Announcing the 2026 STARTedUP Challenge Wildcard Teams!
Region 2: Dermi from Carmel High School
Region 3: Iconic Looks from McKenzie Career Center
Region 4: NAM from Mishawaka High School
To every single student who competed this season, THANK YOU.
The ideas, the work ethic, the courage to pitch? That's what this is all about!
We're so proud of each and every one of you.
See you in June for State Finals!
And for our Region 5 winner - Reese Olivia Creative, founded by Reese Streicher from Carroll High School.
Reese Olivia Creative offers custom designs through embroidery and painting, turning personal ideas into meaningful, one-of-a-kind creations, all for His glory.
Announcing our Region 7 winning team - Phoenix Phuels comprised of Nathan Jones, Bradley Moore & Jude Sabla from Terre Haute North Vigo High School
Phoenix Phuels cuts down on plastic waste in landfills and helps lower gas prices at the same time by turning plastic into fuel.
Last but not least - Region 5 is a week away!
On April 30th, 10 student teams from Northeast Indiana will take the stage at Trine University's Fabiani Theatre in Angola to pitch for a spot in the STARTedUP Challenge Finals. Doors open at 8AM, pitches start at 9AM (yes, there is a livestream!)
🗓️ April 30, 2026 | 9AM–1PM EST
🎟️ RSVP link in bio
Meet the teams competing 👇
💿 FrontLine Exterior Cleaning — FrontLine Exterior Cleaning provides professional pressure washing, soft washing, and window cleaning services to keep homes clean and damage-free while donating a portion of revenue to the Veteran Endowment Fund of DeKalb County. — Owen Holt | DeKalb High School
💿 Gamefowl Tagging — Gamefowl Tagging marries NFC/RFID leg band technology with animal health data so that farmers have better access to vital information that enhances both the quality of their operations and the health of their animals. — Saul Badillo | Amp Lab
💿 Timber & Cocoa — Timber & Cocoa brings high-quality, customizable hot chocolate to Fort Wayne's winter events through a mobile beverage cart, giving cold-weather crowds a warm, memorable treat they can count on. — Caleb DeGood | Carroll High School
💿 Bomber Bolt — Bomber Bolt delivers a high-strength repair solution designed to solve a persistent problem in climbing gyms — the time-intensive, inconsistent, and often repeated failure of replacing and fixing T-nut holes. — Liam Gypson | Amp Lab
💿 Do You Know Disabilities? — Do You Know Disabilities? aims to teach everyone about all types of mental and physical disabilities, helping people with disabilities feel more seen and helping eliminate bullying. — Austyn Johnson & Susan Anderson | DeKalb High School
💿 BJ's Windows & More — BJ's Windows & More is a window cleaning business based in Fort Wayne, Indiana that specializes in customer service and providing a wide range of accompanying services. — Bryson Baney & Jordan Sheppard | Amp Lab
💿 Reese Olivia Creative — Reese Olivia Creative offers custom designs through embroidery and painting, turning personal ideas into meaningful, one-of-a-kind creations, all for His glory. — Reese Streicher | Carroll High School
We were proud to welcome STARTedUP’s Regional Pitch Competition to Luddy Indianapolis as the Region 3 host site. From bold ideas to real-world solutions, student entrepreneurs showed the power of innovation in action. Congratulations to every team who competed and helped make the day such a success.
Announcing our Region 4 winner, Brandon Ateke from Munster High School!
Brandon's venture is Course Caddy, a golf ball retrieval system that saves both time and money through color strip and drone technology.
Announcing our Region 3 winning team, Luna Bandages comprised of Luke Padgett & Nathan Peck from Brownsburg High School!
Luna Bandages completely revolutionizes the bandage industry with first-of-its-kind reusable, hook and loop secured, fabric bandages that prevent and treat blisters.
Announcing our Region 6 winning team - Kishan Patel & Tucker Harris with Roots2Results, from Floyd Central High School!
Roots2Results is an AI-powered platform that simplifies and translates complex financial and business documents, tailored to local regulations and built to support immigrant and non-citizen entrepreneurs navigating systems like visas and compliance.
Region 7 is a week away!
