St. Olaf student entrepreneurs compete in 12th annual Ole Cup
On Saturday, April 25, St. Olaf College students took to Viking Theater’s stage one by one to pitch ideas shaped by years of work, lived experiences, and, in some cases, loss.
It was time for the 12th annual Ole Cup.
The Ole Cup — St. Olaf’s annual entrepreneurship competition hosted by the Piper Center for Vocation and Career — brings together student founders to pitch ventures ranging from health care devices to sustainable materials and travel platforms. A panel of entrepreneurial alumni and parents serve as judges, awarding thousands of dollars in prize money to support the development of student start-ups.
The Ole Cup was conceived by the late Brad Cleveland ’82, CEO of Proto Labs, who wanted St. Olaf students to realize how much fun it can be to be an entrepreneur. Since its founding in 2014, the contest has helped launch successful businesses like JonnyPops, Red Foods, Teranga Strings, The Shop 1500, and the Ole Thrift Shop.
Of the 10 teams competing in this year’s cohort, eight were led by international students and seven were women-founded, bringing a wide range of perspectives to the stage.
In her opening remarks, President Susan Rundell Singer framed innovation not as a passive pursuit, but as central to the college’s mission to prepare students for post-graduate life.
“ When we think about careers, the predictions are that students who are graduating now will go on to have eight careers in entirely different sectors, and on average 16 different jobs,” she said. “You have to be innovative, you have to be creative, and you have to have your own personal North Star about what you want to accomplish in the world. Oles — keep finding meaning, and keep moving forward.”
For Piper Center Associate Director Meghan Anderson, who works closely with the student entrepreneurs leading up to the competition, the most compelling part of the Ole Cup isn’t just the ideas — it’s the people behind them.
“ This morning, I was talking to one of the participants and she said, ‘You know, I kind of want someone else to win.’ And I said, ‘What? No, you need to win, this is your stage.’ She said, ‘I know — I just want everyone to win though,’” she recalled. “That’s just the ethos of these students — they truly believe in one another. Yes, it’s a competition, but we’re here to support one another along the way. It’s a pretty beautiful thing to be a part of.”
The VCD-Zero team took home the Ole Cup’s top prize ($10,000) for their wearable device designed to help individuals manage vocal cord dysfunction in real time.
“This was an idea started during J-Term. I am a first-year here at St. Olaf — this was not something I planned as something that could be a big part of my life and other people’s lives,” Emma Jacquin ’29 said during her acceptance speech. “I am so grateful for all of the people who were able to help me and my partner, and [Physics Stockroom Technician] Kurtis [Johnson], and my original group from J-Term. We finally did it!”
Second place ($7,500) was awarded to ApexStride, recognizing its climate-adaptive prosthetics and integrated care model, while BANARA earned third place ($5,000) for its sustainable approach to hair extensions using banana fiber.
RicarGie received the Social Impact Award ($7,500) for its work transforming recycled materials into affordable housing solutions, and Algaecore, a microalgae-powered system designed to improve indoor air quality by reducing carbon dioxide levels, was selected by the audience for the People’s Choice Award ($3,000).
“What I like about St. Olaf is at its core we are forced to be genuinely curious,” Jessica Landa ‘16, owner of LANE Floral and former Ole Cup competitor, said during her presentation of the People’s Choice Award. “Every class approaches a problem from 70 different angles, because to limit ourselves to one is a waste of our potential and our resources. I think that’s why I love this idea so much, because it was people sitting in a room being curious, and it showed that simply being curious is enough to change the atmosphere around you.”
While the competition awarded funding to half of its ventures, the morning itself became a showcase of the many ways Oles are approaching innovation – blending personal experience, scientific research, sustainability, and social impact into ideas designed to address practical challenges.
Standing on stage, Chloe Valleau ‘26, the founder of Avelis, opened with a familiar but often overlooked reality: for many women, daily life continues uninterrupted by pain — whether that’s from menstrual cramps, fatigue, or discomfort that is expected to be endured rather than solved.
Her pitch reframed that expectation.
“Pain isn’t normal. Discomfort isn’t normal. And we shouldn’t be at the mercy of our biology, especially in today’s society where we have so many factors that shift our hormones,” Valleau said. “Women deserve better. They deserve a supplement company that actually believes and understands their biology — and Avelis is that brand.”
