Northwest Indiana

STARTedUP Challenge 2026: Region Four

Ten student teams from northwest Indiana will compete for a spot in the Challenge Finals this June. The event will bring together government officials, business leaders, entrepreneurs, educators, and family members to support and celebrate these young innovators.

Event address:
Located in James B. Dworkin Student Services and Activities Complex: 1401 US-421, Purdue Northwest, Westville, IN 46391

🗓️ April 23, 2026

⏰ 9AM - 1PM CDT

📍The Great Hall Events & Conference Center

Hosted by:

Parking Map
- Benton
- Carroll
- Cass
- Fulton
- Jasper
- Lake
- LaPorte
- Marshall
- Newton
- Porter
- Pulaski
- St. Joseph
- Starke
- Warren
- White

See all 2026 Scholarship Opportunities

Meet the Finalists

NAM

NAM Spike Guard protects track athletes’ racing spikes with a lightweight, snap-on cover that prevents damage on hard surfaces while allowing comfortable movement between events.
Aris Koehler, Mason Green & Noah Deeds
Mishawaka High School
Course Caddy

Course Caddy is a golf ball retrieval system that saves both time and money through color strip and drone technology.
Brandon Walker
Munster High School
Filet Twist

Cameron Hutson
Hobart High School
Berean Dynamics

Jonathan Lai
Valparaiso High School
WeSpeak

WeSpeak eases communication between a autistic mute child and their caregivers with a non technological device.
Juliet Lux
Lowell Senior High School
Ready Set Grow Enterprises, LLC

Ethan Hollins
Lake Central High School
SunCompute

SunCompute turns rooftop solar and a side-of-house ai computer box into clean computer power for companies that reduce data centers while reusing the heat generated from the computer box to lower homeowners’ water-heating costs and provide passive monthly income.
Kelly Fields
Hanover Central High School
pHemme

pHemme is a disposable at-home urinalysis wipe that detects early signs of UTIs and other imbalances through color change results.
Amelie Adam, Karly Pala & Joslyn Burnett
Munster High School
CryoCollar

CryoCollar protects hockey players using a Highly cut resistance Neck guard with Cooling technology, this stops hockey players from overheating in addition to adding comfort, making hockey players more inclined to wear neck guards.
Kane Tilley
Griffith Senior High School
Spider-X

Spider-X makes tuning more convenient, efficient, and accessible for musicians when playing live music by automatically tuning the guitar from the back of the headstock.
Tyler Triplett
Hanover Central High School

Agenda

Check in and take your seat!
The audience will be welcomed by a Purdue University Northwest representative, and hear from the CEO of the STARTedUP Foundation, Don Wettrick.
The ten student teams will pitch their business concepts/ideas.
Food will be provided for all attendees as the judges deliberate on the pitches.
The top team will be recognized and invited to participate in the STARTedUP Challenge Finals!