Bold ideas from 6 local students are among just 60 semifinalist submissions selected from over 3,700 nationwide to pitch at the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, June 15-16 in downtown Flint.
FLINT, Mich., June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Six students from Pennsylvania have been selected as semifinalists in the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, a national pitch competition for K-12 students.
More than 5,300 young people from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. submitted over 3,700 business ideas and social solutions to the Challenge. From those entries, 1,500 submissions were selected in the first round. Now, the creators behind the top 60 ideas are advancing to compete at a live national event in Flint, Michigan next week.
The Pennsylvania semifinalists and their ideas are:
LightoPro: AI Learning Buddy on Your Desk — Antarikxa Das (2nd Grade, Marshall Elementary School, business pitch): An AI-powered desktop learning assistant that uses a camera and projector to provide real-time, step-by-step guidance directly on a student’s work, helping children learn independently.
Advancing Bridges with Piezoelectric Technology — Miles Cheng and Vasudev Nambulli (6th Grade, South Fayette Middle School, business pitch): A smart infrastructure system that uses self-powered piezoelectric sensors to continuously monitor bridge stress and vibrations, helping detect structural issues before they become safety hazards.
Operation Agua: Aqua Anchor — Anushiya Ramakrishnan and Laalitya Sagi (7th Grade, South Fayette Middle School, social pitch): A nonprofit initiative that uses sensor-activated shoreline collection systems to capture ocean-bound trash and reduce water pollution before it reaches the sea.
Verity — Elena Pappas (10th Grade, Germantown Friends School, social pitch): A student wellness app that predicts stress levels from academic and lifestyle habits and provides personalized recommendations to help prevent burnout before it happens.
As semifinalists, each project will be awarded $5,000. The students will pitch live in front of judges during the final competition June 15-16 in Flint.
Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation as part of its centennial celebration, the Mott Million Dollar Challenge is administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in collaboration with VentureLab, Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI), the Afterschool Alliance, Collaborative Communications and the 50 State Afterschool Network. The Challenge is designed to shine a light on entrepreneurship education as a meaningful way to help students build skills they need to navigate and shape the future.
Learn more about the Mott Million Dollar Challenge and explore semifinalist ideas at https://mottmillion.org/60-semifinalist-pitches/.
Contact:
Jen Peters
peters@collaborativecommunications.com
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SOURCE Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
