Students Pitch Breakthrough Ideas at President’s Buckeye Accelerator Finale, Earning $300K for Startups

Six student-led ventures were each awarded $50,000 in startup funding at the President’s Buckeye Accelerator Finale on April 3. The showcase marked the culmination of a yearlong program led by the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship that supports student founders as they develop and grow their startups.

The finale featured 11 student teams pitching innovative ideas aimed at tackling challenges across industries, from health care and sustainability to space technology and community food access.

“This is the fourth cohort of the President’s Buckeye Accelerator, and the growth in ambition and quality each year has been incredible to watch,” said Cheryl Turnbull, senior director of the Keenan Center. “Our students are recognizing challenges across both established and emerging industries and creating ventures that reflect their academic strengths and commitment to meaningful impact.”

The six selected ventures are:

• Phoenix Battery Company, which repurposes decommissioned electric vehicle batteries into portable chargers, power stations and residential energy storage solutions
• KINO, a health and fitness platform that simplifies how users track their fitness progress
• SPAERO Systems, which developed SWAN — a disinfection technology to prevent mold growth on spacecraft surfaces, with potential applications on Earth
• MemorEase, an all-in-one platform designed to support caregivers by consolidating tools, resources and guidance
• Astraeus Paints, which created a color-changing paint to detect hazardous radiation levels in spacecraft interiors
• Mobile Pantry, a logistics platform connecting food banks and pantries with volunteers to streamline multi-stop deliveries

Katherine Cruz, a second-year public health major, co-founded MemorEase based on her family’s experience navigating care for her mother following a dementia diagnosis. 

“My dad was in a constant state of crisis. There was no roadmap to follow,” Cruz said. “MemorEase is designed to give caregivers a centralized, reliable tool that helps them find support and take care of themselves, too.”

SPAERO Systems was founded by brothers Ian Harris, a doctoral student at The Ohio State University, and Nikolas Harris, a first-year student majoring in culinary entrepreneurship. Their invention, SWAN, is a sanitation solution for spacecraft that addresses a critical need in long-duration missions.

“We saw this urgent gap in spacecraft hygiene and mold prevention, especially with longer missions on the horizon,” Ian Harris said.

With increased interest in long-duration space exploration, the Harris brothers see opportunity to contribute to future space health and safety.

“As NASA and private space companies expand their missions, we want to be part of making that future more sustainable and secure,” Nikolas Harris said.

More information about the President’s Buckeye Accelerator visit https://keenan.osu.edu/presidents-buckeye-accelerator .