UAH student team wins $8,000 first prize in Boeing New Business Challenge

A team of University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) students won first place and $8,000 in the recent Boeing New Business Challenge for their innovative garment and towel sanitizer product VioClean. There are currently two patents pending on the product through the UAH’s Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

VioClean’s innovative UV-C technology was invented by UAH alum Kailyn Grant; Dr. Aubrey Beal, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering; and Dr. Tanya Sysoeva, an assistant professor of biological science, both from UAH.

The three-member Business Challenge team is made up of Ethan Punch, an electrical engineering senior who developed a working prototype of the product; Layla Jeries, a biological sciences junior who tested the product and measured the efficacy of UV-C light in fabric; and the team lead, Andrew Zelinka, a marketing intern at UAH’s OTC in charge of the marketing and business side of the competition.

Test results from Punch’s working prototype show that UV-C light kills over 99.9% of bacteria in fabric after 20 minutes of exposure, making VioClean a viable product in the current towel warmer market.

“Our technology capitalizes on the germicidal properties of UV-C light to reduce bacteria to a level that does not cause foul odors in the towel or garment,” says Zelinka, a mechanical engineering senior at UAH. “Once sanitized, our product also has the ability to warm whatever is inside and apply a fresh scent for an all-around pleasant user experience. Our sanitizer can be used for towels, everyday clothing, shoes, etc.”

OTC director Kannan Grant, who mentored the VioClean team said the Challenge was very competitive, but the team did a very good job of conveying a go-to market plan for the technology.

“After the competition I talked to several attendees and the judges, and every one of them wanted to know when they can buy this garment sanitizer,” said Grant. “Some even suggested the team should present on Shark Tank.”

Zelinka and Punch graduate this semester, but Punch has expressed enthusiasm for continuing to further refine the VioClean prototype.

“Kannan Grant saw that this would be a great opportunity for a student team to learn how to take an idea from its infant stages all the way to prototyping, testing, building a business plan and possibly raising seed capital,” Zelinka says. “We see the Boeing Challenge as a first step in raising investment dollars. The OTC is already talking to a couple of local companies and entrepreneurs who have shown an interest in commercializing this technology.”

Zelinka added that through his experience at the OTC and with the Boeing New Business Challenge, he has gained a huge appreciation for entrepreneurship.

“Whether or not it is with this technology, I certainly see myself pursuing tech-related entrepreneurial aspirations down the road,” Zelinka says. “I think I speak for the team when I say that this has been the most rewarding experience I’ve had at UAH.”