On Friday, UT Student Government held its inaugural Builder’s Bullpen, a pitch competition where student entrepreneurs from across campus presented their startup ideas and innovations to a panel of alumni judges for a chance to win $5,000 in funding. Current students, alumni and Austin business leaders gathered at Innovation Tower to see student pitches, network and hear from the panel of alumni judges about their own journeys as entrepreneurs. The event highlights the commitment of The University of Texas to supporting student startups and building the next generation of entrepreneurs.
SynapSense Technologies, founded by current pre-med students Raquel Paz Bergia, Abdurraheem Sheikh and Raimah Rahman, took home the grand prize after presenting alongside three other student-led teams. Their device is a noninvasive, EEG-based system that aims to objectively measure pain in real time. Through an easily attached headwear device, the technology captures neural activity from the somatosensory cortex and uses machine learning to generate a quantifiable, interpretable pain score.
“Being included in Builder’s Bullpen is proof that when you are truly passionate about a venture, the right opportunities and community will follow,” said co-founder Paz Bergia. “This experience will significantly impact our business by providing the resources we need to grow as founders and giving us a platform to pitch SynapSense to the broader Austin entrepreneurship community.”
The panel of alumni judges included Gay Gaddis, who founded Austin advertising agency T3; Hall Martin, founder and CEO of TEN Capital Network; and Justin Fenchel, co-founder and CEO at BeatBox Beverages. After the pitch competition, the group held a panel discussion during which they talked about their experiences founding successful brands and the different ways they leveraged connections made during their time at UT.
The three other student-led pitches featured innovations in a variety of industries. Biology senior Ivy Fan presented her company, Spice-A-Bowl, which makes perfectly portioned spice cards to cook international cuisines at home. McCombs School of Business undergraduates Shariq Hafizi, Hazyk Obaid and Shrey Parekh pitched their company, Equitle, an AI-native platform that helps search funds and acquisition entrepreneurs find and acquire businesses more efficiently. Co-founder Stephen Herrera, an MBA candidate at McCombs, and interns Zahra Shaikhali and Eddie Zhou, both College of Natural Sciences undergrads, showcased Pinpoint Irrigation, a robotic, digitally mapped sprinkler system that cuts water use and installation costs by turning outdated irrigation into precise, data-driven infrastructure.
The Student Government’s establishment of Builder’s Bullpen is a testament to the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at UT. With over 150 students, alumni and Austin business professionals in attendance, the event provided students with the opportunity not only to pitch their ventures, but also to grow their networks and become inspired by one another.
