On May 7, 2025, bwtech hosted the UMBC students WINNERS of the Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition, presented by UMBC’s Alex. Brown Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. The innovative students visited bwtech to learn about the spaces, services, programs, and opportunities available to early-stage entrepreneurs at bwtech. As part of their prize awards, each winner will receive a six-month membership to bwtech@UMBC.
Established in 2014 through a generous pledge from Greg Cangialosi ’96, the CBIC is designed to support student entrepreneurs at UMBC who are committed to launching a business or social venture in the future.
The Cangialosi Business Innovation Competition was established in 2014 through the generosity of Greg Cangialosi, ’96. The competition is designed to support student entrepreneurs at UMBC who are committed to launching a business or social venture in the future. It provides them with an opportunity to develop their startup ideas with the guidance of a seasoned business mentor, connect with the local entrepreneurial ecosystem, and pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Winners are awarded money to help launch their venture, as well as valuable support, including free legal and accounting services, a membership at the bwtech@UMBC incubator, and guidance for fundraising and pitch development.
Participants competed in one of two tracks: Technology & Innovation or Social Impact. Congratulations to this year’s winners!
Technology & Innovation Track
1st Place ($4,000): Real Vue
Bhardwaj Kalicheti, Harish Manyam, & Sricharan Nemalokonda
Real Vue offers secure, vetted, and proctored local interview spaces that eliminate the risks associated with AI-assisted cheating.
2nd Place ($2,000): Strike Sense
Charles Nerad, Aidan Fleisher & Abhinav Patel
Strike Sense integrates a “health bar” and sound effects into a sparring vest to gamify sparring and enhance accuracy.
3rd Place ($1,000): Elastic Energy
Sam Bendek
Elastic Energy focuses on clean and sustainable energy storage using a battery charged with tree sap.
Social Impact Track
1st Place ($4,000): Collegiate Commerce
Jada Iwuoha
Collegiate Commerce connects UMBC’s student entrepreneurs with the clients within our campus community by providing a platform for students to advertise their business, showcase events, and gain new customers. This platform promotes entrepreneurship through increased visibility, ease of use, and talent discovery for student-run businesses, strengthening our collegiate ecosystem.
2nd Place ($2,000): KINTSUGI
Vrinda Thapliyal
Kintsugi is the Japanese art of mending broken ceramics with gold. Kintsugibyvrinda offers online Kintsugi services and products, along with free workshops that promote mindfulness, sustainability, and community building.
3rd Place ($1,000): CeeVlo
Manav Vaishnav & Anna Lam
CeeVlo is a nutritional chew toy paired with a food learning cube to aid children, especially those diagnosed with the eating disorder pica, in building a healthy relationship with food.
We look forward to supporting these innovative, ambitious entrepreneurs START, GROW, & THRIVE!
Here’s what some of the finalists had to say about their CBIC experience:
“The CBIC has been an incredible experience for my team and will prove invaluable to us as we move forward. We are deeply grateful for the advice and support we received from our mentor, peers, judges, and everyone else who guided us along the way. Their insights helped lay the groundwork for our future success. What stood out most was how genuinely invested everyone was in seeing us succeed which was felt throughout the entire competition. Beyond being an opportunity to learn and grow, the CBIC also provided a fantastic platform to connect and network with some truly brilliant minds here at UMBC. It’s an experience we’ll carry with us for years to come.” – Charles Nerad, Strike Sense
“Participating in the CBIC is an experience I will never forget. This competition gave me the opportunity to share my vision for Collegiate Commerce and receive valuable feedback and support from a community that encourages innovation and curiosity. I’m so grateful for the network of support I’ve built through the amazing people I met during this event. The encouragement my idea received has given me the motivation I needed to keep pushing forward to make a real difference for student entrepreneurs and the UMBC community as a whole.” –Jada Iwuoha, Collegiate Commerce
“Participating in CBIC has been a truly transformative experience for us. When we first submitted Real Vue, we hoped just to make it to the final round, and when we got there, everything changed. Working closely with our mentor, Chris White, pushed us to sharpen our vision and believe in the impact we could create. Winning first place in the Technology Track wasn’t just a milestone, but it gave us the confidence to take Real Vue from an idea to a real venture. The CBIC didn’t just strengthen our faith in technology; it strengthened our faith in people in collaboration, mentorship, and the shared belief that ideas can change lives.” – Harish Reddy Manyam, Bharadwaj Kalicheti, & Sricharan Nemalokonda, Real Vue
“CeeVlo was created back in February 2024 with CBIC 2024 in mind as our first introduction to the world. The progress we have made in one year is unbelievable! We are so pleased to have finally achieved one of our original goals and are excited to continue the work of sharing the joys of food with children around the world!” -Manav Vaishnav & Anna Lam, CeeVlo