Six college startups win $14K at WooTank pitch competition

WooTank2026 — Nichols College students Joe Pieczynski (left) and Adam Warner pitch their startup Aerowash to the judges. PHOTO | ERIC CASEY

The event is inspired by the ABC show “Shark Tank.”

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Six entrepreneurial efforts led by Central Massachusetts college students earned a combined $14,000 during the third annual WooTank Intercollegiate Showdown pitch competition. The event is inspired by the ABC show “Shark Tank.” The judges were Zach Dutton, executive director of the Auxilium startup hub; Evan Cox, a member of Worcester-based investment fund The Wire Group; and Mike Byrnes, CEO of Oxford-based MB Corp. Paul Silva, CEO of Northampton-based venture studio Innovate413, served as host. “Who are going to be the donors that make this community thrive 20 years from now? Who are going to be the employers, bringing the jobs and prosperity that we all rely on? It's crazy people like this that are going to do it,” Silva said to participating entrepreneurs before the event. Worcester schools Assumption University and Quinsigamond Community College participated in the event for the first time this year, joining Worcester-based College of the Holy Cross, Clark University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as Dudley-based Nichols College. Participants qualified by winning their universities’ pitch competitions:

Nichols College was represented by Aerowash, a venture founded by Joe Pieczynski and Adam Warner. Aerowash seeks to use drone technology developed by Charlton-based firm AhatTek to start a commercial window and building cleaning service. The sharks awarded AeroWash $4,500.
WPI was represented by BrailleBox, a startup founded by Octavio Bittar, Minh Ha, and Jelaleddin Gylychmuhammedov. BrailleBox is a tactile device designed for visually impared students, assisting them with learning Braille while providing feedback to teachers via software. BrailleBox was awarded $3,000.
Holy Cross was represented by Slyce, a Rhode Island-based vodka seltzer brand represented by Andrew Trachimowicz. Seeking funding to help bring the already operating brand to the next level, Slyce was awarded $2,000.
Clark University was represented by Takes A Village, a mobile app and website aiming to support women battling postpartum depression designed by Varvara Maltseva. Takes A Village took home $2,000.
QCC was represented by Float Lab, founded by Mallory Callahan. The business aims to open a Worcester-area gym focused on bungee fitness, a low-impact exercise using suspended cords. Float Lab received $1,500.
Assumption was represented by Boomerang Boutique, a planned campus consignment store founded by Charlotte Sisson and Grace Presswood. The business looks to tackle waste by providing an in-person and online platform for Assumption students to thrift. Boomerang was awarded $1,000.

The annual event is organized by The Venture Forum, the Worcester-based entrepreneurial support group. Eric Casey is the managing editor at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the real estate and banking & finance industries.

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🔒Six college startups win $14K at WooTank pitch competition

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