{"688897":{"#nid":"688897","#data":{"type":"news","title":"An Ear for Innovation: Hearo Wins InVenture Prize With At-Home Ear Exam","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EAfter\u0026nbsp;some of the most intense competition in the program\u2019s history, team Hearo\u0026nbsp;won first place at the 18th annual \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EInVenture Prize\u003C\/a\u003E competition,\u0026nbsp;which\u0026nbsp;began with a record 72 teams and culminated in six finalists pitching live to a panel of judges and a packed\u0026nbsp;audience.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHearo\u2019s invention\u0026nbsp;reimagines the\u0026nbsp;otoscope\u0026nbsp;for parents,\u0026nbsp;enabling caregivers to conduct\u0026nbsp;an at-home ear exam and capture physician-usable images to help\u0026nbsp;identify\u0026nbsp;ear infections without a trip to the doctor\u2019s office.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDrawing on their variety of skills and\u0026nbsp;backgrounds, teammates Ander DeOnaindia (computer engineering), Vasileios Kouloumentas (biomedical engineering), Luis Lujan (biomedical engineering), Agustin\u0026nbsp;Munyau\u0026nbsp;(biomedical engineering), Marilyn Pelayo-Montufar (computer science), and Luke Towery (mechanical engineering) saw an opportunity to make a big change in healthcare.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIt\u2019s\u0026nbsp;so huge,\u201d Towery said.\u0026nbsp;\u201cWinning this really shows what can happen when a team finds a problem in the world to solve and sticks together.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFirst place comes with a $20,000 prize and\u0026nbsp;a\u0026nbsp;coveted spot in Georgia Tech\u2019s CREATE-X Startup Launch, a 12-week summer program in which participants work with experienced entrepreneurs and Tech alumni to launch their ideas into fully functioning startups.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cNext, we\u2019ll take Hearo through CREATE-X and start getting it into parents\u2019 hands,\u201d said Pelayo-Montufar.\u0026nbsp;\u201cWe know how hard it is to be stuck in waiting rooms and doctors\u2019\u0026nbsp;offices, and so getting Hearo to other parents is extremely important to us.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EPedalSwap\u0026nbsp;Takes Second Place\u0026nbsp;With\u0026nbsp;Modular Guitar Pedal\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EPedalSwap\u0026nbsp;finished second and earned a $10,000 prize\u0026nbsp;for their configurable guitar pedal. Featuring swappable effect cartridges and controls, their invention\u0026nbsp;makes\u0026nbsp;it easier and more affordable for amateur musicians to customize their tone.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA team of musicians, Wylam DeSimone (electrical engineering), Zephyr Smith (music technology), and Tony Wu (electrical engineering), drew on their collective technical experience to find a way to\u0026nbsp;help\u0026nbsp;guitarists\u0026nbsp;explore and experiment with their sound\u0026nbsp;\u2014 without\u0026nbsp;breaking the bank.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe tried to tackle a fun problem, and something that we all care about,\u201d DeSimone said. \u201cWinning second place means we can get our patent as well as fund our invention.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EDoorTix\u0026nbsp;Voted\u0026nbsp;People\u2019s Choice\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe People\u2019s Choice Award\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;selected through audience voting that opened\u0026nbsp;a week before the finale and closed\u0026nbsp;just before the competition\u2019s end\u0026nbsp;\u2014\u0026nbsp;went to team\u0026nbsp;DoorTix, an automated ticket-purchasing platform for fair, predictable pricing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDoorTix\u0026nbsp;teammates\u0026nbsp;Shinhai\u0026nbsp;Chen (industrial engineering), Dhruv Narang (mechanical engineering), and\u0026nbsp;Arayna Saxena (computer science)\u0026nbsp;wanted to restore transparency, fairness, and trust to\u0026nbsp;a ticketing market that currently disadvantages millions of fans.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWe\u2019re literally built for the people,\u201d Saxena said. \u201cWe want to make it easier for our customers to get cheap tickets, and winning People\u2019s Choice hopefully means we can get them for you, too.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECelebrating\u0026nbsp;Student Innovation\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECreated in 2009, the\u0026nbsp;InVenture\u0026nbsp;Prize is a\u0026nbsp;\u003Cem\u003EShark Tank\u003C\/em\u003E-style competition that\u0026nbsp;fosters creativity, invention, and entrepreneurship by bringing together student innovators from all academic backgrounds.