2026 LaunchPad ’Cuse Tank Winners
Libraries' LaunchPad hosted its annual ’Cuse Tank entrepreneurial competition on Friday, October 16, 2026, during Family Weekend in Bird Library, where student entrepreneurs from schools and colleges across campus pitched in a "Shark-Tank" style competition for $25,000 in cash prizes. Winners can use the funds to help kick-start their innovative ideas as a whole or to further develop specific areas of their ventures. Coca Cola sponsored the competition.
2026 ’Cuse Tank winners were:
- 1st Place: Miirror, an online platform to provide support services for people affected by eating disorders. Bri Gordon ’28 (Newhouse School of Public Communications) and Juila Rodenberger ’28 (Newhouse School of Public Communications) received $12,500.
- 2nd Place: Frutecho, a modular cooling retrofit for non-refrigerated trucks that reduces produce spoilage and helps small farmers access premium markets. Carolina Aguayo-Pla ’27 (Whitman School of Management and School of Information Studies) received $7,500.
- 3rd Place: Coveted, an exclusive e-commerce platform for independent fashion brands. Naheem Cadiz ’28 (Whitman School of Management) received $2,500.
- 3rd Place: Phloat, a phone case that has a super compact, deployable flotation feature that triggers in the event of a phone falling and sinking into deep water. Nathan Brekke G’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) received $2,500.