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Our team is growing! Our new George Hacks 2019-2020 team has been working hard this summer, and we can’t wait to get this fall semester started! We’ve got some exciting events coming up this semester, and, of course, stay tuned for more info about our 3rd Annual Medical Solutions Hackathon on January 25th-26th! Follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest George Hacks upcoming news.
Alright then! Let’s meet some of the faces behind our operations!
Our faculty advisor, Jason Zara, was awarded a $25,000 grant from the KEEN Foundation for a project titled “Engineering for the Public Good.” Dr. Zara will work with Annamaria Konya Tannon (GW Innovation Center) and GW Engineering to develop community engagement projects that focus on the development of an entrepreneurial engineering mindset.
KEEN consists of a network of universities that focus on developing an entrepreneurial mindset in engineering undergraduates. KEEN strives to help students learn how to be curious about the problems surrounding them, make connections between multiple areas of information, and create value for the world by developing engineering solutions to important problems. GW joined KEEN in the fall of 2018.
We are very proud of Professor Zara’s work to improve our undergraduate students education!
The GW Summer Start-up Accelerator (GWSSA), run by the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, is the accelerator for top student startups at the George Washington University. This 9-week summer program engages student entrepreneurs who want to develop a startup venture. The program provides the students with funding, mentorship, and resources.
Three George Hacks affiliated teams were accepted into this intensive program. We are so proud of all their hard work and with them the best of luck this summer!
Our co-founder and former director, Michael Ready, is a member of Vaulted Vinyl, the Premium POP! Vinyl Protection Company, which offers top-tier protection for Funko Pops all over the world.
Sam Bunger, our web developer, is one of the engineers behind Voxion, a user-friendly and cost-effective solution for consumer-facing businesses to build custom voice applications.
Two former George Hacks participants, Jagan Doodala and Christian Trummer, are the founders of WATTerWagon, which increases water carrying capacity and eliminates strenuous labor for hundreds of millions living in rural water-scarce regions.
The GW Summer Startup Accelerator (SSA) will hold its Showcase and Demo Day on July 18, 2019 in Duques Hall on the Foggy Bottom campus of the George Washington University. We’re excited to see how they all progress!
As the Spring semester came to a close, we enjoyed bringing the George Hacks community back together once more to share this year’s progress, talk about our future plans, and express our gratitude for people’s contribution to George Hacks.
The George Hacks Year in Review Social was held on Thursday, May 2nd in B1 of the GW Science and Engineering Hall.
The team enjoyed indulging in some hors d’oeuvres and desserts while mingling with participants, GW faculty, mentors, and sponsors.
Thank you to everyone who attended and for making this year such a huge success!
This past Thursday, three of the George Hacks leaders attended the CONNECTpreneur Forum in Columbia, MD. Caitlyn, Konstantin, and Michael enjoyed meeting with some incredible entrepreneurs and business leaders. The Big Idea CONNECTpreneur Forum is a Community of over 8000 CEOs, Entrepreneurs, VCs and angels, CXOs and other business leaders in the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Some event highlights:
George Hacks is excited to further our outreach and create these new partnerships.
Our very own Social Media Chair and former George Hacks participant, Christianne Chua, has been named a 2019 Barry T. Goldwater Scholar, the highest national-level award for outstanding undergraduate researchers in STEM.
Christianne is the only SEAS student (and one of three GW students) to receive this prestigious award. Her research is in the field of cardiac optogenetics in Dr. Emilia Entcheva’s laboratory; she was trained by and worked closely with PhD students Julie Han and Weizhen Li.
We are so proud of you, Christianne, and keep up the hard work!
Last Thursday night, four George Hacks affiliated teams won big at the 11th Annual GW Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s New Venture Competition Finals. 216 teams entered into the competition back in January and only 12 teams advanced all the way to the finals round. We are so proud of all their hard work and wish them the best of luck moving forward!
Congratulations to our director, Caitlyn Pratt, and her team, Takin’ it Easy, which won Runner-Up in the Technology Ventures track ($5,000). Takin’ it Easy is a user-friendly, cost-effective automated pill dispenser providing medical safety and autonomy for users and families.
Congratulations to the Mobility Innovators team, who won Runner-Up in the Social Ventures track ($5,000). The team developed a compact tray designed for U.S. veteran wheelchair users. Their problem statement was originally provided by the Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem at the 2019 George Hacks Medical Solutions Hackathon.
Congratulations to the Voxion team, who also competed in the finals round and was awarded an Honorable Mention ($2,500). Voxion is a user-friendly and cost-effective solution for consumer-facing businesses to build custom voice applications.