\u0026nbsp;From healthcare to creative expression and consumer technology, this year\u0027s top teams demonstrated\u0026nbsp;how student-driven inventions can\u0026nbsp;meaningfully improve\u0026nbsp;everyday life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELearn more about all of the 2026 finalists on the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EInVenture Prize website\u003C\/a\u003E, and if you missed the live show,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.gpb.org\/events\/education\/2026\/03\/11\/the-2026-georgia-tech-inventure-prize\u0022\u003Eclick here\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;to watch the recording. You can also tune in\u0026nbsp;at 4 p.m.\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;Sunday, March 15,\u0026nbsp;and at 7:30 p.m.\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;Monday,\u0026nbsp; March\u0026nbsp;16,\u0026nbsp;on Georgia Public Broadcasting.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EGeorgia Tech\u0027s 2026 InVenture Prize concluded with Hearo winning first place, alongside runner-up PedalSwap and People\u0027s Choice winner DoorTix.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Georgia Tech\u0027s 2026 InVenture Prize concluded with Hearo winning first place, alongside runner-up PedalSwap and People\u0027s Choice winner DoorTix."}],"uid":"36773","created_gmt":"2026-03-12 12:49:01","changed_gmt":"2026-03-12 15:43:11","author":"choward85","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","location":"Atlanta, GA","dateline":{"date":"2026-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2026-03-12T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"679597":{"id":"679597","type":"image","title":"2026 InVenture Prize- Winning Team Hearo","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETeam Hearo wins the 2026 InVenture Prize with an easy-to-use, at-home ear exam.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773319757","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","changed":"1773319757","gmt_changed":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","alt":"Team Hearo hold their prize after winning first place at the 2026 InVenture Prize competition.","file":{"fid":"263777","name":"Hearo-2026-InVenture-Prize-Winners.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Hearo-2026-InVenture-Prize-Winners.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/Hearo-2026-InVenture-Prize-Winners.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":634293,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/Hearo-2026-InVenture-Prize-Winners.jpg?itok=XEQ4mC1N"}},"679598":{"id":"679598","type":"image","title":"2026 InVenture Prize Runners-Up PedalSwap","body":"\u003Cp\u003ERunner-up, PedalSwap, holds award following the 2026 InVenture Prize.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773319757","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","changed":"1773319757","gmt_changed":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","alt":"PedalSwap holds second-place prize at 2026 InVenture Prize competition.","file":{"fid":"263778","name":"PedalSwap-2026-InVenture-Prize-Runners-Up.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/PedalSwap-2026-InVenture-Prize-Runners-Up.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/PedalSwap-2026-InVenture-Prize-Runners-Up.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":649571,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/PedalSwap-2026-InVenture-Prize-Runners-Up.jpg?itok=WzbIGRdE"}},"679599":{"id":"679599","type":"image","title":"2026 InVenture Prize People\u0027s Choice Winner DoorTix","body":"\u003Cp\u003ETeam DoorTix received the People\u0027s Choice Award.\u003C\/p\u003E","created":"1773319757","gmt_created":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","changed":"1773319757","gmt_changed":"2026-03-12 12:49:17","alt":"Team DoorTix holds People\u0027s Choice Award following 2026 InVenture Prize competition.","file":{"fid":"263779","name":"DoorTix-2026-InVenture-Prize-People-s-Choice.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/DoorTix-2026-InVenture-Prize-People-s-Choice.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2026\/03\/12\/DoorTix-2026-InVenture-Prize-People-s-Choice.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":663270,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2026\/03\/12\/DoorTix-2026-InVenture-Prize-People-s-Choice.jpg?itok=eTvyzCd4"}}},"media_ids":["679597","679598","679599"],"related_links":[{"url":"https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\/","title":"Georgia Tech InVenture Prize"},{"url":"https:\/\/inventureprize.gatech.edu\/competition\/2026","title":"2026 InVenture Prize Finalists"},{"url":"https:\/\/experiential.learning.gatech.edu\/","title":"Office of Experiential and Engaged Learning"}],"groups":[{"id":"281961","name":"Office of Undergraduate Education \u0026 Student Success"}],"categories":[{"id":"193158","name":"Student Competition Winners (academic, innovation, and research)"}],"keywords":[{"id":"7764","name":"InVenture Prize"},{"id":"171056","name":"student innovation"},{"id":"3472","name":"entrepreneurship"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[{"id":"71871","name":"Campus and Community"}],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:choward85@gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAlex Howard\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr\u003EOffice of Undergraduate Education and Student Success\u003Cbr\u003EGeorgia Tech\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}