Interdisciplinary teams transform ideas into funded ventures in one weekend.
For one weekend each semester, the Texas Tech Innovation Hub becomes the headquarters to teams of aspiring entrepreneurs.
Whiteboards fill with ideas. Students, faculty/staff, and community members form teams with people they met only hours before. Mentors challenge assumptions. By Sunday afternoon, viable venture concepts are pitched to judges for a chance to win cash prizes.
That is the spirit of Red Raider Startup (RRS).
This spring, participants from across Texas Tech University came together for three days of intensive collaboration, idea validation, and rapid venture development. The result: 11 teams pitched solutions spanning health innovation, education accessibility, and consumer engagement.
Health Innovation Leads the Weekend
The College of Health & Human Sciences (H&HS) generously sponsored this semester’s top awards, directly investing in student-led innovation.
Early Lung Cancer Screening (Early LCS) was awarded $2,000, sponsored by H&HS.
Team Members: Gargi Pathak (Whitacre College of Engineering), James Irwin (Whitacre College of Engineering), Sintayehu Mckeating (Rawls College of Business), Sebastian Cahen (College of Arts & Sciences), Sam Samayel (College of Arts & Sciences), Aryssa McBride (College of Health & Human Sciences)
The team focused on improving early detection technology and preventative health access for lung cancer screening. Judges praised the team’s strong problem validation and clear pathway toward implementation.
Brain-trition received $1,000, also sponsored by H&HS.
Team Members: Alycia Valdez (Rawls College of Business), Emma Bloede (College of Health & Human Sciences), Kaili White (College of Health & Human Sciences), Oliver Currlin
Brain-trition explored the intersection of nutrition and cognitive performance, proposing a solution designed to improve mental clarity through targeted nutritional strategy.
We are deeply grateful to the College of Health & Human Sciences for supporting student innovation in such a meaningful way.
Community & Education Innovation Recognized
Bite Sized Books was awarded $1,000, sponsored by the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA).
Team Members: Melanie Pinkerton (College of Media & Communication), Avery Hicks (Rawls College of Business), Amor Costilla (College of Arts & Sciences), Emily Silva (Rawls College of Business), Noah Castille (College of Media & Communication), Makayla Kreisley, Brady Hennington (College of Media & Communication)
The team presented a concept designed to make reading more accessible and engaging for children through streamlined content delivery and community-building features. Judges commended the team’s strong market framing and user-focused value proposition.
We extend sincere appreciation to LEDA for investing in student-led entrepreneurial development and supporting scalable ideas emerging from the Texas Tech community.
Individual Leadership & Impact Awards
In addition to team funding awards, several students were recognized for leadership, initiative, and execution throughout the weekend:
- Early Bird Gets the Worm Award – Sam Samayel (College of Arts & Sciences)
- RRS Distinguished Alumni Award – Jacob Gann (Rawls College of Business) & Brady Hennington (Rawls College of Business)
- Ride-or-Die Award – Sofia Kesel (College of Arts & Sciences) & Anthony Garcia-Fermin (College of Arts & Sciences)
- The Make-It-Happen Award – Josephine Seek (Rawls College of Business)
- The All-In Award – Liam Plunkett (Rawls College of Business)
- The Applied Innovation Award – Ahnaf Muizz Chowdhury (College of Engineering)
- The Sign Us Up Award – Garrison Huskinsson (Rawls College of Business) & Alexander Martinez (Rawls College of Business)
These recognitions celebrate more than strong business ideas. They highlight resilience, collaboration, initiative, and the willingness to lead under pressure.
Interdisciplinary Innovation at Work
One of the defining strengths of this semester’s RRS cohort was cross-college collaboration. Nearly half of all teams included both Business and Engineering students, blending technical feasibility with market validation. Students from Health & Human Sciences, Arts & Sciences, Media & Communication, Davis College, and Rawls College of Business were represented throughout the weekend.
This interdisciplinary structure reflects the Innovation Hub’s broader mission: to create a space where ideas move from concept to validation with real support systems behind them.
Following the weekend, teams interested in continuing their ventures receive access to Innovation Hub resources, including mentorship, programming, workspace, and commercialization guidance.
From Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, students transformed ideas into tangible ventures and demonstrated once again that innovation at Texas Tech thrives when disciplines intersect.
With the generous support of H&HS and LEDA, Spring 2026 Red Raider Startup Weekend was not just an event, it was an investment in innovative early ventures.