Avelis is a daily powder designed to support the full menstrual cycle, targeting biological mechanisms behind common symptoms like bloating, pain, and fatigue. Built on a “biology-first” model, the product emphasizes transparency, with clearly published ingredients and clinical backing. Early validation includes survey data, confirmed purchase interest, and partnerships with a manufacturer and medical professionals to guide development.
Looking ahead, the venture plans to scale through a subscription-based model and education-driven marketing strategy, using social media to build trust and awareness. With a growing market in women’s health supplements, Valleau positioned Avelis as both a product and a broader effort to shift how women’s health is addressed — grounded in science, accessibility, and lived experience.
Beginning with a simple but relatable scenario — fatigue in a closed room despite adequate sleep — Sardar Qaudi ‘26 of Algaecore directed attention to an invisible factor: indoor air quality.
“Did you know that about 90 percent of our time is spent indoors in Minnesota?” he asked. “Every hour, one person exhales enough carbon dioxide to raise a room’s concentration by 200 parts per million, and in a closed room that level can reach 2,400 parts per million — that’s six times higher than the health range. Research proves that at 1,000 parts [of carbon dioxide] per million, there’s a 25 percent drop in cognitive performance. The longer you stay indoors in these conditions, the less performance you will get.”
Algaecore proposes a bioactive solution: a compact system using microalgae to absorb carbon dioxide far more efficiently than traditional plants. The device integrates airflow design, lighting for photosynthesis, and a monitoring app to track conditions like temperature and pH.
“We are helping you create your own living ecosystem at your home,” Qaudi said.
He envisions scaling from individual consumers to commercial applications, while continuing to refine the product through user feedback. With both environmental and wellness benefits, Algaecore positions itself at the intersection of sustainability and everyday functionality — offering a new approach to healthier indoor living.
Drawing from personal and community experience, the BANARA team – Puri Goyo ‘28, Tine Museba ‘28, and Glory Buntubwimana ‘28 — highlighted a problem affecting many Black women: irritation caused by synthetic hair extensions. Their pitch centered on the trade-off between beauty and comfort, emphasizing the physical discomfort and health concerns tied to widely used products.
“65 percent — to many of you, this is just a number, but to the women we surveyed, it represents the percentage of Black women suffering from severe cough irritation caused by synthetic hair,” Goyo ‘28 said. “[It represents] the constant itching and burning that forced these women to take off their braids early, wasting their time and the money they have already invested, and disrupting their sleep. I have gone through it myself, and my co-founders have too. The choice between looking beautiful or feeling comfortable is happening to Black women everywhere.”
BANARA offers a plant-based alternative made from banana fiber, transforming agricultural waste into biodegradable, non-toxic hair extensions. The product aims to eliminate harmful chemicals while also reducing environmental impact and creating economic opportunities for farmers. By sourcing locally and designing for affordability, the team seeks to make sustainable options accessible.
With a business model focused on partnerships with salons, BANARA plans to leverage trusted relationships between stylists and customers to drive adoption. As demand grows for both safer beauty products and sustainable materials, the venture positions itself as a solution that addresses health, environment, and economic development simultaneously.
Introducing the concept of “decision fatigue,” Xiaoyang Hu ‘26 of Gemify framed her venture around a common modern dilemma: too many choices and too little time. Her pitch centered on users like busy professionals who want to elevate their style without spending hours searching for the right accessories.
Gemify is a digital platform that curates jewelry selections based on occasion, personal style, and aesthetic principles. By combining user input with styling logic and AI-driven recommendations, the platform aims to simplify the decision making process while building a virtual wardrobe for future use.
“Let’s start off by introducing my friend Julie — Julie is an early professional who works a ton of hours every week,” Hu described. “She wants to look different every day with a piece of jewelry that elevates her outfit. Julie would input her destination, ‘work,’ and then she would start looking at the neckline options, the outfits, and the shapes she gravitates towards. In the end, Julie will purchase from us, and the jewelry will automatically show up in that wardrobe function.”
The business operates as a marketplace, partnering with designers and taking a percentage of sales, with future plans for subscription-based styling services. As online shopping continues to expand, Gemify seeks to differentiate itself by helping users not just find great products, but also develop their choice confidence.
For Emma Jacquin ‘29, who co-founded VCD-Zero with Allie Moran ‘29, the problem she seeks to alleviate is both urgent and often misunderstood.
