A new generation of young entrepreneurs recently took center stage at the 8th annual Innovate WithIN State Finals at Butler University.

Presented by the STARTedUP Foundation, the event showcased ten high school finalist teams from across the state. The teams pitched their startups to a panel of business leaders and investors, competing for $25,000 in funding.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the remarkable students who took the stage at State Finals this year,” said Don Wettrick, STARTedUP Foundation CEO, in a press release. “Behind each of them are teachers who create space for bold ideas, bring in mentors and inspire students to pursue what’s possible. STARTedUP thrives because Indiana educators believe in fostering innovation in their classrooms.”

First place and $25,000 in seed money went to Compleyes.ai, founded by Raina Maiga of Purdue Polytechnic High School Schweitzer Center at Englewood and Truman Greaves of Zionsville Community High School. Their startup uses AI to automate the process of environmental compliance reporting for manufacturing companies.

“We’re so grateful to both Purdue Polytechnic and Zionsville High School for believing in us,” Maiga said. “Truman and I are on a mission, and I know this win is just the beginning. I’m especially excited to continue building Compleyes.ai at Cornell this fall through their student accelerator.”

Second place and $5,000 in funding went to Septo, created by Alexis Karahalios, Abby Mena and Jocelyn Aguirre of Munster High School. Septo is a plant-powered, X-shaped bandage that wraps around vulnerable joints to noninvasively monitor infections in real time.

Third place and $2,500 in funding was awarded to NextGen Research Institute, founded by Prabanjan Jayachandran and Tianle Liang of Zionsville Community High School. Their platform connects high school students to real-world research opportunities.

SpheriLine received the People’s Choice Award and a $1,500 prize, based on a vote from attendees and online supporters. Founded by Kelly Fulk and Maxwell Gootee of Carmel High School, SpheriLine offers a central line device aimed at reducing infection risk, improving patient comfort and supporting frontline nurses.

“When I came here at first, I thought it was gonna be more like projects that didn't have a business already in motion,” Gov. Mike Braun said. “And I was asking them, well, what are your revenues? They have revenues already, they have plans to scale it, that’s impressive… Innovate WithIN is invaluable if we want to make sure future generations are going to pick up the gauntlet.”

This year’s Teacher of the Year was awarded to Craig Harper, who teaches Biomedical Science at Carmel High School.

The Partner of the Year honor went to Raman Ohri, a longtime supporter of youth innovation and real-world application of emerging technologies.

The Alumnus of the Year recognition went to Faith Spencer for her work advancing youth entrepreneurship. Based in Gary, Spencer’s nonprofit, IronWorkz, is supporting emerging founders and giving back to the same community that sparked her own journey through Innovate WithIN.

Following the competition, all teams traveled to Washington, D.C., for a week of networking, mentorship and innovation immersion.