The Spark accelerator, a program designed for student innovators in the early stage of their work, culminated its 12-week intensive accelerator with a pitch event to a team of judges for a potential $2,000 prize.
Of the 37 teams that completed the fall session, the following won the Judges Award for $2,000 each:
- CortiSense | Whiting School of Engineering: A wearable device designed for continuous, real-time stress monitoring. It measures cortisol levels in interstitial fluid using an E-MIP sensor, which generates a measurable redox reaction upon cortisol binding. The signal is then wirelessly transmitted via Bluetooth.
- Parametric | Whiting School of Engineering: A non-invasive core, accurate body temperature measurement sensor for emergency medical service providers.
- StartSmart | Bloomberg School of Public Health: Helping recently migrated people navigate everyday US processes necessary for life skills.
- UrinControl | Whiting School of Engineering: An over-the-counter reusable, safe product that combines the familiarity of a tampon with the functional benefits of a pessary to treat stress urinary incontinence.
An additional four teams won the Audience Award, earning $500 each:
- Care Across Borders | Bloomberg School of Public Health: To improve access to dermatologic care for underserved areas with a digital, affordable telehealth solution.
- Crispier | Whiting School of Engineering: To bring affordable, hot comfort foods to students on campus in convenient vending machines.
- FreeFlow | Krieger School of Arts and Sciences: Offers free access to menstrual pads through its flagship product, PinkBox. This is funded by local advertisers who place high-visibility ads on the packaging, helping to reduce the cost of the ‘pink tax’.
- PinPoint Dx | Whiting School of Engineering: To improve global point-of-care diagnostics through accessible and accurate blood testing.
“Our fall cohort had a notably high level of engagement outside the core Spark programming,” Sephora Saint-Armand, Assistant Director of the Pava Center, said. “These selected founders truly leveraged all that the Pava Center had to offer—from our Mix & Match nights, legal office hours and skills-based workshops like building your fundraising plan. We also saw significant traction early- several teams secured external non-dilutive grant funding opportunities through our ecosystem partners and beyond.”
We want to take our esteemed panel of judges for the time being: Leana Silverberg, Stanford Mussallem Center for Biodesign; Zac Fox, Under Armour; Todd Murphy, Root3 Labs; Beena Tharakan, The Sector Inc.; Jay Crim, Google; Shreen Ghaleb, AstraZeneca; Jeff Spitz, CVS Health; Brooke Stephanian, Benegraft; and Sarah Lee, Relavo.
JHU students interested in developing their later-stage ventures can apply for the Fall 2025 Spark cohort.