Lehigh’s Student and Faculty Entrepreneurs Shine at Innovate! Celebrate! 2025

Awards Ceremony

Lehigh recognized six faculty members and 17 students whose achievements in research translation, entrepreneurship, and teaching have advanced innovation and community impact across campus and beyond. These awards honor excellence in pioneering research commercialization, outstanding pedagogical leadership, and student-driven ventures that address global challenges and foster creative solutions.

2025 Honorees:

• Research Translation Trailblazer Award - Neal Simon, Professor, Biological Sciences
• The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Faculty Achievement Award - Vinod Namboodiri, Professor and Forlenza Chair in Health Innovation and Technology
• Research Translation Progress Award - Rosa Zheng, Professor, Electrical & Computer Engineering
• The John B. Ochs Teaching Award – Burak Eskici, Teaching Assistant Professor
• Donald E. Flinchbaugh Memorial Endowed Scholarship - Thaksheel Alleck ’24
• R.K. Laros Foundation Endowed Prize for Entrepreneurship, Creativity & Innovation - Tawheeda Huq ’27 & Marcus Smith ’25
• Davis Projects for Peace Prize - AI Strengthening Healthcare Access (AISHA); Faculty mentor: Eric Obeysekare, Teaching Assistant Professor; Participants: Juliana Magarelli ’27, Vrushti Patel ’26, Natalie Kam ’27, Simone Karani ’26, Gabriela Quinteros ’27, Maisy Earl ’27, Malayna Leopold ’26, Evan Mazor ’27, Jeeva Kumararaja ’27, Trang Tran ’27, Kudakwashe Mundove ’24
• Daniel Katz ’23P Family Endowment Fund for Entrepreneurship - Cedrique Wafula ’25
• Michael W. Levin Advanced Technology Competition - Canaan Kimball ’26
• Joan F. & John M. Thalheimer ’55 Student Venture Award - Marcus Smith ’25
• The Farrington Award for Outstanding Commitment to Entrepreneurship at Lehigh - Pasquale J. “Pat” Costa, Professor of Practice
• Innovation Alley: People’s Choice - Bonded, Grant Thornburgh ’25
• Joan F. & John M. Thalheimer ’55 Eureka! Grand Prize - Qlover, Cedrique Wafula ’25

Professor Burak Eskici, assistant professor in the College of Business, co-director of the Computer Science and Business (CSB) program, and recipient of the John B. Ochs Teaching Award, reflected on the contrast between entrepreneurship and structured academic programs like Computer Science and Business (CSB). He emphasized that while CSB equips students with a rare combination of strong technical skills and a solid foundation in business, entrepreneurship lives in the realm of uncertainty.

“CSB students are uniquely prepared—with deep technical expertise and business acumen,” Eskisi notes. “But entrepreneurship is not about following a defined path; it’s about being comfortable with uncertainty and learning by doing. My hope is that [Design Thinking for Future Makers] becomes the bridge that brings entrepreneurship into the CSB curriculum—and takes CSB students into the heart of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.”

Eskici described the course as a “provisional effort with both great success and immense opportunities for learning,” underscoring its potential to grow and evolve within the program.

Professor Pat Costa, this year’s recipient of The Farrington Award for Outstanding Commitment to Entrepreneurship, has spent 25 years seamlessly integrating real-world innovation into his teaching, inspiring Lehigh students to pursue their dreams while making a positive impact on the world. With a background as an executive leader at one of the region’s largest healthcare networks and as co-founder of Fiberoptic Medical Products, he was instrumental in bringing an innovative phototherapy wrap for neonates with jaundice to market. Twenty-five years ago, the idea of putting yourself in the shoes of end users to innovate on a product or service was a novel approach to cultivating an entrepreneurial mindset. Through courses such as the IBE Freshman Seminar, Senior Capstone, and Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Costa challenges students to “think outside themselves,” encouraging them to apply entrepreneurial thinking to address meaningful, real-world challenges.

"Let’s celebrate this moment, reflect on the journeys that brought us here, and envision the pathways ahead," said Lisa Getzler, Vice Provost for Entrepreneurship and host of the event, in her closing remarks. She urged the audience to connect, share their stories, and inspire one another to continue fostering an environment where innovation thrives.

Joan F. & John M. Thalheimer ’55 Grand Prize Competition

A highlight of the evening was the Eureka! Joan F. & John M. Thalheimer ’55 Grand Prize Competition, where three student ventures pitched their ideas live:

• Canaan Kimball ’26, Screenwise Eating — a feeding therapy app supporting children with ADHD and autism.
• Jere Andrews ’27G, Aural World — a language learning tool designed to help older adults connect with fellow learners.
• Cedrique Wafula ’25, Qlover — a financial solution focused on improving access to agricultural credit for underserved farmers.

Each founder presented their venture’s story and potential for real-world impact. Judges Jen Gilburg, Deputy Secretary for Technology and Entrepreneurship at the Department of Community and Economic Development, and Frank Balcavage ’01, Co-founder at First Derivative Capital, evaluated the presentations based on innovation, feasibility, and progress.

