CSUN Jeff Marine Bull Ring Competition

1ST PLACE
Steal the Look
Talin Aivazian, Elizabeth Hernandez, Minette Coye, & Fernando Vargas
Steal the Look is a social media and shopping app that lets you browse for outfit inspiration and shop looks put together by other people. We aim to revolutionize the long, fragmented path to making a purchase for avid online shoppers who like to explore new styles.

2ND PLACE
NOC
Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, & Rayyan Ashraf
Network On Campus (NOC) helps campus administrators increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.

3RD PLACE
DuraPill
Aidan Jasanis, Milca Oliva, & Nadia Nateghi
The DuraPill Bracelet is a waterproof smart bracelet that connects to your mobile device and helps users to remember to take their medication while on the go.

SOCIAL IMPACT AWARD
The Cafecito Journal
Team members: Kena Kapri Huete & Amanda Valadez
The Cafecito Journal was created with community and environment in mind. Our goal is to create a space where locals have access to sustainable practices and can up-cycle old items, giving them a new purpose.

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY
FromNature
Donald Palomino & RunRun Chen
FromNature is developing next-generation exoskeletons using nature-inspired artificial muscles for enhanced mobility and prolonged uptime to maximize the efficacy and survivability of our firefighters and soldiers.

AUDIENCE CHOICE
NOC
Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, & Rayyan Ashraf
Network On Campus (NOC) helps campus administrators increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.

DuraPill
Aidan Jasanis, Milca Oliva, & Nadia Nateghi
The DuraPill Bracelet is a waterproof smart bracelet that connects to your mobile device and helps users to remember to take their medication while on the go.

FromNature
Donald Palomino & RunRun Chen
FromNature is developing next-generation exoskeletons using nature-inspired artificial muscles for enhanced mobility and prolonged uptime to maximize the efficacy and survivability of our firefighters and soldiers.

NOC
Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, & Rayyan Ashraf
Network On Campus (NOC) helps campus administrators increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.

Rebels
Oda Evjen Gjovag & Magnus Bertelsen
Rebels is a mobile application to give independent artists the tools they need to build an audience using an a la carte menu of services traditionally offered only by record labels.

Steal the Look
Talin Aivazian, Elizabeth Hernandez, Minette Coye, & Fernando Vargas
Steal the Look is a social media and shopping app that lets you browse for outfit inspiration and shop looks put together by other people. We aim to revolutionize the long, fragmented path to making a purchase for avid online shoppers who like to explore new styles.

Prizes

Grand Prize: $10,000
2nd Place: $5,000
3rd Place: $2,500

Additional awards:
Audience Choice: $2,500
Social Impact Award: $2,500
Best Use of Technology: $2,500

$2,500 of free legal services (courtesy of NovusGC) and $2,500 of free marketing/branding services (courtesy of IntersectLA) will also be offered to each of the top 3 teams.

Additional funding available over summer!

Christy Vega is the owner of Casa Vega, the Los Angeles landmark recently celebrating its 65th anniversary. Considered an icon in the San Fernando Valley, Casa Vega serves traditional Mexican cuisine crafted from recipes passed down through several generations of the Vega family. Christy has worked every aspect and position of the restaurant, and to this day enjoys jumping in the kitchen to ensure the careful recreation of her family’s recipes.

Jang Lee ’97 has over 25 years of experience in finance and accounting and currently serves as CFO at Flow Finance. Under Lee’s financial stewardship, the company provides a best-in-class, personalized financial platform that redefines what founders should expect from their accountants. Previously, Jang held leadership roles at numerous venture-backed companies including Hollar, Joymode, and Western Office.

Steven Sarfati '84, MS '91 is a business development and sales leader with over 20 years experience in homeland security, public safety and video systems with specialties including robotics and semiconductors. As a member of the board at Tech Coast Angels, Steven mentors and advises startups and enjoys inspiring the teams he works with to achieve the next level in their business.

Tim Gaspar ‘06 is owner and principal at Gaspar Insurance Services, which has over 60 team members and is one of the largest independent insurance firms in the San Fernando Valley. Gaspar Insurance was recently ranked as one of the fastest growing companies in America by Inc. magazine. Tim also supports a number of non-profit organizations focused on youth and public safety and serves on a number of boards.

Paul Jennings '85, Hon.D. '22 has owned and operated various successful businesses within the telecommunications and real estate industries and currently spends a significant portion of his time in renewable energy as the founder and CEO of PCS Energy. Paul is an active investor in renewable energy startups and also philanthropically supports a wide array of projects and organizations.

