“Elevate Your Pitch” finalist winners level up to compete at the AIAS Grassroots Leadership Conference

Architecture students and recent grads put their presentation skills to the test in “Elevate Your Pitch”. Co-launched by the American Institute of Architecture Students and the Schindler Elevator Corporation, the competition had entrants submit a video clip of themselves pitching their most compelling business idea in the time it would take to ride in an elevator (1-2 minutes max). Ideas could be at any stage of development, whether it was still a concept or an established product.

After evaluating the submissions, the seven-member jury of Schindler and AIAS reps selected three cash-prize winners, who advanced to compete in the finals at the AIAS Grassroots Leadership Conference for the grand prize.

First prize went to “Case.MD” by Justin Gleason, Sam Graska and Ariella Yager of Kent State University. Their idea aims to combine emergency medicine into the convenience of a smartphone. 

Second prize went to “A|C” by University of Arizona students Nick Giambanco and Zechariah Fung. A|C gathers information from students, architectural sites, and other design-related cultures to create a neatly organized catalog for browsing.

Last but not least, third prize went to “Study Buddy” by 2017-2018 AIAS West Quadrant Director Caitlin Kessler of the University of Arizona. This app helps the user refocus every 20 minutes, so they can stay productive while getting a little distracted in the process.

Check out the video clips below!