Innovate WithIN

2025 State Finals

About the most elite high school pitch competition in the country.

Ten teams from across Indiana get to compete for $25,000 in seed funding. All finalists are invited to travel to Washington DC in June, and will have the opportunity to acquire thousands of dollars in scholarships and enter the STARTedUP alumni program, where they can stay connected to a vast network of young innovators.

We will be joined by government officials, business leaders, fellow entrepreneurs, educators, and family members.

June 20, 2025

9AM - 2:30PM EST

Location: Butler University's Clowes Memorial Hall

4602 Sunset Ave, Indianapolis, IN 46208

Meet the Finalists

  • Lovey Duv

    Lyla Schultz

    Lovey Duv Sugar Scrub is an all-natural, organic skincare product that gently exfoliates, deeply hydrates, and restores a healthy, radiant glow to all skin types.

    School: Perry Central Jr-Sr High School

    Region 1

  • True Blue

    Lydia Yoder & Kyla La Rue

    True Blue is dedicated to raising awareness about juvenile diabetes through educational outreach programs in elementary schools.

    School: Dekalb High School

    Region 5

  • Septo

    Alexis Karahalios, Abigil Mena &Jocelyn Aguirre

    Septo provides a simple, noninvasive solution for infection tracking through an X-shaped, plant-powered bandage designed to comfortably wrap around vulnerable joints.

    School: Munster High School

    Region 4

  • VisiTube

    Max Vanderhoof, Kishan Patel & Hikari Shiga

    VisiTube is a glow-in-the-dark cover for medical tubing that helps prevent falls and brings peace of mind to patients, caregivers, and families.

    School: Floyd Central High School

    Region 6

  • NextGen Research Institute

    Prabanjan Jayachandran & Tianle Liang

    NextGen connects high schoolers all across the world with real-world research opportunities at less than 1% the cost of our competitors.

    School: Zionsville Community High School

    Region 2

  • SpheriLine

    Kelly Fulk & Maxwell Gootee

    SpheriLine innovates upon central lines to fight infection risks, improve patient experiences, and to support nurses.

    School: Carmel High School

    Region 2

  • Tailored Bites

    Ruby Campbell-Carpenter & Emma Sanders

    Tailored Bites offers affordable, high-quality, dog and cat food tailored to pets dietary needs using locally sourced ingredients.

    School: AMP Lab at Electric Works, North Side High School, Wayne High School

    Region 5

  • SafetyGlow

    Ashton Verbish

    SafetyGlow enhances road safety with a retractable, highly-visible LED light strip for trucks, making broken-down vehicles easy to spot in dark conditions, reducing the risk of accidents on highways.

    School: Hanover Central High School

    Region 4

  • GripGuard Soccer Sox

    Leanna Rotondo

    GripGuard Soccer Sox’s mission is to reduce landfill waste, improve performance factors for athletes, and protect them by introducing a higher quality sock with innovative grip technology.

    School: Charlestown Senior High School

    Region 6

  • Compleyes.ai

    Raina Maiga & Truman Greaves

    Compleyes.ai helps manufacturing companies streamline environmental compliance by automating manual reporting tasks with AI-powered tools.

    Schools: Purdue Polytechnic High School Schweitzer Center at Englewood & Zionsville Community High School

    Region 3

VOTE NOW

VOTE NOW

Voting for the 2025 People’s Choice Awards is now open!

The winning team receives an additional $1,500. Plus, get a sneak peek of this year’s pitches today by checking out their sizzle reels!

Meet the Judges

  • Nida Ansari

    Founder & CEO
    Karmic Partners
    LinkedIn

  • Emily Hawk

    Assistant Dean of Innovation
    Butler University - Lacy School of Business
    LinkedIn

  • Ryan Larcom

    Managing Director of Studios
    Alloy Partners
    LinkedIn

  • Jamal Smith

    Executive Director of Government Affairs & Strategic Partnerships
    IU Health
    LinkedIn

Meet the Speakers

  • David Adams

    Secretary of Commerce
    State of Indiana
    LinkedIn

  • Joel Bragg

    ITIA
    LinkedIn

  • Craig Caldwell

    Dean, Lacy School of Business
    Butler University
    LinkedIn

  • Brad Fruth

    Director of Innovation
    Beck's Hybrids
    LinkedIn

  • Carey Hamilton

    State Representative, District 8
    Indiana House of Representatives
    LinkedIn

  • Joel Hungate

    Executive Director, Hancock Well-Being and Employer Strategy
    Hancock Health
    LinkedIn

  • Chelsea Linder

    Vice President, Innovation & Entrepreneurship
    TechPoint
    LinkedIn

  • Andrea de la Rosa

    Assistant Director, Small Business Development
    City of Bloomington
    LinkedIn

  • Andrew Stinson

    Entertainment & Events Manager
    Indiana State Fair
    LinkedIn

  • Jason Williams

    CEO
    The Society of Innovators at Purdue Northwest
    LinkedIn

See last year’s recap

Thank you to our 2025 State and Regional hosts!

Thank you to our 2025 Sponsors

Thank you to our 2025 Scholarship and Incentives Partners