A student startup company developed by two School of Design students during the Invent@SU invention accelerator program took the top prize at the 2018 Syracuse University Impact Prize Competition organized by Blackstone Launchpad. The winners were selected for presenting the most innovative and implementable ideas to help solve civic, environmental, economic or other public challenges as part of a campus-wide social entrepreneurship challenge.
MedUX, invented by Quinn King ’20 and Alec Gillinder ’20, who are both majoring in industrial and interaction design, won first place and $6,500 in funding. Their wearable, portable IV system allows patients to remain mobile while receiving treatment. King and Gillinder also won the SU Campus session of Invent@SU in the summer of 2018.
“Participation in the Invent@SU acceleration program has consistently been a pivotal success factor for winning teams,” says Blackstone Launchpad Executive Director Linda Hartsock. “Invent@SU provides the framework for ideation, iteration, discovery and feedback, as well as prototyping and pitching. Students who participate in Invent@SU are well prepared to work with us on next steps related to product and business model development, and take their inventions from concept to commercialization. The Invent@SU–Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars partnership is truly unique, and provides an integrated roadmap to help students succeed at being both inventors and entrepreneurs.”