campus, and nearby destinations.
What makes your idea different?
ClassRide is built specifically for commuter students. It matches users by school, class schedule, and travel route, making ride-sharing more practical, trusted, and relevant than generic ride apps or unstructured chats. It focuses on recurring campus commutes instead of random one-time rides.
Why will your idea be successful?
This idea will be successful because commuting is a repeated weekly challenge for many students. ClassRide solves a real problem by helping students save money, reduce stress, travel more conveniently, and commute more sustainably, making it valuable for both students and the campus community.
What is your idea?
A modular worksurface that sits on top of any desk or table, instantly transforming it into a reconfigurable platform. It accepts plug-in modules like charging outlets, tool racks, organizers, etc. Users can swap or rearrange modules to fit changing personal and professional needs, allowing for a wide range of applications.
Who is your target customer?
SNAPSLATE targets remote workers, creative professionals, and makers who need adaptable, organized workspaces. Ideal for roles in engineering, design, cooking, and art where workspace flexibility and modularity directly impact productivity.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Major competitors, like Thread Boards and IKEA Skådis pegboard, offer customizable storage systems with panels, pegboards, and accessory mounts for easier access, mainly in vertical configurations. Various modular desks also serve as competitors; they function as full pieces of furniture.
What makes your idea different?
SNAPSLATE is a portable, modular overlay that transforms any desk into a customizable workspace. Unlike vertical systems or modular desks, it enables rapid, flexible organization with interchangeable plug-in modules, all without replacing existing furniture.
Why will your idea be successful?
SNAPSLATE will succeed because it meets the growing demand for flexible, organized workspaces. Its portable, modular design lets users easily tailor their workspace to changing tasks, enhancing productivity and convenience without costly furniture upgrades.
What is your idea?
The PiezoMaker uses piezoelectric meta material to power pacemakers by converting the body’s natural vibrations, such as heartbeats and movements, into electrical energy. This self-sustaining technology eliminates the need for battery replacements. The PiezoMaker aims to replace lead-battery based pacemakers with a safer, long-lasting, and more sustainable alternative to power pacemakers.
Who is your target customer?
Our target consumer would be medical device companies seeking safer, longer-lasting, and eco-friendly pacemakers. These companies would then supply hospitals and medical offices, allowing the PiezoMaker technology to reach patients who need it the most.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our biggest competitors would be companies that produce lithium iodide batteries for medical use such as manufacturers like Medtronic, Boston Scientific, and Abbott.
What makes your idea different?
The PiezoMaker replaces traditional lithium iodide batteries by using Piezoelectricity to generate power from the body’s vibrations. This lead free technology extends pacemaker lifespans, reduces environmental waste, and eliminates the need for battery replacement surgeries.
Why will your idea be successful?
The PiezoMaker’s revolutionary design reduces the risks and costs of battery replacement surgeries. Patients will now have a much safer, reliable, and eco-friendly power source for their pacemaker. With the PiezoMaker, we will get the industry's blood pumping, one vibration at a time!
What is your idea?
Our idea is to create a wearable product that makes navigating everyday life easier for individuals with visual impairment. The product will serve as an assistive device that provides real-time responses to questions about individuals’ surroundings, lets them know of obstacles in their path, and provides navigation cues such as exits, stairs, and room locations, improving independence and safety.
Who is your target customer?
Our target customers are individuals with visual impairments who want greater independence when navigating daily environments. This includes people who are blind or have low vision, as well as organizations such as rehabilitation centers, schools, and mobility training programs that support them.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Existing solutions such as smart walking aide Glide and apps like BlindSquare that provide audio guidance exists. Our hands-free headgear improves on these by aligning with the user’s field of view while delivering real-time audio feedback, obstacle detection, voice interaction for better experience
What makes your idea different?
Our idea focuses on comfort, discretion, and accessibility. The lightweight headgear with an AI vision for obstacle detection and voice interaction is combined into one device. It also provides continuous environmental awareness at an affordable price and is easy to use in daily life for all ages
Why will your idea be successful?
Millions of visually impaired individuals seek greater independence. Our hands-free device helps users explore surroundings, avoid obstacles, and navigate safely. It also supports everyday tasks like cooking new recipes or taking notes in class, making daily activities easier, safer, and accessible.
What is your idea?
Sukkari is focused on harnessing the power of date and fruits to create healthy, tasty, and refreshing food and beverage combinations without the crash. Sukkari uses them to enhance the flavor experience and reduce sugars in items to create healthier alternatives.
Who is your target customer?
