Contact: Stephanie Zombek

805-668-3955; szombek@calpoly.edu

The Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship 16th annual competition featured 90-second pitches from colleges across campus

SAN LUIS OBISPO, California — A Cal Poly computer science freshman took home the $1,000 first-place prize for Communicare at the Cal Poly Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE) 16th annual Elevator Pitch Competition.

“I’m happy. Leading up to this, I was very stressed, but I want to give a shout-out to my communications Professor Jon Kawashima, who gave me the confidence to do this,” said Carter Lim, of Bellingham, Washington. His AI-powered tool is designed to make communication coaching affordable and accessible, helping users practice their speaking skills in just minutes a day.

“What’s the difference between a $60,000 a year job and a $120,000 a year job?” he asked the audience. “Ninety seconds of good communication.”

“Now, here is the harsh reality: How you communicate determines how people perceive your competence. If you have the technical skills of a 10, but you communicate like a four, people think you are a four. Nowadays, communication courses are expensive costing hundreds per hour and corporate trainings costing thousands per employee.”

Communicare harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to teach public speaking skills by turning practice into a daily game, he said.

Electrical engineering junior Samuel Weston, of Rocklin, California, earned the $500 Audience Choice Award for Tendon Project, a wearable device redefining how athletes understand and protect their tendons. By analyzing the collagen makeup of the tendon, his device offers real-time insight into tendon health and recovery.

Weston was excited to share his idea with the community. “It feels great, a lot of hard work went into this, and I’m glad people like my idea,” the rugby athlete said.

The Elevator Pitch was held Nov. 6 in the Pavillion Room of the Performing Arts Center on the Cal Poly campus. The 90-minute judged competition featured a Battle of the Colleges, with finalists from across the university competing head-to-head for cash prizes in presentations limited to just 90 seconds or the time it takes to ride an elevator.

“The energy at this year’s Elevator Pitch Competition was fantastic,” said Stephanie Zombek, senior marketing and communications manager for the CIE. “The variety of ideas on stage reflected the diversity of disciplines across campus, and that’s what makes this event so fun and impactful. This competition pushes students to think fast, communicate clearly and with confidence and own their ideas — valuable skills across every major and career path.”

The CIE is Cal Poly’s hub for innovation, supporting entrepreneurs at every stage with resources, mentorship and a collaborative startup ecosystem. The annual pitch competition is open to students from all majors, to explore new ideas and practice their pitching skills.

Zombek said participants learn how to communicate under pressure, a key skill in many aspects of the professional world.

“Our hope is that they leave with more confidence, clearer messaging, and a stronger sense of how to connect their ideas to a broader audience,” she said.

Judges included: Jim Dantona, former president and CEO of the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce; Jasna Jovanovic, assistant professor of psychology and child development and director of Cal Poly’s University Honors Program; and Lucy McGowan, assistant professor of agribusiness and a CIE faculty fellow. Participants were evaluated on how clearly a problem was explained, creativity and innovation, effectiveness of communication, persuasive potential and entertainment value.

This year’s competition included a variety of ideas, from jujitsu-inspired gym wear to a local news app:

• Drink Tox, a health drink designed to help users recover from hangovers by restoring essential nutrients and aiding liver detoxification; pitched by biochemistry senior Charlie Palmer of Danville, California, representing the Bailey College of Science and Mathematics.
• Gym Wear Made Fun, a women’s athletic apparel brand blending bold fashion with jiu-jitsu and streetwear-inspired functionality, pitched by business entrepreneurship senior Alara Wiefling of Houston, representing the Orfalea College of Business.
• Learning Curb’s CAP, a customizable academic planner that helps neurodivergent students manage time and stay on track with classes, tests and extracurriculars; pitched by biomedical engineering freshman Avari Brocker of Troutdale, Oregon, representing the College of Engineering.
• News Curation App, a digital platform that combats disinformation by curating local and global news stories with context and source transparency, pitched by journalism and political science senior Jeremy Garza, a fellow with the CalMatters College Journalism Network, representing the College of Liberal Arts.
• Nibble, a mobile app that encourages people to explore local food spots by providing surprise dining recommendations and sharing user-created “food trails”; pitched by agricultural business senior Josh Van Tassel of Los Altos, California, representing the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
• PureRise, a clean, functional beverage designed with adaptogenic mushrooms and other plant-based ingredients to support stress reduction and focus; pitched by agribusiness sophomore Brea Rossiter of San Marcos, California, representing the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences.
• Rooted Nutrition, a startup offering clean, plant-based endurance fuel made without dyes or preservatives to support gut health during long-distance activities; pitched by business administration sophomore Morgan Edwards of Pismo Beach, California, representing the Orfalea College of Business.
• SURFACE22, a cutting board designed to improve kitchen hygiene by using swappable and color-coded surfaces for different food types, pitched by materials engineering senior Ryan Krakauer of Redwood City, California, representing the College of Engineering.

About the Cal Poly Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The CIE opens a world of entrepreneurial opportunities to Cal Poly students, faculty and community members, and promotes entrepreneurial activity and dialogue across the university and throughout San Luis Obispo County. For more information, visit cie.calpoly.edu.

Top photo:

Carter Lim won the 2025 Elevator Pitch competition for Communicare, an AI communication coach that helps people practice their speaking skills. Ten startups made pitches about their startups in 90 seconds, the approximate time it would take to describe their proposal while riding in an elevator, as each vied for the $1,000 top cash prize. The 16th annual competition was held at the Performing Arts Center at Cal Poly on Nov. 6.

Photo by Katy Clark