Before announcing the winner, Gilburg emphasized how difficult it was to choose one winner. Ultimately, Cedrique Wafula ’25's Qlover took the top honors. The fintech platform extends bank-grade credit to underserved farmers with an impressive 98% repayment rate. When asked what he plans to do with the prize money, Wafula said, “I grew up in a small farming town in Kenya, so I know how far an unbanked farmer would expect $5,000 to go in improving their productivity and livelihood. I will hold Qlover to a similar standard over the next few weeks as we use the funds to build out the tools lenders need to extend credit to smallholder farmer networks. This summer, I will be working with our local supply chain and financial partners in Kenya to refine our platform, strengthen repayment systems, and prepare for our next pilot cycle at greater scale.”

All three student pitchers participated in the The Baker Institute’s Eureka! Student Venture Program throughout the school year. Since its inception in 2007, the EUREKA! program has seen more than 575 ideas pitched by student teams. Winning a pitch night unlocks not only funding, but access to coaching, mentorship, and workspace—support that continues well beyond the competition to help students turn early ideas into viable ventures.

Innovation Alley & the People’s Choice Award

The night began with an engaging reception that set the tone for the Innovation Alley showcase, where 17 student teams presented their early-stage ventures and competed for the People’s Choice Award and a $1,000 cash prize to advance their ventures.

Attendees were each given $5,000,000 in “Founder Fund$” to “invest” in the ventures that impressed them the most. The team earning the most “Fund$” took home the prize. From a real-time restaurant discount aggregator to an AI-powered soil-metrics sensor, and even a craft botanical liquor fermented from soda, these students demonstrated that with the right support and mindset, they can make an impact in any industry.

This year’s People’s Choice Award went to Bonded, a platform founded by Grant Thornburgh ’25 that transcends traditional networking sites like LinkedIn in favor of fostering authentic, meaningful connections grounded in shared values and experiences. Thornburgh’s entrepreneurial exhibit resonated with the audience, earning widespread support and the $1,000 prize. “Bonded is not just for meeting new friends,” Thornburgh said, “but for making real, meaningful connections that foster support and lifelong growth.”

Innovation Alley 2025 Featured:

• Accessify – AJ Tabarani
• Air Conditioning Jacket – Taizo Harada ’28 & Zeng Shi ’28
• Andrew Rogers’ Pizzeria Project – Atang Bakwena ’25, Geo Kim ’26, Jack Jewison ’28, Uyen Nguyen ’28 & Taizo Harada ’28
• Aroi Mango – George Awad ’22, ’25G & Teg Ritchie ’25
• Bonded – Grant Thornburgh ’25
• Dorm to Door Student Storage – Skyler Mott ’25
• GO-BETWIXT! – Tyson Utesch ’26
• Hachpad – Michael Olivier ’27
• HawkHousing – Renzo Medina ’25, Alexander Docu ’25 & Joseph Sanchez ’25
• HyperRep – John Brereton ’28 & Derek Shipman ’28
• Kooly – Josh Porter ’28 & Sharan Shankar ’25
• Open Space – Leo Lorge ’25
• Pinecomb – Teg Ritchie ’25 & Ethan Perlman ’25
• PrepUp – JR Perez ’27
• Puzzle Piece Animation – Octavio Mendoza ’26
• TerraCore – Warren Noubi ’25 & Matyas Negash ’25
• Vision Productions – Tommy Anderson ’25, ’26G

Faculty Showcase

Lehigh’s faculty showcase highlighted five pioneering projects—many led by teaching professors who integrate their research into both undergraduate and graduate curricula, as well as industry collaborations spanning sustainable wastewater reuse, accessible built environments, early-childhood intervention, underwater connectivity, and resilient energy systems:

• Low Energy, No Chemical, Sustainable Wastewater Reuse — John Fox
• MABLE — Vinod Namboodiri
• PEAK — George DuPaul & Lee Kern
• Sea Gal — Rosa Zheng
• Resilient Infrastructure — Javad Khazaei

Lehigh University’s commitment to translating research into real‐world solutions is driven by a multifaceted support network. Three key pillars ensure that promising faculty innovations receive the guidance, resources, and protections needed to progress from concept to commercialization:

• Research Translation AcceLUrator (RTA): Offers NSF-backed courses, mentorship, and funding pathways to help researchers evaluate market potential and form startups or licensing strategies.
• Lehigh Ventures Lab: Powered by the College of Business and the Baker Institute, it provides dedicated co-working space, seed funding, and industry-expert mentorship for student, faculty, and alumni founders.
• Office of Technology Transfer: Manages invention disclosures, protects intellectual property through patents and copyrights, and negotiates licenses and partnerships to ensure innovations reach industry and society.

From campus classrooms to Silicon Valley boardrooms, Lehigh’s entrepreneurial spirit is thriving across disciplines, backgrounds, and stages of venture development. As we celebrate the accomplishments of our entrepreneurial community, we also honor the diverse programs and people that make Lehigh a launchpad for ideas that matter. Here's to the Future Makers: the thinkers, the doers, the dreamers—and the ones still figuring it out. At Lehigh, entrepreneurship isn’t just a destination; it’s a journey we take together.