Annual Lions Innovation Showcase Promotes Student Ingenuity and Real-World Impact
The College of Business at East Texas A&M University reaffirmed its commitment to transforming lives and fueling innovation during the recent Lions Innovation Showcase, a dynamic event that brought together student entrepreneurs for an inspiring exchange of ideas.
Hosted each spring and open to both university and high school students across North Texas, the showcase is more than a competition—it is a platform to sharpen ideas, receive expert feedback, and build confidence through live pitch presentations. Organized by Venture College, the College of Business's dedicated hub for entrepreneurship, startups, and innovation, the event exemplifies how the university fosters creativity, mentorship and real-world readiness.
“Our goal is to provide every student, regardless of major or background, with a platform to connect with faculty, industry experts, and peers to turn innovative ideas into viable ventures,” said College of Business Dean Dr. Nancy Albers. “The Lions Innovation Showcase reflects our unwavering commitment to equipping students with the tools, mentorship, and networks needed to create lasting impact.”
Throughout the half-day event, student teams delivered seven-minute presentations across two categories—business pitch and innovation—followed by live Q&A sessions with a panel of judges. Judges included Albers herself, Instructor of Accounting Matt Cremeans and Associate Professor of Economics Dr. Gregory Lubiani.
This year's first-place honor and a $1,000 prize went to high school innovators Rahul Singhal and Ronak Ramnani for SoberSense, an alcohol-detection and prevention app praised for its seamless integration of hardware and software design. A rare tie for second place awarded $500 each to Robert Shropshire for his Car-to-Car Communication prototype and Luis Acosta Perez for Rolling Den, a pop-up roller rink concept aimed at reviving roller-skating culture. All other participating teams received $300 for their creativity and hard work.
Participant Jaahnavi Garikipati, a graduate student in Business Analytics, captured the essence of the showcase: “The true value of this experience lies in its immersive nature. We went from whiteboard sketches to live pitches in just weeks. Everyone has an idea, but events like these give us that extra push to sharpen and share them.”
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