University Spin-Outs on the Rise: Celebrating the Winners of the Collegiate Startup Challenge
Across the country, universities are stepping into a new role — not just as centers of research and education, but as engines of entrepreneurship. As federal research funding becomes increasingly uncertain, more institutions are supporting students and researchers in turning academic insight into real-world startups. The result is a growing wave of university spin-outs tackling meaningful problems with rigor, creativity, and market-driven thinking.
The Collegiate Startup Challenge was created to support this shift — providing student innovators with visibility, mentorship, and early validation as they move from classroom or lab to company. This year’s competition highlighted just how powerful that pipeline has become.
We are proud to announce the winners of this year’s Collegiate Startup Challenge, representing universities across Oregon and demonstrating the impact of research- and experience-driven entrepreneurship.
🏆 Winner: Haulvana
Founder(s): Joseph Helmy, Sean Casey
University: University of Oregon
Haulvana is a modern fleet management and operations platform built specifically for residential and commercial waste haulers, including roll-on/roll-off services — an industry long plagued by inefficiencies and outdated tools.
Haulers today often rely on fragmented dispatch systems, manual billing processes, and limited visibility into fleet performance. Haulvana addresses these challenges by bringing dispatching, routing, customer communication, invoicing, and analytics into a single, intuitive SaaS platform — helping operators run smarter, more efficient, and more profitable businesses.
Founded by Joseph Helmy, a University of Oregon alumnus, Haulvana reflects a deep respect for the people who keep cities moving. Joseph’s leadership is grounded in transparency, accountability, and practical innovation. His vision is clear: to empower every hauler — from independent operators to enterprise fleets — with technology that makes their work easier, faster, and more sustainable.
Haulvana stood out to judges for its strong problem definition, clear market opportunity, thoughtful execution, and founder-led insight into a traditionally overlooked sector.
🥈 Runner-Up: Campus GTM
Founder(s): Adam Wolfe, Maggie Byrne
University: University of Oregon
Campus GTM is building the operating system for college ambassador go-to-market programs. Early-stage startups often struggle to acquire their first users — paid channels are expensive, and organic growth is difficult to systematize.
Campus GTM solves this by combining software and strategy to operationalize ambassador programs at scale. Their platform manages recruitment, task assignment, performance tracking, and incentive distribution, turning what is typically a manual, fragmented effort into a repeatable growth engine.
The idea emerged directly from the founders’ own experience running campus ambassador programs. Campus GTM built the tooling they wished existed — a hallmark of strong founder-market fit and a compelling example of how university environments can surface scalable startup ideas.
🎯 Audience Choice Award: EEGonaut
Founder(s): Chloe Le Moing, Aaliya Mehnaz Ahmed, Joe Gordon
University: Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU)
EEGonaut captured the Audience Choice Award for its innovative and mission-driven approach to mental health and neurodevelopment.
Developed at Oregon Health & Science University, EEGonaut is creating a gamified, affordable, and accessible at-home neurofeedback system designed to help children build emotional regulation skills. Millions of children — particularly those with ADHD, anxiety, or autism — struggle with emotional overwhelm, yet the most effective non-invasive treatment, neurofeedback, is often prohibitively expensive and inaccessible.
EEGonaut is democratizing access by turning clinical-grade neurofeedback into a fun, compliance-driving video game — making emotional self-regulation training engaging, effective, and available to families who need it most.
Why This Matters
These teams exemplify a broader national movement: university spin-outs are becoming a vital force in the startup landscape. As institutions seek new ways to sustain innovation and economic impact, student- and research-driven startups are stepping forward — not only commercializing ideas, but solving real problems across industries and communities.
Competitions like the Collegiate Startup Challenge play a critical role in this ecosystem. They provide early-stage founders with exposure, mentorship, and validation — helping bridge the gap between academic innovation and market readiness.
We are proud to support these founders and grateful to the judges, mentors, university partners, and community members who make this work possible.
🚀 Congratulations to all who presented! To read more about the Top 6 Finalists and the competition, click here.
