Join us IN PERSON at the Pava Center for our Spring 2024 Fuel Demo Day as we watch the Spring 2024 pitch in front of out our judges’ panel for the chance to take home a slice of the $20,000 prize pool!

At Demo Day, each venture will give a short pitch and audience members will vote on a $5k prize. Attendees will also be able to connect with ventures and one another after pitches conclude.

Teams Pitching:

Higher Grounds - With Higher Grounds Vending machines available 24/7 and strategically placed in convenient locations throughout campus, we will provide an accessible and affordable café experience, offering a variety of freshly-brewed beverages (coffee, matcha, chai lattes, and more) at a lower price point than other on-campus cafés by utilizing the cost-saving benefits of vending machines, including no staff, minimal wait time, and a wide service ground coverage.

CellMind - Cell Mind is developing a platform for next-generation Cell Therapy success. The company's current focus is CAR-T therapy - it has been approved as 4th line treatment for blood cancers. However, the therapy is still extremely risky. Improvements to this Cell Therapy are desperately needed, particularly novel, innovative technologies that are tailored to this novel therapeutic class. Improved patient selection is critical to successful CAR-T outcomes and better patient health. Cell Mind's team has professionals with multiple patents in biomarker development, CAR, and IPSCs. The team has conducted extensive market research and started four collaborations with medical institutions to develop their first seven biomarkers. In addition to this, Cell Mind developed a prototype for a SAAS platform that they plan to implement in the next 4-6 months

Meloscene - Meloscene’s spatial computing platform revolutionizes music creation into a collaborative and socially connected experience, featuring virtual studios where artists can co-create, share, and grow within a supportive community. Seamlessly integrating popular tools with real instruments, our patent-pending technology streamlines workflows and enables musicians and fans to engage together in a creative, interactive process that fosters a vibrant and accessible music ecosystem.

ComplexDX - Over 14 million Americans experience acute respiratory illnesses (ARIs) annually and the misdiagnosis of these lead to patients needing to re-test multiple times, creating a significant financial burden and delays time to treatment. We are creating a multiplexed respiratory pathogen detecting device that can detect up to 12 respiratory pathogens at once using one saliva sample in under 30 minutes.

WellCheq - WellCheq is a web-based app that enables students to complete an emotional check in . Our goal is to make it easier for students to ask for support and then provide educators with insight into the needs of their learners.

Periphero - Periphero has developed a long-acting, injectable drug delivery system for local, sustained release of insulin-like growth factor 1 to improve outcomes following peripheral nerve injury.

Protean Robotics - Creating modular robotic hardware and software for multiple applications.

SQUID3 - SQUID3 is a LA-based satellite thermal control provider focused on software-definable solutions using aerospace-grade E-ink. Satellite manufacturers today are still using outdated thermal technologies developed 20 years ago that struggle to meet the need for rapid and responsive satellite development. Our dynamic thermal tape solution aims to save manufacturers 40% of the thermal development cycle from mission to mission.

OrgoTree - The pace of pharmaceutical synthesis is limited by the human capacity to devise cost-effective reactions. Through OrgoTree, we aim to fulfill this need in ways competitors can’t via computerization without a large learning curve.

Evoked Haptics - Evoked Haptics delivers non-invasive and naturalistic illusions of touch for consumer and medical applications using a wearable electrical stimulator.

Esteemed Judges:

Rebecca Rosenberg, JHU MSE '22, is the founder and CEO of Rebokeh Vision Technologies. Rebecca has completed and succeeded in several accelerators in the area, including Fuel, Towson StartUP, and Techstars. Rebokeh is based in Baltimore and is very involved in the Pava Center and broader entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Adam Phillips is the Managing Director of the Techstars Equitech Accelerator, a program several Fuel alumni have participated in. Adam spent several years working as a Senior Attorney and Director at the United States Department of Justice, Congress and Department of Transportation. He is also a founder and is very involved in the Baltimore tech ecosystem.
Yair Flicker, BS/MSE '06, is the Founder and President of SmartLogic, a consulting company that builds custom web and mobile-based software. SmartLogic is a Baltimore based company and Yair is active in the Baltimore tech and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Wendy Bolger is the Director of the Simon Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Loyola University of Maryland. Wendy 's career has spanned public and private sectors, including as an entrepreneur. Loyola and the Pava Center collaborate to expand entrepreneurship opportunities for students across the Baltimore region.