A night of bold ideas, bold pitches, and over $20,000 awarded to Texas Tech's rising founders.
On Friday, November 14th, the Texas Tech Innovation Hub hosted the annual Fall Finale & Awards Social, bringing together the region’s brightest innovators and strongest supporters for an evening of celebration, connection, and high-energy pitch competitions. From iTTU Mentors and Accelerator alumni to student entrepreneurs and community founders, the room was filled with people who believe deeply in building West Texas’s next generation of changemakers.
This year’s Fall Finale showcased finalists and winners from the iLaunch Competition, the Red Raider Idea Competition, the Social Entrepreneurship Challenge, Pantex Innovation Showdown, and the Rawls Marketplace Hub Hype Award with more than $20,000 in prizes awarded thanks to generous partners. The event highlighted not just the innovations themselves, but the community that fuels them.
A special thank you goes to the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) for sponsoring the iLaunch and Idea Competition awards.
iLaunch Competition Winners
The iLaunch Competition took center stage with founders pitching transformative technologies to a panel of judges.
FireTechAI ($10,000) | AI-powered smart fire detectors that provide early detection, real-time alerts,
and remote monitoring for homes and businesses.
Team: Rafael Reyes Ramirez, Graduate Student, Electrical Engineering, Whitacre College
of Engineering
Bitebuddy.AI ($5,000) | A 24/7 AI receptionist that answers restaurant calls, captures missed sales, and
makes reservations automatically.
Team: Muhammad Meeran, Graduate Student, Computer Science, Whitacre College of Engineering
ResidAlly ($2,500) | A platform that connects single renters with homeowners offering flexible, affordable
mid-term housing.
Team: Dr. Keya Malhotra, Community Member
Wounded Wilson ($500, People’s Choice) | A realistic, multi-use training dummy designed to help first responders practice
life-saving skills under real-world conditions.
Team: Jacob Gann, Undergraduate Student, Rawls College of Business
Red Raider Idea Competition Winners
These early-stage student and community innovators brought fresh ideas and creativity to the Finale:
SELT ($2,000) | A verified, video-based student marketplace that enables campus communities to
buy and sell safely.
Team: Ohi Moiza, Undergraduate Student, Computer Science, Whitacre College of Engineering
GrowBot ($1,000) | An AI-driven marketing agent that generates and executes complete digital strategies
in minutes—no agency required.
Team: Daniela Salcedo, Community Member
Commencement Depot ($500) | A regalia rental service designed to make graduation more affordable and stress-free
for students.
Team: Dr. Maaz Amjad, Faculty Member, Computer Science, Whitacre College of Engineering
A Night That Strengthened the Texas Tech Innovation Ecosystem
Beyond the awards, the Fall Finale represented something bigger: a community rallying behind its entrepreneurs. Attendees connected across programs, colleges, industries, and generations — illustrating how collaboration fuels innovation.
Whether a founder was pitching for the first time or celebrating the latest milestone in their venture journey, the room was filled with support, mentorship, and inspiration. Events like the Fall Finale don’t just honor great ideas, they help build the entrepreneurial future of West Texas.
