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Todd Alexander and Lindsay Lozeau win the inaugural Hitchcock Innovation Prize

Posted in Research

The Business School hosted the inaugural Hitchcock Innovation Prize this spring.  The Prize, founded by Jeremy Hitchcock ’04 and Elizabeth Cash Hitchcock ’02, provides a $20,000 stipend to support further business concept development of a new product, service or technology, or new technology-based businesses or social ventures, created by WPI students possessing the entrepreneurial mindset to produce tomorrow’s leading technology innovations. WPI students were invited to submit materials to the Collaborative for Entrepreneurship & Innovation for consideration to be awarded the title “Hitchcock Fellow” and the cash prize.

Fourteen teams comprised of thirty-one diverse students participated this year. Seven judges with strong ties to the entrepreneurship and innovation culture at WPI reviewed application materials.   Applications were evaluated based on eight criteria:  the problem statement, customer definition, product definition, impact on society, plans to sustain revenue for operations, the innovation itself, the team makeup and progress the team has made together.

Weighing these criteria, the judges agreed to award this year’s Hitchcock Innovation Prize to AMProtection, submitted by Todd Alexander and Lindsay Lozeau.  AMProtection provides an antimicrobial coating for urinary catheters that will prevent infection without promoting antimicrobial resistance. The team has conducted over 130 customer interviews to ensure product-market fit and has indeed found interest in the product through preliminary discussions with potential customers at Boston Scientific, Bard, and Teleflex. Concerted efforts by Todd and Lindsay in securing mentoring and participation in entrepreneurship programs, such as the NSF IGERT program, has provided them with the background and experience they needed to present a competitive pitch and proposal.