Virginia Tech recently hosted the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Student Business Concept Challenge in Roanoke, Virginia, and a team of UBC students managed to take home the top prize. Mayank Kalra and Annelies Tjebbes of Kaizen Biomedical won the competition ahead of 12 other teams from countries all over the world.

The team, which also includes team member Stephanie WIlson and is participating in the e@UBC Kickstart accelerator program this summer, won for their Versicool device, which induces therapeutic hypothermia in cardiac arrest patients. It accomplishes this by decreasing the brain’s demand for blood which can increase favorable neurological outcomes by 16%. VersiCool is designed for the pre-hospital and in-hospital settings, enabling rapid cooling in the early stages following a cardiac arrest.

The VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge seeks to celebrate the energy and creativity of university students, recognize their important contributions to the global economy, and encourage them to develop their entrepreneurial ideas.  The Challenge provides a unique opportunity for students to initiate their personal global networks through learning, socialization, and friendly competition.

Find out more about the VT KnowledgeWorks Global Challenge here.

Visit the Versicool website here.