Over 275 students competed for their share of $40,000 in prizes as they pitched their startups at the 26th annual HopStart: Hopkins New Venture Challenge on Friday, April 24 at the Inn at the Colonnade.
The competition began in February in remote rounds of competition with over 100 teams crafting business plans and pitches under the guidance of mentors, who are industry professionals and Hopkins alumni.
For the final two rounds of onsite pitching, there were 75 teams representing students from the Whiting School of Engineering, the Bloomberg School of Public Health the Carey Business School, the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, and the School of Medicine.
Among the ideas were a smart saddle that reduces horse muscle stiffness and injury risk, a social-emotional learning platform designed to help neurodiverse children practice therapy-aligned skills outside of traditional sessions, and a wearable device that delivers on-demand relief for breathlessness in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Marie Eric, founder and CEO of Tastee Tape and Hopkins alum (WSE ’23), delivering the keynote address at HopStart 2026
Marie Eric, founder and CEO of Tastee Tape, delivered the keynote address at the HopStart awards ceremony. Tastee Tape took home top prizes at HopStart in 2023, was named one of TIME’s 100 best inventions of the 2022, and received coverage on CNN, the Today Show, the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and more. In her address, Eric reflected on her experiences as a student startup founder and how self-doubt can derail pursuing a startup.
HopStart’s breakfast and lunch sessions also featured speakers from event sponsors, including Marty Lostrom from G.S. Proctor and Associates, Inc., Dana Blackwood from Turner Construction Company, and Michael Sakata from the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association. Philip Lassalle and Manor Hill Brewing also supported this year’s event.
Team Remi demoing their product, an AI-supported collective memory application, for judges during their pitch at HopStart
“The quality of ideas and the ingenuity displayed at HopStart by students from across Johns Hopkins is one of the highlights of the year,” said Pam Sheff, Director of the Whiting School of Engineering’s Center for Leadership Education. “This is CLE’s signature event because it embodies our mission and values, especially the prioritization of experiential learning. Competitors are developing the skills required to communicate effectively and persuade a wide variety of audiences, to innovate to solve complex problems, and to translate their work in the classroom and the lab to the broader world. HopStart is a microcosm of everything we teach at CLE.”
In each of the competition’s four main categories, General Ventures I and II, Healthcare Ventures, and Medical Technology Ventures, first-place teams received $5,000, second-place teams won $3,000, and third-place teams won $1,000. The Pava Center for Entrepreneurship and HopStone Capital sponsored additional prizes.
HopStart First-Place Winners
General Ventures I: HydraLock, a climate-adaptive moisturizer designed to provide long-lasting hydration in low-humidity environments. Unlike traditional moisturizers that rely on ambient moisture, HydraLock delivers consistent hydration regardless of climate, directly addressing the needs of consumers living in dry, cold, or highly seasonal regions.
Members of PointSense and DevMinds celebrating their wins at the HopStart 2026 awards ceremony
General Ventures II: PointeSense, a ballet-focused wearable that uses a pressure sensing insert and smart software to deliver data-driven feedback on pointe shoe fit and technique, enabling proactive injury prevention.
Healthcare Ventures: IRIS, a rugged, rapid multi-pathogen diagnostic system for frontline military use that identifies infectious diseases within one hour at the point of injury. IRIS reduces unnecessary evacuations and combats multidrug-resistant infections in austere environments.
Medical Technology Ventures: Lumenate Medical, a smart bladder cancer screening platform using a disposable cystoscope to continuously capture diagnostic-grade images, with AI verifying complete visualization and transmitting results for asynchronous urologist review. Designed for use by non-specialist providers to expand screening access and improve early detection.
Team Dentiphage, third-place winners in the General Ventures II category delivering their round 1 pitch at HopStart 2026
Hopstone Capital Award: PFAST, an autonomous PFAS detection system installed post-filtration in municipal water facilities, using electrochemical sensors to detect forever chemicals at levels as low as 4 parts per trillion in real time. Targeting the approximately 66,000 U.S. water systems required by the Environmental Protection Agency to begin PFAS monitoring by 2027, PFast replaces costly, weeks-long lab tests with instant alerts and audit-ready compliance logging.
The Pava Center for Entrepreneurship Awards:
Hear & Now, a platform with a game-based interface tailored for military and defense environments, designed to increase engagement and compliance while detecting hearing changes earlier, protecting long-term hearing health and mission effectiveness outside the clinic.
Crab-Back, a backup buoy attached to crab-catching pots that releases with a push of a button, so crabbers will never struggle to locate their pots again. Crab-Back reduces crabbers’ financial losses and prevents debris buildup in the Chesapeake Bay.