U News 2 | U of Michigan student start-up Intero Biosystems wins nearly a million dollars in just a few weeks
Salisbury University’s Shore Hatchery competition has up to $200,000 in prize money up for grabs on Friday.
From Rice University:
Intero Biosystems, a student start-up from the University of Michigan that makes miniature human intestines for more predictive preclinical drug testing, took home the grand prize at the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition. The company’s product, Gastroscreen, includes the intestinal lining and supporting tissues, creating a complete mini-organ “in a dish” for comprehensive safety and efficacy testing.
It was the second first-place win for the start-up in just a few weeks, following capturing $45,000 at the 2025 Heartland Challenge (see teknovation.biz post here). In winning the Rice Business Plan Competition, Intero Biosystems took home the $250,000 Goose Capital Investment Grand Prize along with a total of $902,000 in prizes from all sources.
From the University of North Carolina at Greensboro:
The Collegiate Entrepreneurship Organization (CEO) club, a student-led organization at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, accommodates students by facilitating educational opportunities that push them to tap into their creativity and network with other like-minded individuals.
The club informs, supports, and motivates students to be more entrepreneurial and to start or continue promoting a business. Jules Belfi, President of CEO, Vice President Meaghan Dohnert, and Marketplace Director Carrie Holcombe have worked to make CEO as interactive as possible for students by hosting various events and workshops that support innovative thinking.
Belfi was inspired to start the CEO student marketplace after seeing a need for her peers to expand their audience and combine both business and design. The student marketplace provides a platform for students to sell and market their goods and services to other students on campus. Typically, the marketplace happens every fall and spring semester on College Avenue.
The fall marketplace in October 2024 featured 73 vendors that collectively made more than $27,500 in sales, with an average of $475.55 per vendor.
From Salisbury University:
Salisbury University’s (SU) 24th round of a 13-year, $2.9 million program to create new jobs takes place this Friday as entrepreneurs vie for their share of up to $200,000 in business funding.
The Philip E. and Carole R. Ratcliffe Shore Hatchery program was established with the Ratcliffe Foundation’s initial $1 million contribution in 2013. The foundation announced subsequent renewals of $1.9 million to continue the Shore Hatchery through spring 2026. It is administered through SU’s Franklin P. Perdue School of Business.
The goal is to fund and provide guidance to entrepreneurs with active small businesses in order to achieve greater scale and market reach. Up to $200,000 annually is available for those applying for grants through the Shore Hatchery program. Its board of directors selects recipients based on exhibits and live presentations.
From Emory University:
The 2025 Techstars Emory Founder Catalyst Program, a collaboration between global accelerator Techstars, The Hatchery, Emory Center for Innovation, and The Roberto C. Goizueta Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, will hold its Demo Day on April 30. The inaugural cohort, chosen from 56 applications, consists of 19 ventures led by Emory undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni, representing a wide range of disciplines and industries.
The program is facilitated by Christy Brown, Chief Executive Officer of Dr. Noze Best and a longtime Emory partner, with support from Oko Davaasuren, a Techstars Senior Director. Throughout the 10-week pre-accelerator program, founders participate in weekly masterclasses on topics such as refining their pitch and building a board of advisors. Hands-on mentorship from more than 50 professional mentors across diverse industries is also included in the program.
“The talent, passion, and innovation coming out of this group are exceptional,” says Brown. “These ventures are not just solving problems — they’re creating meaningful impact across industries, and I’m excited to see where they go from here.”
Another from Rice University:
At the Rice360 Institute for Global Health Technologies’ 15th annual undergraduate Design Competition, the future of global health innovation was on full display.
Rice University welcomed 22 student teams from 18 universities across eight countries, both in person and virtually, to present affordable, practical solutions designed to improve health care in low-resource settings.
First place and the $5,000 prize went to a team from Duke University. HemoSave is a cost-effective, real-time blood loss monitoring device designed to improve the detection of postpartum hemorrhage and reduce maternal mortality.
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