Families, children, vegan, vegetarian, and health conscious individuals who do not want to sacrifice their sweet tooth. They look forward to indulging in desserts but are worried of the impacts traditional sweets may have.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Wanna Date
Let's Date
Fresh Fizz Date Cola
poppi
ollipop
What makes your idea different?
No artificial flavors, high fructose corn syrup, and dyes here! All ingredients shine! Ingredients are locally sourced.
Why will your idea be successful?
The demand for healthier and tastier is increasing as people are seeking maximum flavor combinations for their day to day lives. My idea does not give the jitters and caffeine crash provided by other products.
What is your idea?
BAC2Bac (Bring A Cartridge To Bacteria) is a sustainable e-waste recycling service focused on discarded vape devices’s batteries. We collect waste from smoke shops and community centers, using bioleaching (microorganisms that recover valuable metals like lithium) to : reduce landfill hazards, support a circular, eco-friendly economy, negating the need for high energy, while curbing safety risks.
Who is your target customer?
Our target customers are vape retailers, schools, and municipalities in areas like Dearborn, where vape use is rising. We will provide secure deposit bins, scheduled pickups, towards turning hazardous vape waste into recovered metals and also aim towards support a local circular economy & profits.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Our main competitors are Waste Management, TerraCycle, and local hazardous-waste programs, but they focus on general e-waste, not vape-specific collection. BAC2Bac stands out by offering convenient local pickups with a specialized vape-waste solutions for retailers, schools, and municipalities.
What makes your idea different?
By uniquely targeting vape waste with scheduled pickups to implement the simple yet advanced mechanism involving bioleaching towards recover valuable materials., we leverage local businesses and research hubs towards a collaborative sustainable economy that can tackle growing environmental problem.
Why will your idea be successful?
Vape use is surging, creating millions of discarded devices with valuable lithium batteries. With only ~3% of Li-ion batteries recycled, using bioleaching to recover metals offers retailers and schools easy disposal while tapping into a rapidly growing multi-billion-dollar battery-recycling market!
What is your idea?
A smart water monitoring system that detects leaks instantly, tracks detailed consumption patterns, predicts potential failures, and provides actionable insights for homes, offices, and campuses to save water efficiently.
Who is your target customer?
Homeowners, office buildings, educational institutions, and municipal water utilities seeking to reduce water waste, prevent damage, and optimize consumption while promoting sustainability across facilities.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Flume, Phyn, Moen Smart Water, LeakSmart, and other IoT-enabled water monitoring solutions providing leak alerts and basic usage tracking but lacking predictive analytics and campus-scale integration.
What makes your idea different?
Combines real-time leak detection, predictive analytics, automated alerts, detailed consumption tracking, and a user-friendly dashboard for large-scale deployments, enabling proactive water management unlike existing reactive solutions.
Why will your idea be successful?
Growing water scarcity, sustainability awareness, and regulatory pressures create strong demand; the system prevents water damage, reduces costs, and encourages responsible usage, making it highly adoptable across homes, campuses, and cities.
What is your idea?
Excel Assistant is a web-based AI tool that automatically compares Excel and CSV files to detect missing, new, or mismatched records. It eliminates manual spreadsheet reconciliation by providing fast, accurate comparisons through a simple browser interface with secure login and automated validation for large datasets.
Who is your target customer?
Business analysts, accountants, auditors, data analysts, students, researchers, and small businesses who frequently compare spreadsheets for reporting, auditing, data validation, and reconciliation tasks.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Microsoft Excel Power Query, Ablebits Compare Sheets, Spreadsheet Compare, Google Sheets tools, and other spreadsheet auditing and comparison utilities used for data reconciliation.
What makes your idea different?
Unlike traditional spreadsheet tools that require manual setup or complex formulas, Excel Assistant provides automated file comparison through a simple web interface with secure login, real-time validation, and instant mismatch detection.
Why will your idea be successful?
Organizations rely heavily on spreadsheets for reporting and audits. Automating comparison tasks reduces errors, saves significant time, and improves productivity, making the tool valuable for businesses, analysts, and institutions handling large datasets.
What is your idea?
Prep4Me is a campus-first meal delivery service solving the healthy food gap for UM-Dearborn and Henry Ford College’s 19,500+ students. We deliver fresh Mediterranean-fusion meals starting at $6 per meal, with bulk plans lowering prices to around $4 per meal. Operating from efficient kitchens near the Detroit–Dearborn border keeps costs low while staying minutes from campus.
Who is your target customer?