Congratulations to two former George Hacks participants, Jagan Doodala and Christian Trummer, founders of WATTerWagon, which won the Quinn Prize for Best International & Social Entrepreneurship Venture ($7,500). WATTerWagon increases water carrying capacity and eliminates strenuous labor for hundreds of millions living in rural water-scarce regions.
Did you know we work with the GW Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship?
The GW Office on Innovation and Entrepreneurship works with George Hacks and other organizations such as GW Data to host hackathons, competitive events in which groups work to create functioning product designs.
“GW Students Pursue Startups and Entrepreneurship,” GW Today
Our director, Caitlyn Pratt, had the opportunity to share her experience launching her own company, Takin’ it Easy, which focuses on medication management through an automatic pill dispenser system.
Takin’ it Easy has a working prototype and will be competing in the final round of the New Venture Competition this Thursday. After developing a more refined prototype, Ms. Pratt’s team hopes to launch a pilot program with their local Veteran Affairs contacts, previously established through George Hacks, before launching a Kickstarter campaign.
“GW Students Pursue Startups and Entrepreneurship,” GW Today
View the full article here.
This week, three George Hacks affiliated teams advanced to the final round of the GW Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship’s New Venture Competition. 12 teams remain out of 216 that entered. We are so proud of all their hard work and wish them the best of luck moving forward!
Our director, Caitlyn Pratt, is CEO of her company Takin’ It Easy, which developed an automatic pill dispenser to alleviate the burden placed on caregivers when taking care of their loved ones. The venture was first developed last November at VCU HealthHacks.
Giavanna Corazza, a George Hacks Ambassador, continued to work on her pitch provided by the Veterans Health Administration Innovation Ecosystem at the 2019 George Hacks Medical Solutions Hackathon. Her team, Mobility Innovators, developed a compact tray for U.S. veterans who are wheelchair bound and lack independence.
Sam Bunger, the George Hacks web developer, is one of the engineers behind Voxion, a user-friendly and cost-effective solution for consumer-facing businesses to build custom voice applications.
Today, March 25th, marks one year since George Hacks’ inaugural medical solutions hackathon at the George Washington University.
Reflecting on the previous year, I am extremely proud of our accomplishments. I remember jumping on a fundraising call and being told that we do not have enough time to organize a quality event and therefore no monetary support would be given. Two months later, we had an incredible inaugural event that set the tone for the continued growth and success of our organization.
Konstantin Mitic, BME B.S. ‘18, M.S. ‘20
Co-Founder, George Hacks
George Hacks is a student-led organization that provides students a platform for problem-based, interdisciplinary healthcare innovation for social impact. We focus on the intersection between the medical field and entrepreneurship.
Our ‘hackathons’ are innovation competitions that facilitate early applications of classroom knowledge to real-world issues, develop teamwork skills, and improve communication of ideas across disciplines.
We present innovation challenges sourced directly from the needs of healthcare organization partners to give students the opportunity to address existing problems in healthcare. To facilitate students’ success, we provide a multitude of resources including workshops for technical and soft skills, mentorship from industry professionals, and the opportunity to continue developing your idea after our hackathon.
From our past two hackathons, we have accumulated more than 160 hackers, 41 teams, 110 mentors & judges, and 28 collaborators. Problem statements and solutions from our events have since been granted pro bono patents, won prizes at business and entrepreneurial competitions, and have been entered into departmental senior design programs.
We aim to keep expanding the organization to more universities in the DMV ecosystem. Our main focus at each university is the annual medical hackathon. However, we support our students before and after our hackathons so that they can make, create, and innovate on their own. George Hacks is more than just an event.
I first got involved when I attended VCU’s medical hackathon last November as a part of the George Hacks’ Innovators in Action program, where my team developed a medical assistive device for those who struggle managing large numbers of medications. Since VCU, George Hacks continues to support my team and provide us with the unique opportunity to be mentored by industry professionals as we work to bring our device to market.
Now, as the director of George Hacks, I have the opportunity to promote the entrepreneurial spirit by exposing students to what it takes to create a feasible, marketable solution, and provide students with resources to move forward in the innovation pipeline. My experiences from George Hacks, both as a hacker and an organizer, have shaped my growth and passions thus far as a young, female biomedical engineering student. I am incredibly grateful for the team members, healthcare professionals, and faculty mentors I’ve worked with through this process.
Caitlyn Pratt, BME B.S. ‘21
Director, George Hacks
Thank you to everyone who made this journey possible.