“How many of you have ever felt like you couldn’t breathe because of maybe asthma allergies or something else you couldn’t really explain?” she asked. “Imagine this is happening suddenly, in the middle of a race, a performance, or even just walking to class or work. You have no warning and no control, and nothing you’ve been given or prescribed is actually helping — This is the reality for millions of people experiencing something called VCD.”
Vocal cord dysfunction, a condition in which the airway closes unexpectedly, can leave individuals struggling to breathe – yet it is frequently misdiagnosed as asthma. Her solution is a wearable device that transforms a manual breathing technique into a hands-free tool. By blowing into the airflow chamber, the pendant helps stabilize the airway during an episode, offering immediate relief without medication or complex interventions. Designed to be discreet and accessible, it aims to provide users with a sense of control in high-stress moments.
“ At its core, VCD-Zero is not just a device — it’s a way to give people control back in moments where they feel they’re losing it, and in a moment someone can’t breathe, nothing else matters,” Jacquin said. “No one should have to choose between their passion and their breath.”
With prototypes already developed during her J-Term course Technology, Health, and Wellness with Assistant Professor of Kinesiology Jenny Miller, and clinical studies underway, Jacquin is working toward regulatory approval and broader adoption through medical and athletic channels. Positioned within a growing market for non-digital health tools, VCD-Zero reflects a shift toward simple, user-centered medical solutions.
The WANDRERS team, represented at St. Olaf by company CFO Rafael Rashid ‘27, opened with a vivid example of travel in Bangladesh: navigating inconsistent pricing, unreliable guides, and a lack of centralized information. For millions of travelers, planning a trip involves uncertainty and risk, particularly when venturing beyond major tourist destinations.
“ You end up going with a guy that your cousin’s friend suggested last week. You pay upfront, no receipts, no clarification, just hope — and let me tell you, hope is not the thing you want to do while traveling in Bangladesh,” Rashid joked. “This is not a single story, this is how 18 million people traveled inside Bangladesh every single year. Unpredictable pricing, no trust infrastructure, amazing local guides who lack visibility, and foreign travelers that can’t go beyond the tourist hotspot because there’s simply no way to — this is exactly where WANDRERS steps in, because we believe travel in Bangladesh is rich in potential, but broken in practice.”
WANDRERS is a platform that combines itinerary planning, group coordination, and verified local experiences. By offering transparent pricing and trusted connections, the app seeks to create a more reliable travel ecosystem while highlighting local knowledge and hidden destinations.
With a minimal viable product already developed and partnerships in place, the team plans to grow through university networks and local talent. As travel demand continues to rise in emerging markets, WANDRERS positions itself as a bridge between accessibility and authenticity.
Rooted in founder Anyi Aponza Carabali’s ‘27 experience in Colombia, RicarGie addresses a dual challenge: mounting global waste and a shortage of affordable housing. The pitch asked a simple but powerful question: What if discarded materials could become the foundation for new homes?
“ Every year, more than 92 million tons of clothes are thrown away, while at the same time, over a billion car tires are accumulated,” Carabali shared. “While all of this waste continues to pile up, there are millions of families that are still waiting for something as basic as a safe place to live. This is how RicarGie was born.”
RicarGie transforms recycled textiles and tires into modular construction panels, offering strong thermal and acoustic insulation while reducing environmental impact. Each structure repurposes thousands of discarded items, creating a circular system that turns waste into a resource.
Targeting developers, governments, and NGOs, the venture aims to scale through partnerships and certifications required for structural use. With a growing demand for sustainable building solutions, RicarGie positions itself as the intersection of affordability, innovation, and environmental responsibility.
”I invite you to join me in this venture by rethinking waste, rethinking construction, and rethinking how we use the resources we already have with RicarGie — recharging waste into affordable homes,” Carabali concluded.
The ApexStride pitch was deeply personal, grounded in the experience that founder Ahmed Sajidani (Saji) Jarjis Rafsan ‘27 had in losing his mother due to complications from inadequate prosthetic care. That loss became the driving force behind a venture focused on improving access to reliable, climate-adapted prosthetics in Bangladesh.