Bill Griffeth joined CNBC in 1991 and has anchored several top-rated programs including Power Lunch, receiving six CableACE nominations for his outstanding work over the years. During his 38 years in business television, he has become one of the most respected financial journalists in the country. Prior to CNBC, Bill was part of the production team that started FNN, the first cable channel devoted to business news.

AdenoCure
Team members: Tori Georgian, Ruben Bautista, Sydney Kwong, Paris Alisha, Isel Ramirez, David Manukyan, Joshua Medrano, & Fabiola Guzman Jimenez
AdenoCure is developing an improved method of liver cancer treatment to help diagnosed older individuals (45+) alleviate side effects which come with traditional chemotherapy while simultaneously slowing cancer cell growth rate with our specific liver cancer-targeted injection.

Art & Soul
Team members: Cassandra Ambe & Brandon Marino
Art & Soul is a DIY up-cycling shop and donation center where neighbors can come together, be creative and repurpose or reimagine household items. Our efforts focus on reducing neighborhood litter and landfill contributions while increasing community connection and encouraging alternative means of production and consumption.

Atra Funeral Services
Team members: Bianca Betdashtoo & Fiorella Betdashtoo
Atra Funeral Services supports grieving families by delivering a cost-effective, customizable, and timely-delivered alternative to standard headstone markers that perform as well as traditional materials.

DuraPill
Team members: Aidan Jasanis, Milca Oliva, & Nadia Nateghi
The DuraPill Bracelet is a waterproof smart bracelet that connects to your mobile device and helps users to remember to take their medication while on the go.

Eye Candy Media
Team members: Bryant Woodert & Andy Aquino
Eye Candy Media is a content creation and management company exploring 3 key areas: 1) creation of musical artist short form videos to Medium format, 2) conversion of children's picture books to audio/visual format, and 3) conversion of graphic novels to audio/visual format.

FromNature
Team members: Donald Palomino & RunRun Chen
FromNature is developing next-generation exoskeletons using nature-inspired artificial muscles for enhanced mobility and prolonged uptime to maximize the efficacy and survivability of our firefighters and soldiers.

Gluco Glow
Team members: Rachel Lindvall, Jeny Vasquez-Flores, Jasmin Guzman, Nahom Paulos, Kimiya Mosavi, & Leila Zare
Gluco Glow is proud to be developing a prick-free process for all diabetic patients to conveniently monitor their blood glucose levels by utilizing a nasal spray and hand-held detection device.

HEMPISKYN
Team members: Kevin Zapata & Eric Lopez
HEMPISKYN offers skincare products utilizing hemp seed oil and other natural ingredients to help men and women ages 18-35 who want to improve their skin without the hassle of using multiple products.

iMajor
Team members: Nila Rastegari & Nika Rastegari
iMajor offers an interactive game that helps students find their major. iMajor aims to lead students down a path where they can discover themselves rather than a career test choosing a major for them.

NOC
Team members: Anaz Mohammed, Redhwan Ahmed, Rayyan Ashraf
Network On Campus (NOC) is developing a social media for campuses to help campus administrations increase student engagement with an all-in-one platform for students and clubs to find and share events.

Other
Team members: Adam Capps & Chris Romo
Other is a social dating app to help people 18-30 looking for long-term relationships get more dates with sixty-second videos and the ability to chat before you match.

Rebels
Team members: Oda Evjen Gjovag & Magnus Bertelsen
Rebels is a mobile application to give independent artists the tools they need to build an audience using an a la carte menu of services traditionally offered only by record labels.

Rebound
Team members: Jeffrey Tashlyk & Alan Tashlyk
Rebound is developing an effective marketplace for pre-owned sneakers to educate sneaker buyers about the benefits of used sneakers. Our services include enhancing appearance, classifying condition and creating a unique experience around good condition sneakers.

Relacerti
Team members: Emely Ortiz Genoveva Santos, Ruben Ayala, Delia Argueta-Saravia, Ruby Kaner, Stephanie Calara, Angelo Martinez, & Emily Phan
Relacerti is an adhesive patch applied to the skin to treat the muscle contractions individuals with Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy experience.

Sips
Team members: Jacob Green & Emily Marhoffer
Sips offers a portable carbonating bottle with healthy water flavoring drops for soda and fitness lovers to enjoy on the go. Made with environmentally friendly materials, the sips bottle comes with customizable accessories to help fit your style.