Primary customers are UM-Dearborn and Henry Ford College students, including commuters and residents at The Union dorms, who lack time to cook and rely on fast food during busy study periods. Together these campuses serve over 19,500 students, creating strong demand for convenient, affordable meals.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Competitors include campus dining and nearby restaurants like Picasso, which have limited hours and higher prices, and meal services like HelloFresh or Factor. Delivery apps like DoorDash also add fees. None focus specifically on students with affordable ready-to-eat meals and free campus delivery.
What makes your idea different?
Prep4Me has student-focused delivery, flexible bundles, and Mediterranean-fusion meals designed for busy schedules. Meals start at $6 and drop to about $4 when students buy larger bundles. Operating from kitchens near the Detroit–Dearborn border keeps costs low while keeping fast campus delivery.
Why will your idea be successful?
With over 19,500 students across UM-Dearborn and Henry Ford College, many rely on fast food due to time and cost constraints. Prep4Me offers a healthier and affordable alternative with flexible pricing. Starting hyper-local builds strong campus demand before expanding the model to other universities
What is your idea?
PegasusGo is a mobile platform that helps Metro Detroit residents navigate public transportation more safely and reliably. The app provides real time bus tracking, route planning, safety information about bus stops, and backup ride options when transit is delayed. It is designed to make Detroit’s transit system more accessible and convenient for riders who depend on it daily.
Who is your target customer?
Primary users include Detroit residents who rely on public transportation, particularly elderly residents, immigrants, students, and workers without access to a car. Secondary users may include city transit agencies and organizations seeking to improve transit accessibility and rider safety.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Apps like Google Maps, Transit, and DDOT provide route plans and schedules but are not designed specifically for the challenges of Detroit's transit system. They lack accessibility/language features for diverse communities, and solutions when buses are delayed or unreliable.
What makes your idea different?
PegasusGo is designed around the needs of transit dependent individuals, which includes elders, immigrants, and disabled people. Unlike general transit apps, it prioritizes accessibility, safety, and real time updates so riders can make informed decisions about their routes.
Why will your idea be successful?
Detroit is one of the most car dependent cities in America, yet hundreds of residents still rely on buses to reach work, school, and medical care. PegasusGo makes transit safer, easier to navigate, and more reliable for the people who depend on it most, essentially removing barriers in mobility.
What is your idea?
Spendora is an AI-powered mobile app that scans receipts, tracks expenses, and monitors food freshness. It automatically categorizes spending, reminds users when groceries are expiring, tracks food waste, and provides financial analytics — helping students spend smarter and waste less.
Who is your target customer?
College students and young adults managing independent living for the first time. Particularly those on tight budgets who struggle with both overspending and food waste — two of the biggest financial pain points for students living alone or in shared housing.
Who are your biggest competitors?
Mint and YNAB for expense tracking. NoWaste and Fridgely for food tracking. None combine both. All require manual entry, lack AI receipt scanning, and don't connect spending data to freshness tracking. Spendora is the only app solving both problems together.
What makes your idea different?
Spendora uniquely combines AI receipt scanning, expense categorization, and food freshness tracking in one app. No bank linking needed. All data stays on-device for privacy. It automatically detects perishables from receipts and creates a freshness timeline without any manual input.
Why will your idea be successful?
Students waste $1,500+ in food yearly while facing financial stress. Spendora solves both with one scan. A working Android app already exists. The AI-first, privacy-focused approach fills a gap no competitor addresses. It directly improves financial and physical health on campus.
What is your idea?
A smart energy optimization platform for campuses that monitors electricity usage in real-time, predicts peak demand, dynamically controls loads, and provides AI-driven insights to reduce waste, lower costs, and improve sustainability for large buildings and institutions.
Who is your target customer?
Universities, corporate campuses, research centers, and large institutions aiming to reduce energy costs, minimize carbon footprint, and comply with sustainability mandates through intelligent, data-driven power management
Who are your biggest competitors?
Schneider Electric EcoStruxure, Siemens Desigo, Honeywell Building Management Systems, Johnson Controls, and other energy management platforms offering monitoring but limited real-time optimization and predictive analytics.
What makes your idea different?
Combines real-time monitoring, AI-driven predictive load balancing, dynamic energy optimization, and actionable dashboards to proactively reduce energy waste and costs, offering proactive management instead of passive reporting.
Why will your idea be successful?
Rising energy costs, sustainability mandates, and ESG pressures make smart energy management essential; actionable real-time insights enable campuses to save costs, reduce emissions, and demonstrate measurable energy efficiency gains.