UCLA Innovation Challenge: Live Pitches in Transformative Tech
See the Latest Technological Innovations at UCLA and Learn from Expert Judges!
The Easton Technology Management Center's annual Cross-Campus Innovation Challenge is a great example of the spirit of collective effort which is essential to success, exemplifying an invaluable partnership between the Anderson school and the greater UCLA campus, our many students, faculty, and alumni who are committed to innovation and advancements in health tech, societal impact, and transformative tech. This initiative brings together UCLA students from all disciplines and backgrounds to create new ventures that can drive a positive change in society.
This is the final of three live pitch events, focused on technological advancements in transformative technology.
Join our expert judges as our competition finalists showcase their groundbreaking innovations!
Judges:
Prema Sampath is a product and business leader with deep expertise at the intersection of AI/ML, data infrastructure, and privacy. She is currently Head of Product at Stripe, overseeing AI product efforts and regional infrastructure expansion. Previously, she was Director of Product Management at Meta leading advertiser experience for 10M+ advertisers, and spent nearly a decade at Google driving market-making innovations in digital advertising, including co-founding the open-source Meridian media model and pioneering Ads Data Hub. Earlier in her career, she held roles at Bain & Company, YP.com, Intel, and Sun Microsystems. She holds a background in hardware engineering and advises startups building intelligent platforms for AI and advertising.
Jaydev Thakkar is a health-tech executive with over 25 years of experience spanning pharma, healthcare, and technology, including leadership roles at Fortune 20 biotech and finance companies as well as high-growth startups. He has launched two startups, driven technology innovation, formed strategic alliances, and led global organizations. Jaydev is passionate about improving health outcomes through innovative solutions.
James Chan is the founder of JMC Strategic Advisory, a CFO advisory firm that partners with venture capital funds, family offices, and high-growth companies on financial strategy, operational scale, and disciplined decision-making, overseeing more than $1.5 billion in client assets. He works closely with leading venture firms across deep tech and biosciences, supporting portfolio companies from early-stage formation through growth and exit. James is also an active investor and operator, bringing a perspective that bridges both the investor and founder sides of the table.
Transformative Tech Team Finalists:
CyROS - CyROS is the AI-native operating system for robots, serving as the execution layer between robot hardware, ROS 2, and AI models. It enables safe, repeatable, and scalable robot deployment in the real world.
FieldClaim - FieldClaim is a warranty recovery platform for HVAC, plumbing, and electrical contractors. It helps trades businesses recover missed claims and modernize a process that still runs on spreadsheets and phone calls.
HouseTempo - HouseTempo is the first AI-native operating platform for independent live events, a $153 billion industry where every show is a pop-up organization that loses operational knowledge in the process. AI agents help teams co-plan, accelerate production, and support show-day execution while preserving the flexibility that defines the sector.
SceneBuy - SceneBuy is the B2B operating system and marketplace that digitizes the product placement industry. It transforms a fragmented, manual workflow into a scalable, data-driven supply chain for brands and content creators.
Skaeo - Skaeo is building MyRollCall, an AI-powered presence infrastructure for higher education that verifies attendance in under 30 seconds. The system aims to eliminate proxy check-ins and turn attendance into a reliable data asset.
About the Innovation Challenge
We believe the strongest solutions to complex problems come from a diversity of thought, experiences and backgrounds. This initiative brings together UCLA students from all disciplines and backgrounds to collaborate on driving a positive change in society.
To learn more, please visit: https://www.anderson.ucla.edu/innovation-challenge