USG Student Startups Compete for $25,000 at Kennesaw State

Twenty-five student teams from across Georgia's public university system will compete for $25,000 in cash prizes and access to statewide accelerator programs at the inaugural University System of Georgia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, held April 6-7 at Kennesaw State University's Marietta Campus.

The two-day, systemwide event will feature one student team from each USG institution. Each team will present an original business or innovation concept to a panel of judges, vying for the USG Innovation and Entrepreneurship Trophy alongside the cash pool.

Teams that advance to the final round will present on stage at the KSU Dance Center inside the Joe Mack Wilson Student Center on Tuesday, April 7. The event will also be livestreamed on the USG website.

"Kennesaw State University is incredibly proud to host the inaugural University System of Georgia Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Beyond the exciting 25 student competition teams, we will welcome USG leadership along with industry partners from across technology, healthcare, business, engineering, and the nonprofit sector," said President Kathy S. Schwaig. "The event is an incredible showcase of not only the entrepreneurship ecosystem on our campuses, but also the collective strength of our system—working together to develop stronger students, build stronger communities, and create a stronger Georgia."

Kennesaw State will field student innovator SueAnn Hollowell, who will pitch her business PaintCo Labs Inc. The company has developed a patented commercial body art printer that allows fans to print custom sports designs directly onto the skin in seconds, cutting the time and effort required for traditional body painting.

The competition is a statewide initiative to highlight the depth and diversity of student talent across the University System of Georgia. According to the university, ideas presented during the competition are expected to reflect bold, future-focused thinking with the potential to strengthen Georgia's economy and reinforce the state's position as a leader in innovation.

Judges will score teams on the originality of their ideas, market potential, feasibility, and presentation quality. Beyond the competition itself, students will have opportunities throughout the two days to network with peers, faculty mentors, USG leaders, and industry partners from a wide range of sectors.

The event reflects the system's commitment to experiential learning and to fostering an entrepreneurial mindset among students. By connecting student creators with resources, mentorship and real-world feedback, the competition aims to accelerate promising ideas beyond the classroom and into the marketplace.

Kennesaw State's own entrepreneurship infrastructure makes it a natural host for the systemwide event. The university operates the HatchBridge Incubator and the Robin and Doug Shore Entrepreneurship Center, alongside a portfolio of entrepreneurship-focused degree programs, experiential learning opportunities and funding support. KSU says these initiatives support founders from early concept development through scalable ventures, with an emphasis on real-world problem solving and community impact. The university has positioned itself as a hub for innovation in metro Atlanta.

The scale of the host institution underscores the stakes. Kennesaw State enrolls more than 51,000 students across 11 academic colleges and holds Carnegie R2 doctoral research status, a designation shared by only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 ranking.

For Georgia's public university system, the competition functions as an early-stage deal flow pipeline: a single venue where the state's student founders, institutional leadership and industry capital from technology, healthcare, engineering and the nonprofit sector converge over two days. Whether the winning concepts move from stage pitches to funded ventures will be the measure the system watches next.