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).<\/p>\n
![\"Keynote](\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/cle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/014100AH020076_hd-300x200.jpg\")
Marie Eric, founder and CEO of Tastee Tape and Hopkins alum (WSE ’23), delivering the keynote address at HopStart 2026<\/p><\/div>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
HopStart\u2019s breakfast and lunch sessions also featured speakers from event sponsors, including Marty Lostrom from G.S. Proctor and Associates, Inc.<\/a>, Dana Blackwood from Turner Construction Company<\/a>, and Michael Sakata from the Maryland Transportation Builders and Materials Association<\/a>. Philip Lassalle and Manor Hill Brewing<\/a> also supported this year\u2019s event.<\/p>\n Team Remi demoing their product, an AI-supported collective memory application, for judges during their pitch at HopStart<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cThe quality of ideas and the ingenuity displayed at HopStart by students from across Johns Hopkins is one of the highlights of the year,\u201d said Pam Sheff, Director of the Whiting School of Engineering’s\u00a0Center for Leadership Education<\/a>. \u201cThis is CLE\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n In each of the competition\u2019s 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<\/a> and HopStone Capital<\/a> sponsored additional prizes.<\/p>\n HopStart First-Place Winners<\/strong><\/p>\n General Ventures I: <\/strong>HydraLock, a climate-adaptive moisturizer designed to provide long-lasting hydration in low-humidity\u00a0environments. Unlike traditional moisturizers that rely on ambient moisture,\u00a0HydraLock\u00a0delivers consistent hydration regardless of climate, directly addressing the needs of consumers living in dry, cold, or highly seasonal regions.<\/p>\n Members of PointSense and DevMinds celebrating their wins at the HopStart 2026 awards ceremony<\/p><\/div>\n General Ventures II<\/strong>: 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.<\/p>\n Healthcare Ventures: <\/strong>IRIS, a rugged, rapid multi-pathogen diagnostic system for frontline military use that\u00a0identifies\u00a0infectious diseases within one hour at the point of injury. IRIS reduces unnecessary evacuations and combats multidrug-resistant infections in austere environments.<\/p>\n Medical Technology Ventures: <\/strong>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.<\/p>\n Team Dentiphage, third-place winners in the General Ventures II category delivering their round 1 pitch at HopStart 2026<\/p><\/div>\n Hopstone Capital Award: <\/strong>PFAST, an autonomous\u00a0PFAS 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\u00a0required by the Environmental Protection Agency to begin\u00a0PFAS monitoring by 2027,\u00a0PFast\u00a0replaces costly, weeks-long lab tests with instant alerts and audit-ready compliance logging.<\/p>\n The Pava Center for Entrepreneurship Awards: <\/strong><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Crab-Back, a backup buoy attached to crab-catching pots that releases with a push of a button,\u00a0so\u00a0crabbers will never struggle to\u00a0locate\u00a0their pots again.\u00a0Crab-Back reduces\u00a0crabbers\u2019 financial losses and prevents debris buildup in the Chesapeake Bay.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-47052","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-student-experience"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/cle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/014100AH010138_hd-300x200.jpg\")
![\"Winners](\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/cle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/014100AH020139_hd-300x200.jpg\")
![\"Students](\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/cle\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/014100AH010026_hd-300x200.jpg\")