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Winners Announced in 2023 New Venture Seed Competition

Conduit Commerce was awarded the top $35,000 Sunstone prize for its innovative approach to B2B commerce. Other top winners included OSEM, Phlytech, and RIZZ!

06.05.23

Winners Announced in 2023 New Venture Seed Competition

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Nine finalists took home $150,000 in prize money after presenting their business ideas to a panel of judges at the Greif Center’s New Venture Seed Competition. The first place $35,000 Sunstone New Venture Prize went to Conduit Commerce, presented by students Rahul Sinha and Rohan Shah. They proposed a new B2B concept that uses a centralized distributor to guarantee 1-2 day delivery, connecting retailers directly with online customers.

This competition can be the first step in an entrepreneurial journey to success.

— John Keisler

CEO, Sunstone

Other winners included:

2nd Place Victoria L. Wilson Gold Prize: OSEM, with a new nanodrug-making process.
Silver Award 3rd Place—Social Impact Award: Phlytech, growing black soldier fly larvae on food waste as a new protein source.
Silver Award 3rd Place: RIZZ!, offering an AI-powered digital device keyboard.
Bronze Award 4th Place: Quinta App, which would track tire wear to increase truck efficiency.
Bronze Award 4th Place: Pulse, with a new wearable patch to collect health data.
Concept prizes were awarded to Legacy, ELETE, and Thumbo.

“This is the largest pitch competition at USC with over 220 teams applying every year to win the top prize of $35,000,” said Albert Napoli, a senior lecturer in clinical entrepreneurship. “This provides crucial funding for a startup to make a budding entrepreneur’s dream become a reality.”

“This is the ninth year I’ve been involved, and it’s exciting to see how the teams continue to improve year over year,” said Napoli.

Semifinalists were also awarded The Leon Lowenstein Foundation Prize made possible by John Bendheim. The Foundation also awarded the People’s Choice Award.

The Sunstone Prize is sponsored by Sunstone Management, a diversified private capital sponsor firm. “This competition can be the first step in an entrepreneurial journey to success,” John Keisler, CEO and managing partner at Sunstone, said. “We’re happy to partner with the USC Marshall School of Business to make this happen.”