Purdue students win ‘Moonshot Pitch Challenge’
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An app that helps young people learn about finances, a software system that helps prevent satellite collisions, and an online platform to let people rent whatever available storage space they have were the winners of the semiannual Moonshot Pitch Challenge competition organized by the Purdue Innovates Incubator.
Fifteen team finalists had two minutes to pitch their solutions to judges in one of three categories: Earth, which focuses on socioeconomic challenges; Moonshot, which focuses on solving a seemingly impossible problem; and Orbit, which focuses on launching a company. Fifty-four teams earlier had submitted a video explaining their solutions. The competition is open to any Purdue undergraduate or graduate students.
“Purdue University students think critically about worldwide challenges and take the next giant leaps to address them,” Doug Applegate, incubator associate director, said in a March 19 university news release. “The Moonshot Pitch Challenge recognizes audacious solutions and the people ideating them.”
The winner in the Earth category was Money Monkey, a gamified financial literacy application designed for people ages 8 to 18. Team members were Shri Atluri and Kestan Kamei. Money Monkey also won the Best Pitch Award.
The winner in the Moonshot category was Kesslernet, a software system that would coordinate satellites to reduce collisions and improve efficiencies in making satellite repairs and clearing space debris. Team members were Aditya Arjun Anibha, Atharva Awasthi and Srinath Dantu.
The winner in the Orbit category was OpenSpaces, a platform that connects people in need of storage space with people who own an excess amount of space. Team members were Nihal Gunukula and Vinay Gupta.
Also earning recognition as the Crowd Favorite was BoilerBookings.com. The online platform helps students “book flights and shuttles at Purdue that don’t suck” by sorting through costs, durations and airport waiting times. Team members were Rithwik Erabelly, Pradyun Kamaraju and Arnav Kulkarni.
First-place teams in each category received $1,500 apiece. Teams that won the Best Pitch and Crowd Favorite awards received $500 each.
Submissions for the fall 2024 Moonshot Pitch Challenge will begin in August.