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On April 10, 2026, University of Maryland Global Campus (UMGC) hosted its first , where 10 U.S.-based students and recent alumni pitched business ideas for seed funding in technology and non-technology tracks. More than 100 people registered to watch and visit finalists' virtual booths.  

Awards were sponsored by the University System of Maryland’s  and the event was organized under UMGC’s Digital Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Hub (DEEHub). The DEEHub is led by the School of Business, in collaboration with the School of Integrative and Professional Studies and School of Cybersecurity and Information Technology. 

Judges, mentors and support behind the pitches

“The DEEHub brings together faculty, students, alumni, and industry partners to support innovation and entrepreneurship at t ��������,” said MBA Portfolio Director Camelia Fawzy, MBA ’06, DM ’15, the main organizer of the competition.

Entrepreneurial concepts ranged from cybersecurity and artificial intelligence-backed applications, to empowering new mothers, to custom craft furniture. Participants shared a common mission of resolving needs they have observed. 

Adjunct Associate Professor Andrew Seely, ’99, who teaches computer science at t ��������, was one of the judges for the technology track. When asked about his role as a judge for the competition, Seely, who had some of the most specific questions for the competitors, reflected on his own earlier days as a tinkerer.

“I was writing applications and software,” he said. “In hindsight, if only I had some sort of mentorship, I could have done bigger things.”

Mentoring was a critical aspect of the competition. Eight mentors—including six UMGC alumni—were available throughout the process to advise contestants. Three of the six judges were also UMGC alums.

Winners announced as pilot competition concludes

Discussing the winner of the technology group—, a military simulator created by master's project management student Laznier Mederos Santos—Seely pointed to the idea’s potential for positive impact. 

“He wasn't solving a problem for himself. He had already solved his problem,” Seely said. “He just saw a gap that requires solutions. That's why I felt it bubbled to the top.”

Rooster is a portable, AI-based, and voice-driven command and control training simulator for U.S. Air Force battle management. The overarching focus is to increase access to affordable training, thus increasing the number of proficient operators. 

The non-technology track winner was , a nonprofit enterprise founded by MBA student Shaquita Stewart to empower mothers by expanding access to focused education, smart support, and caring communities. Initially inspired by Stewart’s personal experience with gaps in maternal care, MOMINATE has six trained labor advocates and can support dozens of mothers.

Both winners received $1,500 at an announcement ceremony at the conclusion of the event. Runners up in each category received $1,250, and a community choice recipient in both tracks received $250.

Other contestants in the technology group included:

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• Operation SkillBridge AI (community choice)

The non-technology track also included: 

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•  (community choice)

With a successful pilot event in the books, plans are underway for another UMGC pitch competition. Students interested in learning more about entrepreneurship are invited to join the Entrepreneurship Club or explore business and management programs offered by the university.