On April 27th, 10 student teams from West Central Indiana will take the stage at Indiana State University's Scott College of Business in Terre Haute to pitch for a spot in the STARTedUP Challenge Finals. Doors open at 8AM, pitches start at 9AM
🗓️ April 27, 2026 | 9AM–1PM EST
🎟️ RSVP link in bio
Meet the teams competing 👇
💿 Click Color Brailler — Click Color Brailler is a portable, cost-efficient brailler device that enables the visually impaired community to easily identify the color of clothing anywhere, improving clothing shopping accessibility while amplifying global awareness of visual impairment. — Liana Nascimbene & Melissa Anderson | South Putnam High School
💿 CoverSafe — CoverSafe provides quick, affordable, customized window coverings that block visibility into classrooms while allowing students and staff to safely see out, keeping classrooms and schools beautiful. — Layla Brosey | Terre Haute North Vigo High School
💿 Glamorous Gecko's Reptile Shop — Glamorous Gecko's Reptile Shop helps support struggling reptile shelters and owners by making crocheted and sewn reptile hammocks and other fabric products from recycled materials, selling them to reptile owners, and donating a percentage of profits to reptile shelters. — Alex Grayson, Jacob Deakins & Ashelyn Nugent | South Putnam High School
💿 Reading Rules! — Reading Rules! is an interactive reading app that keeps kids involved with real voice overs, sounded-out words, recordings of kids reading, and more — fun, low-stimulation learning with no AI. — Evangeline Mitchell | Terre Haute North Vigo High School
💿 Project North — Project North creates detailed 1:1 scale digital models of schools and historic buildings in Roblox to preserve their architecture, history, and memories so people can explore them even after the real buildings are changed or no longer exist. — Aidan Harvey | Terre Haute North Vigo High School
Region 4 is this Thursday!
On April 23rd, 10 student teams from Northwest Indiana will take the stage at the Great Hall Events & Conference Center at Purdue Northwest in Westville to pitch for a spot in the STARTedUP Challenge Finals. Doors open at 8AM, pitches start at 9AM!
🎟️ RSVP link in bio
Meet the teams competing 👇
💿 NAM — NAM Spike Guard protects track athletes' racing spikes with a lightweight, snap-on cover that prevents damage on hard surfaces while allowing comfortable movement between events. — Aris Koehler, Mason Green & Noah Deeds | Mishawaka High School
💿 Course Caddy — Course Caddy is a golf ball retrieval system that saves both time and money through color strip and drone technology. — Brandon Walker | Munster High School
💿 Filet Twist — Filet Twist is a compact twist-on filet knife, connecting at the bottom of the pole where the filet knife sits inside a hollowed out part of the pole. — Cameron Hutson | Hobart High School
💿 Berean Dynamics — Berean Dynamics is developing a force-feedback training system for health-science programs that helps teachers deliver structured touch-skill practice through a local-first glove and dashboard station designed for classroom use. — Jonathan Lai | Valparaiso High School
💿 WeSpeak — WeSpeak eases communication between an autistic mute child and their caregivers with a non-technological device. — Juliet Lux | Lowell Senior High School
💿 Ready Set Grow Enterprises, LLC — A smart greenhouse business made to give kids the nutrition they need. — Ethan Hollins | Lake Central High School
💿 SunCompute — SunCompute turns rooftop solar and a side-of-house AI computer box into clean computing power for companies that reduce data center load, while reusing the heat generated to lower homeowners' water-heating costs and provide passive monthly income. — Kelly Fields | Hanover Central High School
Announcing our Region 1 winning team, PageMD!
PageMD is comprised of Seth Donea, Chaz Burkett, & Veronica Rodionova from Signature School!
Description: is An AI-powered medical paging system that eliminates phone bottlenecks in clinics by intelligently handling and routing incoming calls, allowing staff to focus on patient care.
Congratulations to our Region 2 winning students Riya Koya & Zaina Khan with OccluSense from Carmel High School!
OccluSense is transforming IV safety by replacing one-size-fits-all alarm systems with context-aware pressure analysis, reducing alarm fatigue, preventing unnecessary patient mortality, and freeing up critical nursing time through a smarter, more responsive hospital alerting.
