A Record Setting Year
Congratulations to the 2026 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Winners!
The University of the District of Columbia School of Business and Public Administration proudly celebrates the winners and finalists of the 2026 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition.
This year, 436 teams registered from 30 countries and 32 U.S. states plus the District of Columbia — the broadest geographic reach in the competition’s history. Eight academic business professors assessed the qualifying teams, and six finalist teams presented before four industry judges on Aug. 13.
2026 UDC Capital Cup Entrepreneurship Competition Final Results
| Rank | Team | Team Members / School |
|---|---|---|
| Champion | AeroVein | Karim Fawzy American International School of Kuwait (AISK), Kuwait |
| Second Place | Tech Buddies | Medha Lalani • Reshma Lalani Hempfield High School, Landisville, PA |
| Third Place | Neurolink | Raina Swaminathan • Anishva Manikandan South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA |
| Fourth Place | DREVN | Aiden Jacob Allen High School, Allen, TX |
| Fifth Place | Whale Safe AI | Aditya Raja • Ishan Kasam • Dhruv Vasishta Holliston High School / Mass Academy / Malden Catholic, MA |
| Sixth Place | BloodConnect Offline | Ananya Desai William Mason High School, Mason, OH |
Top 10 Qualifying Teams
| Rank | Team | Team Member(s) | School / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Neurolink | Raina Swaminathan; Anishva Manikandan | South Forsyth High School, Cumming, GA |
| 2 | BloodConnect Offline | Ananya Desai | William Mason High School, Mason, OH |
| 3 | Tech Buddies | Medha Lalani; Reshma Lalani | Hempfield High School, Landisville, PA |
| 4 | AeroVein | Karim Fawzy | American International School of Kuwait (AISK), Kuwait |
| 5 | Whale Safe AI | Aditya Raja; Ishan Kasam; Dhruv Vasishta | Massachusetts |
| 6 | RiceRoot | August Garadi; Carson Peters; Gavin Lao | Keller High School, Keller, TX |
| 7 | DREVN | Aiden Jacob | Allen High School, Allen, TX |
| 8 | VIGIL | Jonah Cohen; Theophile Lepeu; Theodore Chane | Lycée Français de New York, New York, NY |
| 9 | Astrapath | Yutong Cai; Yiran Gui; Arianne Zhang | Shenzhen / Beijing / Shanghai, China |
| 10 | AquaLoop | Anika Sikka; Adya Bhardwaj | Winston Churchill High School, Potomac, MD |
Qualifying Round Judges
Dr. Anshu Arora; Dr. Amit Arora; Dr. Sergey Ivanov; Dr. Yolandra Plummer; Dr. Sung Namkung; Dr. Ruonan Liu; Dr. Feng Xu; Dr. Andrew Wyner.
Competition Leadership
Dr. Jian Hua, Founder & Director
Dr. Ravi Chinta, Final Competition Administrator
Dr. Sung Namkung, Final Competition Host
Awards Presenters
The awards were presented by Dr. Carolyn B. Rudd, vice president of the UDC Board of Trustees, and Nasir C. Qadree, founder and managing partner of Zeal Capital Partners, a Washington, D.C.–based venture capital firm investing in early-stage, tech-enabled businesses.
Dr. Selvon Malcolm Waldron is a recognized education leader, policy scholar and advocate for youth development, college access and economic mobility. He currently serves as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of City Year and has held leadership roles with Genesys Works, Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School and Life Pieces To Masterpieces. His career has focused on expanding educational and workforce opportunities for underserved communities. Dr. Waldron earned both his BBA and MBA from the University of the District of Columbia and holds a Doctorate in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. He also serves on several nonprofit and education boards.
Stephen Auvil is Chief Federal Engagement Officer at TEDCO, where he supports technology commercialization, strengthens connections between Maryland companies and federal laboratories and advances federal funding opportunities. Since 2010, he has supported startups through TEDCO’s technology transfer, commercialization and investment programs. Previously, he held technology development and licensing leadership roles at UMBC and Johns Hopkins University. He holds a BS from Loyola University Maryland, an MBA from the University of Baltimore and an MS in Biotechnology from Johns Hopkins University.
Dr. Malcolm G. Tyson is a business leader and strategist with more than 20 years of experience in accounting, financial management, strategy, and innovation. He holds a PhD in Business & Technology with a specialization in Strategy and Innovation and received the 2018 Wall Street Journal Business Leader Award. In 2015, he founded StratAscension, where he serves as Managing Director, helping leaders strengthen management skills, build innovative cultures, and create thriving organizations. He is also passionate about mentoring and training youth athletes.
Luke Lawal Jr. is an entrepreneur, author and community builder best known as the Founder and CEO of HBCU Buzz, a leading digital platform celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities. A graduate of Bowie State University, he has built a career focused on entrepreneurship, media, community engagement and empowering the next generation of leaders. His accomplishments include receiving BET’s Shine A Light Award and being named to The Root 100. He is also the author of Rich Black, Poor Black, which explores financial literacy, wealth and legacy.
