UNH students from across the university, from a wide range of majors, entered this year’s NH Social Venture Innovation Challenge, with incredibly inventive ideas to solve some of the world’s toughest sustainability issues. Our online preliminary judges narrowed the field down to 10 teams that will move on to the Live Final Round on December 5 to pitch their ideas to a panel of esteemed judges. See the full schedule of events below, including the Audience Choice Award voting and the announcement of the winners, and join us!
We could not host this transformational learning experience for NH's students with out the support of our many partners - thank you!
Major supporters of the 2023 SVIC include Alnoba, Impax Asset Management and Kennebunk Savings
Additional supporters include Cirtronics, Prime Buchholz, Unitil, CCA Global Partners, New Hampshire Businesses for Social Responsibility, The Recycled Planet Company and the UNH ECenter Maurice Prize.
The SVIC is a collaborative, interdisciplinary event, organized at UNH's Changemaker Collaborative, a partnership of UNH's Sustainability Institute, the Peter T. Paul College of Business & Economics and the Carsey School of Public Policy.
Vote for your favorite idea for the Audience Choice Awards!
1. Watch the finalist teams' videos below.
2. Vote for your top choice in a quick online form any time between November 21 - December 5 by NOON.
3. Attend the events to join in the excitement and see who wins!
SVIC Schedule of Events
Day 1: LIVE Final Round Presentations
December 5, 9 to 11:30 a.m.
Strafford Room, MUB, Durham, NH
Finalist teams will pitch their ideas to the judges’ panel.
Day 2: Awards Ceremony & Keynote
December 6, 12 to 1 p.m. (virtual)
SVIC winning teams will be announced, along with the presentation of the UNH Social Innovator of the Year Award to UNH alumna and 2015 SVIC winner, Paige Balcom ’16, Co-Founder, Co-CEO, and CTO, Takataka Plastics, who will present a keynote on the critical role of entrepreneurs and innovators in sustainability.
REGISTER
Congratulations to the 2023 SVIC Finalist Teams!
A-peely Filter
A-Peely Filter is an affordable lead filter for communities with low socioeconomic status using food waste materials to create it from restaurants.
Team members: Ava Gardner ‘25, Justice Studies and Sociology, Minor in Philosophy
Cole Capobianco ‘25, Environmental Engineering
Gibby Villa ‘24, Civil Engineering
Advisor: Jason Plant, Co-Founder, HydroPhos Solutions
Bamboo Pawspectives
Bamboo Pawspectives aims to help the endangered red panda with the encroaching effects of deforestation in the Eastern Himalayas using mock trees.
Team members: Sadie Smith ‘24, Zoology
Advisor: Leslie Curren, Senior Lecturer, Biological Sciences
ChargeOn
ChargeOn is an electric car rental company that stores wholesale renewable energy in EV batteries (when cars are not in use) to supply energy to the grid during peak demand.
Team members: Daisy Burns ‘24, Economics and Sustainability Dual Major
Natalie Young ‘25, Equine Science and Sustainability Dual Major
Windsor Golembeske ‘26, Communication and Sustainability Dual Major
Edyn Winter ‘24, Marketing and Sustainability Dual Major
Advisor: Joshua Cyr, Interim Director, UNH Entrepreneurship Center
College Connector is a community-centered platform designed to alleviate the social, emotional, and financial issues associated with collegiate life.
Team members: Brett Schultz ‘26, Business Administration and Sustainability Dual Major
Advisor: Joshua Cyr, Interim Director, UNH Entrepreneurship Center
Electric Velomobile
An ultra efficient EV that puts freedom of movement back in the hands of the average person.
Team members: Timothy Yon ‘27, Mechanical Engineering
GLOFWatch
Combining satellite imagery and weather updates shared on social media platforms to provide early warnings regarding glacial lake outburst floods.
Team members: Imran Khan ‘25 PhD Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Jennifer Jacobs, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
HELPLink
HELPLink is a cutting-edge digital platform that fosters connections between victims and NGO workers, elevating the effectiveness and speed of humanitarian aid response.
Team members: Daryna Serediuk ‘26, Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cellular Biology
Viktorie Vagnerova ‘26, Mechanical Engineering
Naranjana Thangam Archunaraj Indhumathy ‘26, Neuroscience and Behavior
OwlEats
OwlEats is an automated feeding that allows owls being rehabilitated to be fed at more natural times for them.
Team members: Kaylee Galvin ‘24, Zoology, Neuroscience and Behavior, Minor in Marine Biology
Advisor: Leslie Curren, Senior Lecturer, Neuroscience and Behavior
Recyclabill
Recyclabill is a new type of currency that will take recycled plastic and use them to create plastic bills.
Team members: Catey Selby ‘25, Environmental Engineering and Sustainability Dual Major
Olivia Burnham ’25, Environmental Engineering
Cameron Bourque ‘25, Environmental Engineering
Kara Wittmann ‘25, Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Taler Bixler, Professor, CEE
Sonora Pendant
Sonora Pendant is a fashionable accessory device providing discreet gesture-to-audio Sign Language translation, empowering the global deaf community.
Team members: Owen Figg ‘26, Mechanical Engineering
