Business student places second at the SC Innovates competition in Columbia

This year, a group of students from the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business attended the SC Innovates competition, the only statewide pitch competition for college students in South Carolina. Hosted at the University of South Carolina, out of 72 applicants, eight Clemson teams made it to the semi-finals, four made it to the finals, and two of the four finalist winners were from Clemson. The competition is sponsored by the SC Dept of Commerce and SCRA. This past year’s competition had over 10 schools across the state competing.

Lori Trudell, assistant professor at the Powers College of Business and co-chair of the competition, says, “This competition, newly renamed The Palmetto Pitch Competition, is invaluable to our students as it exposes them to other students around the state representing their schools and competing to be the best in the state. Our students rank in the top each year, which is why we are excited to host this competition here at the Powers College of Business at Clemson for the first time in Fall 2025.”

SC Innovates finalists:

1st Place ($1700 cash prize & Start-Up boot camp with Revyrie) – “Bluuzone Bottles” by Julia Babun from North Greenville University.

2nd Place ($800 cash prize & 3 coaching sessions with mentors) – “HemoFlow” by Adam Neil from Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University

3rd Place ($500 cash prize) – “ClimaPot” by Jackson Williams, Helina Brown and Max Kudlov from College of Charleston

Fan Favorite Vote ($200 case prize) – “Flex Flow” by Ella Hause, Jessica Kicza, Sydney Lundeen and Lauren Murphy from Clemson University College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences

HemoFlow, Adam Neil

In second place was sophomore pre-business student Adam Neil. He pitched his company HemoFlow. HemoFlow was designed to help people with hemophilia, a rare, chronic bleeding disorder that prevents blood from clotting properly.

Neil explains, “People with hemophilia experience joint bleeds, which are often asymptomatic, so they don’t even feel them. We’re developing a way for hemophiliacs to detect these joint bleeds early, potentially using ultrasound technology.”

He is excited to have placed second in the SC Innovates competition and says he’s grateful for the help he’s had along the way. “I’m so thankful for the support from my family and that I’ve found at Clemson. Without them, none of this would have been possible.”

The Powers College of Business Department of Management and the Brook T. Smith Launchpad are planning on hosting the 2025 SC Innovates competition next year, renamed the Palmetto Pitch. Details are forthcoming and are expected to be available next spring.

To learn more about entrepreneurial resources at Clemson, visit the Brook T. Smith Launchpad.