Hundreds of Ideas Spark at Keenan Center’s LaunchpadOSU

Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship hosted its annual LaunchpadOSU startup weekend, where nearly 100 students gathered to create, collaborate, and transform impactful business ideas into reality. Held at the newly opened Student Entrepreneurs’ Center, the two-day event was designed to spark an entrepreneurial mindset and empower students to develop real-world solutions while fostering community and teamwork.

LaunchpadOSU is a gateway into Ohio State’s broader ecosystem of student entrepreneurial programs, such as Best of Student Startups (BOSS), Boost Camp, and the President’s Buckeye Accelerator. Askar, a second-year studying biomedical engineering and a member of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Scholars program, played a key role in organizing and promoting the event, which is predominantly student-run.

“I’m inspired by the creativity and energy the participants of LaunchpadOSU bring,” said Malak Askar, LaunchpadOSU student executive director. “Watching teams turn ideas into solutions in such a dynamic environment is incredible. It’s a privilege to be part of this journey, fostering the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The grand prize went to FUNDamentals, a platform designed to bridge the gap in financial literacy by offering a streamlined personal finance curriculum for high schools. The team received $500 to further develop their business, along with $50 Amazon gift cards for each member. FUNDamentals include Rajesh, Caden Conde from the College of Arts and Sciences, Bria Isaacson, Blaise Rogers, George Granchi from the Fisher College of Business, Adam Sabet from the College of Arts and Sciences, and Pedram Ghassemi from Graduate Engineering.

“When we were asked, ‘What problem do you want to solve?’ it sparked a challenge we were all eager to tackle,” said Rogers. “After discussing with one of our mentors, we shifted from building a personal finance app to creating something with a broader impact in education.”

The runner-up team, FOMO, received $300 in funding to develop a digital event space, along with $25 Amazon gift cards for each member. Team members include Jack Swartley from the Fisher College of Business, Rishabh Bhargava from the College of Engineering, Andrew Goodman, Brody Burcham, Jack Frient, Tomas Harris, and Michael Thomas from the Fisher College of Business, Suben Kumer Saha from Graduate Engineering, and Roshan Sharma from the College of Business, as well as Jacob Meager from the Fisher College of Business.

Third place was awarded to two ventures that tied. Curious Cubs , comprised of of Audrey Edwards, Alexandra Radoumis-Weiler, Jenny Wang, Maya Cucchetti, Gabrielle Smith, Elizabeth Jelinek, and Sophia Wang, all from the Fisher College of Business. is is developing a subscription-based activity toolkit to inspire young minds through hands-on learning. 

GametimeGrub, led by Ben Nutter and Ben Zappaterrini from the Fisher College of Business, along with Rafi Katz from the College of Arts and Sciences, aims to digitize and improve the concession experience at concerts and sporting events. Both teams received $25 Amazon gift cards.

In addition to spotlighting student-led business ventures, the event featured a robust network of mentors from organizations including eFuse, Innovate New Albany, Big Kitty Labs, and Youth for STEM Equity. The judging panel included experts such as Andrea Contigiani from the Fisher College of Business, Natalie Cohen from Empower Battery Technology, Mackenzie Dolacki from WynHouse, and Saket Agrawal from the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship.