Former Shark Tank competitors awarded $50,000 in prizes throughout 2020 Student Innovator of the Year competition
The 10th annual Student Innovator of the Year (SIOY) Competition was the biggest ever with double the number of competing teams, 5 times the prize money, and "celebrity judges" who successfully competed on the world-famous TV innovation competition, Shark Tank.
The 2020 winner, Auxilium Automation, took home $12,000. The innovative asphalt shingle remover created by Grant Hagen, Todd Paskett, and Lucas Pessoa reduces time and cost of dangerous roofing projects while increasing efficiency and safety. Roofing is the 4th most dangerous U.S. occupation, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries. Auxilium's product, Primus, reduces time spent on the roof from 90 minutes to 20 minutes.
The PhyR Project received both the distinction of Finals Favorite and Runner-up (earning the time $2,000 and $10,000, respectively). Audience members were captivated by the idea of a machine capable of producing insulin in virtually any location, including directly in a patient’s home. PhyR team members include Anika Behr, Connor Behr, Ben Johnson, and Joshua Vanderpool.
3rd place ($8,000) went to Care Weather, founded by Alex Laraway and Patrick Walton. Care Weather collects and sells weather data using small satellites to forecast weather impact. Care Weather's satellite can measure wind over the ocean surface 10X more often than existing satellites.
SIOY competitors are judged on three categories: Innovation, engineering, and impact. The competition is hosted by the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering, partnered with the BYU Rollins Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology. All competitors initially receive up to $400 in funding to help get their ideas off the ground for the competition.
60 teams competed in front of the public and judges at the SIOY Showcase on February 19. Judges selected the top 6 teams to advance to the Final Competition; the 7th spot was awarded by popular vote to the Showcase Crowd Favorite. All seven finalists received $4,000.
The student innovators took on a diverse set of industries, ranging from augmented reality marketing to storytelling devices for children. Read about the seven finalists' projects below.
SIOY 2020 Finalists
Auxilium Automation Automated innovation in archaic roofing labor
Grant Hagen, Todd Paskett, Lucas Pessoa*
Our tool is an asphalt shingle remover. Controlled and supervised by a single operator, the cost of labor for roof tear-downs is reduced by over 66%. It cuts down the time needed to remove shingles, by doing what would take a team, now only needs 1-2 roofers. This reduces their costs, increases their time effectiveness, and improves efficiently.
Care Weather Global wind over the ocean measured 10X more often
Alex Laraway, Patrick Walton*
Care Weather collects weather data using small satellites. We sell these data to help companies forecast weather impacts and to help governments improve hurricane forecasts. We’re making our first satellite to measure wind over the ocean surface 10X more often than existing satellites. Our team was instrumental in creating BYU’s first satellites.
Kruze Kab We drive your kids so they don’t drive you crazy!
Kason Larsen*
Kruze Kab is the first kid ride-share service that Utah has seen! At Kruze Kab, we provide well-vetted professional drivers to transport kids wherever they need to go. Parents don’t need to spend hours in their car picking up, and dropping off their kids where they need to be. We will drive your kids anywhere in a safe and timely manner.
Mesh App Get out and live!
Michelle Dangerfield, Westin Dangerfield, Collin Francom, Kamel Greene*, Devin Wheelwright
Mesh is a mobile app that consolidates an organization’s activities and events all onto one platform. Individuals can find, create, and explore through real-time interest-specific activities. Your organization will be more connected than ever! Mesh is a business to business platform that connects individuals at large organizations.
Storier Making story time magic!
Patrick Bradshaw, Tim Hayford, Danny Naylor*, Genevieve Naylor, Phil Naylor
Storier is all about story magic! We are storytellers who want to make storytime more magical and accessible to kids and their parents. You can demo our bedside projector, our screenless device for kids, and our kid-friendly platform of kidcasts. We are accepting book donations to teach kids English so come see us for a good cause!
The PhyR Project Start your own PhyR
Anika Behr, Connor Behr*, Ben Johnson, Joshua Vanderpool
My team and I are working to develop a machine capable of producing insulin in virtually any location, including directly in a patient’s home.
Vivacity Experiential Advertising for the Modern Retailer
Dakota Burrow*
Vivacity is an Augmented Reality company that is looking to improve customer engagement with on-site advertising for retailers and shopping centers. Vivacity does this by bringing Augmented Reality campaigns to digital displays. Through a large scale A/B test, Vivacity has shown customer engagement improves by 2x to 8x.
* indicates team lead
Visit sioy.byu.edu to learn more about the annual Student Innovator of the Year Competition.