Ball State Joins Efforts to Promote a New Generation of Indiana Innovators

Developing a therapeutic glove to help people suffering from arthritis catapulted three high school students into first place in the Innovate WithIN 2020 State Finals pitching competition this past Spring.

Innovate WithIN gives Indiana students the chance to pitch their entrepreneurial ideas to experienced professionals for awards and scholarships. Miller College of Business (MCOB) co-sponsors the event in partnership with the Indiana Economic Development Corp. and the Indiana Department of Education.

In response to COVID-19, the finalists — who advanced through two rounds of online and live pitching — presented virtually this year through the Innovate WithIN website.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with our teams this year,” said Candy Dodd, ’11, project manager for the program and director of special initiatives at MCOB.

Each year the quality of teams and pitches has improved, and this is our most competitive yet.

Exceeding expectations

Joshua Breitsprecher, Abigale Haluska, and Megan Jones on the AM Therapeutics team (shown above) took top honors this year for their “Remedy Glove” product. Designed for people with arthritis, the glove is a therapeutic device with vibration, compression, and heating features. The students from Hobart High School recognized the product’s need after witnessing friends and family restricting daily activities due to arthritic pain.

As first place winners, each team member earned a $10,000 cash prize, up to $10,000 of in-state tuition, internship opportunities, and mentoring services.

Dodd said all the teams “knocked it out of the park. Their professionalism, business ideas, charisma, and passion exceeded my expectations.

“The state of Indiana should be proud of the students representing every region and corner within our borders.”