Through creativity and collaboration, the University of Pittsburgh brought its finest problem solvers to the 10th annual Pittsburgh Innovation Challenge (PInCh). Earlier this month, Pitt’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) welcomed guests to the Petersen Events Center, where several finalist research teams presented their ideas for projects tackling difficult health issues.
Six grand-prize finalist teams took the stage in front of a panel of judges, while 10 “elevator pitch” finalists presented on video. The grand-prize teams had a hard limit of five minutes for their presentations, while the “elevator pitch” teams had 90 seconds.
“When pitching, it’s about communicating the benefit, not the feature,” said Mel Pirchesky, president of Eagle Ventures, Inc., and one of five judges on the event’s panel. “After the first 30 seconds of your…