Ben Ncube (center) was awarded the $30,000 Graduate/Professional Student Prize for his venture, Men's Health Clinic
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Keke Genio (far right) was awarded $10,000 Fuqua Fast Pitch Student Venture Prize for Lokaresto
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Ray'Chel Wilson was awarded the $10,000 Social Innovation Prize for her venture, For Our Last Names
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Rahul Narang (right) was awarded the $6,500 Dean Yep, Jr. Prize for his venture, Let's Get Visa
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Riya Jain was awarded the $30,000 Borchardt Prize (top undergraduate venture) for The Land of Can
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Energy & Community Shine
On April 10, the atmosphere at Duke was buzzing. More than 500 Duke community members filled the venue for the 2025 Duke Startup Showcase, the flagship event hosted by Duke Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Duke I&E). With over 30 ventures showing off their work and seven standout teams pitching on the big stage, the room was alive with energy, creativity, and a palpable sense of community.
Innovation in Motion
Out of 93 applicants for this year’s Showcase, 34 student-led ventures were selected to present their work, tackling pressing global challenges, from cancer care and life sciences research to immigration access and legacy wealth-building. It was entrepreneurship at its finest: bold ideas, high stakes, and student founders putting their passions to the test.
A Record-Breaking Prize Pool
This year’s Showcase shattered records, with more than $110,000 in non-dilutive funding awarded to the top ventures.
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The Land of Can – $30,000 Borchardt Prize (top undergraduate venture)
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The Men’s Health Clinic – $30,000 (top graduate/professional student venture)
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Students Who Sit – $10,000 Borchardt Prize (second-place undergraduate venture)
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Dr. Milou – $10,000 (second-place graduate/professional student venture + $5,000 Audience Choice Award
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Lokaresto – $10,000 Fuqua Fast Pitch Prize (top Fuqua student venture)
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For Our Last Names – $10,000 Social Innovation Prize (best venture whose primary purpose is to solve a social or environmental problem)
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Let’s Get Visa – $6,500 Dean Yep, Jr. Prize (Fuqua student venture that uses entrepreneurship to diminish geographic and social boundaries)
More Than Just a Pitch Competition
The Showcase wasn’t just about student ventures getting funding, it was a celebration of the thriving Duke entrepreneurial ecosystem. Professors, mentors, alumni, friends, judges, investors, and dedicated donors showed up in full force, offering expertise and encouragement. Ventures spanned borders, with teams tackling problems from Durham to South Africa, proving Duke’s impact is truly global. The alumni community was deeply invested in the event, with alumni volunteers giving more than 100 hours of their time through sharing advice and evaluating student ventures.
The Future Starts Here
For many of these ventures, the Showcase was just the beginning. Armed with funding and a full network of support, these founders are heading into summer with fresh energy, and the Duke community can’t wait to see what they build next.
Would you like to be involved in next year’s Duke Startup Showcase? Learn more about Duke I&E and share your interest.