Steal the Look
Team members: Talin Aivazian, Elizabeth Hernandez, Minette Coye, & Fernando Vargas
Steal the Look is a social media and shopping app that lets you browse for outfit inspiration and shop looks put together by other people. We aim to revolutionize the long, fragmented path to making a purchase for avid online shoppers who like to explore new styles.

Sunrise Sonrisa
Team members: Melissa C. Henderson (Cisneros Sanchez), Aylin Lopez, & Naty Hernandez
Sunrise Sonrisa is developing a probiotic sparkling tea that will help the Latin x population by creating a locally sourced Kombucha with a bilingual label emphasizing gut health.

Sustrigami
Team members: Maya Zeng & Nhut Ho
Sustrigami is developing a novel storage application to help eco-conscious individuals reduce their waste and save space with origami.

The Cafecito Journal
Team members: Kena Kapri Huete & Amanda Valadez
The Cafecito Journal was created with community and environment in mind. Our goal is to create a space where locals have access to sustainable practices and can up-cycle old items, giving them a new purpose.

Wingman
Team members: Meri Zadoyan & Will Meisel
Wingman is a mobile application engineered to promote safety and peace of mind while users enjoy their time out. By inputting their weight, height, and drink type/volume, the app provides an estimate of their sobriety time, while also offering safety recommendations like calling a rideshare, food delivery, or notification to authorized users to take care of them.

Alan Sugano
Andi Mysza
Avetis Antaplyan
Bandhana Katoch
Cesar Montoya
Danny Stein
Dorian Quispe
Elsa Burton
Emily Serebryany
Hector Garcia
John Ko
Kevin McVearry
Lewis Dvorkin
Loren West
Marty Stark
Nishit Rathod
Paul Mazbanian
Sylvia Martini
Tom Regev
Victor Benoun

We would like to honor and formally thank the Marine family for their support and generosity in making this competition a reality. Both born and raised in Los Angeles, Joni and Jeff Marine are deeply passionate about elevating the educational opportunities available to children in the greater L.A. area. The family’s philanthropy has also led to the creation of the Alliance Joni and Jeff Marine High School, which opened in 2017 in Sun Valley. The school brings rigorous college-preparatory instruction and powerful learning experiences through interdisciplinary projects and integration of real-world applications. Jeff and Joni have three daughters, Jenna, Jillian, and Jaslin, all three of whom attended the University of Michigan studying Political Science, Art History, Film, and History.

Competition Schedule

Sunday, March 5th
Application Deadline

Friday, March 10th
20 Semi-Finalist Teams Announced

March 10th onward
Coaching & Mentoring Period

Tuesday, April 4th
5 Finalist Teams Announced

Thursday, April 20th 3-5pm
Bull Ring Final Event
RSVP (Audience)

Application Details

Applications were due Sunday, March 5th, 2023 and required:

(1) a 10-25 page slide deck *or*
     5-7 page executive summary, AND

(2) a video not to exceed 2 minutes.

The Fine Print: Rules & Eligibility

1) The competition is open to ALL current CSUN students.

2) The competition is intended for student-created, -managed, and -owned ventures.

3) Teams must be comprised of at least 2 members.

4) At least 50% of team members must be current CSUN students as of the 2022-2023 academic year (Fall 2022 graduates eligible). The "pitch" must be delivered by a CSUN student.

5) Businesses currently earning >$15K in annual revenue are not eligible.

6) Business that have already raised >$50K in funding from outside sources are not eligible.

7) Both for-profit and non-profit business concepts are eligible; however, sources of revenue must be addressed.

8) An individual may only be a member of one team.

9) 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners from past Bull Ring Competitions are not eligible.

About CSUN's Center for Social and Technology Entrepreneurship

The Center for Social and Technology Entrepreneurship (C-STE) promotes and fosters entrepreneurship and innovation, with a unique specialization in both technology and social entrepreneurship, within the DNCBE, CSUN, and the greater Los Angeles community by leveraging strengths in networks, research, interdisciplinary initiatives, curricular and co-curricular programming, and community/industry engagement. C-STE also offers a unique specialization at the intersection of technology and social entrepreneurship (socio-tech entrepreneurship) which is a newly emerging and quickly growing area of entrepreneurship that offers exciting opportunities for technology-focused ventures to develop scalable and profitable socially impactful ventures.