“ Years ago, my mother was hit in a road accident,” Rafsan shared. “She was provided with temporary prosthetics, but those prosthetics were not built for the high humidity conditions of Bangladesh. It failed, leading to infection and sepsis, and before we could react, I lost my mother. This is not rare. Thousands of mothers like this lose their lives because of lack of good prosthetic care, and the majority of the population don’t even have access to prosthetics in Bangladesh. Around five years ago, I built ApexStride for that underserved market.”
ApexStride develops modular prosthetics designed for humid and flood-prone environments, offering durability and affordability compared to imported alternatives. The company also integrates rehabilitation services, creating a feedback loop that informs product development and supports long-term patient care.
Having already served hundreds of users, the venture is now focused on scaling production while maintaining quality. With plans to expand across South Asia, ApexStride highlights the potential of combining technical innovation with community-centered care.
The venture has already gained support well beyond Ole Cup. Rafsan was part of a team that won the $25,000 first prize at the Fowler Global Social Innovation Challenge this spring. The funding will help them expand production to help more people in need. The Fowler GSIC is organized in partnership between the University of San Diego and the University of St. Thomas. Rooted in the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the competition provides visibility and tangible support to changemakers with a passion to make the world a better place. Teams are made up of students with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise, giving them unique perspectives about how to tackle pressing issues. Since 2011, the challenge has connected more than 3,000 students from more than 25 countries, distributing more than $1 million to seed the most innovative global ventures.
Opening with her own experience as a refugee, Roaya Ghunein ‘26 highlighted a critical gap in resettlement support — while food and housing may be provided, many refugees and asylum-seeking women are left without clear avenues to education or employment, navigating fragmented systems and social isolation on their own.
“Growing up as a refugee in Lebanon, I had the vision but not the pathway — what pushed me forward was access to community and mentorship, and it’s time to give back,” she said. “That’s why I’m building Step Forward, turning vision into opportunity through supporting young and asylum refugee women in London.”
Step Forward addresses the transition gap through a structured, women-centered program focused on employability skills, mentorship, and community building. The model combines practical training — such as digital literacy and interview preparation — with one-on-one mentorship and peer support, helping participants move from uncertainty to readiness. Grounded in interviews and early partnerships with NGOs and universities, the initiative is designed to create a continuous pathway rather than a one-time intervention.
Looking ahead, the venture plans to launch a pilot cohort this summer before expanding into a digital platform and broader community hub. With a focus on long-term impact, Step Forward envisions a cycle in which participants return as mentors, creating a sustainable network of support that transforms isolation into opportunity.
Framing their pitch around rising rates of impaired driving among college students, the DriveMate team, represented by Maroova Elkemary ‘26 and Rania Abdul Hafiz ‘26, pointed to a familiar dilemma: students often must choose between leaving their car behind or risking an unsafe drive home. Survey data showed strong demand for a safer alternative — one that accounts not just for the rider, but for their vehicle as well.
“ That’s where DriveMate comes in,” Hafiz explained. “You open our app, request a ride, a trained student driver arrives at your location on a foldable electronic bike, folds it properly, stores it in your trunk, then drives you and your car home. You’re safe, and your car is safe.”
By focusing on campus communities and peak nighttime hours, the model aims to provide a targeted, practical solution that integrates seamlessly into student life.
With plans to launch in Minneapolis in the fall, the team is in the process of building a relationship with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Transportation Studies, while preparing to scale operations based on demand around their campus.
“An important thing to note: DriveMate is 99.8 percent cheaper than a single DUI conviction,” Hafiz said. “You have $22 versus $15,000 — one ride request protects lives, dollars, and sleepless nights.”
Positioned as both a safety initiative and a business, DriveMate aims to reduce risk, prevent costly consequences, and offer students a reliable option for getting home — without leaving anything behind.
“Honestly, our best marketing strategy is a student who got home safely and told their friends,” Elkemary intoned. “That is our product selling itself.”
Though each venture approached a different problem, the pitches shared a common spirit of curiosity, resilience, and the belief that innovation can emerge from lived experiences. The Ole Cup continues to serve as a valuable vehicle for students to imagine new ways to care for communities, question the status quo, and respond to the unmet needs of the world.
With the top prize awarded, Anderson gave her final remarks to those assembled.
“ No matter what happened today, no matter how many big checks you got to hold, the biggest prize today is just how proud you can be of yourself,” she said. “ Check or no check, this is a massive accomplishment, and you all have so much to be proud of.”