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On April 21, six teams of Loyola students will compete in the final round of the second annual Abrams Sustainable Business challenge. The challenge is an intensive educational experience for students who want to create, plan, and launch environmentally-friendly businesses.

Over the past several months, 29 teams of two to four students worked with faculty mentors to develop ideas for sustainable ventures. Each team submitted a business proposal and a pitch video, and expert judges from Loyola, other universities, and local foundations and businesses evaluated the submissions. They selected six top teams to move on to the next round of the competition.

The final six teams will pitch their business ideas to a panel of three judges for a chance to win start-up funding to bring their ventures to life. The first-place team will receive $20,000, while second and third-place teams will receive $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. Meet the teams competing in the final pitch competition.

Greenhand

Venture focus: Digital sustainable advising

Greenhand is a service that aims to promote sustainable and healthy living by offering web-based recommendations for mitigating the impacts of climate change. This project aims to serve as a "helping hand" for people who want to make their lives more environmentally friendly and contribute to a healthier planet. While initially focused on helping vulnerable populations in Chicago, Greenhand has the potential to benefit a broad range of individuals and organizations across the United States, including homeowners, renters, and businesses in marginalized communities.

Members: Stephanie Arcos, Ruth Cabrera, Shane Riley, and Olivia Scott

Pretty Kitty

Venture focus: Sustainable period products

Pretty Kitty is a company that specializes in environmentally friendly period products. Their unique approach involves using donated clothes to create reusable products, such as period underwear and reusable pads, in various designs to suit different tastes. These products are designed to be comfortable and feel like regular underwear and disposable pads but with added layers and absorbent materials in the crotch area to effectively protect against menstrual blood and moisture.

Members: Alyssa Butler, Goda Grigaliunas, Roshni Modi, Oluwatomisin Asupoto

Sharing

Venture focus: Digital application/circular economy

Sharing is an app designed by Loyola students to enable all Loyola students to exchange products with one another. Using the app, students can create listings or requests for items they want to buy, sell, or rent. The app's primary goal is to promote a more sustainable lifestyle by discouraging excessive consumption and encouraging sharing and reusing among students, giving products a more sustainable life cycle.

Members: Esperanza Molina, Maria Mercedes Rodriguez, Lorenzo Trujillo, Diego Villa

SustainaBUILD Consulting

Venture focus: Sustainable construction and refurbishment, consulting, and planning​

Sustainabuild Consulting is a company that works with its clients to find existing buildings that will work within their parameters for a commercial space. By remodeling and refurbishing existing buildings, the structures remain largely unchanged and have a much lower environmental impact than new construction, which need to be designed and built from scratch.

Members: Cosette Ellis, Katie Melind, Jake McCarthy, Eve Owens

Sustainler

Venture focus: Sustainable medical devices

Sustainler is a medical device company focused on creating sustainable inhalers. Their product is an actuator and cap made from high-quality steel, specifically SAE 304 medical-grade stainless steel. This type of steel is known for its superior resistance to corrosion and oxidation and its antibacterial properties, heat tolerance, and formability. The Sustainler is a sustainable and eco-friendly choice because it is fully recyclable and reusable, ensuring that end-users can use their actuators and caps repeatedly without needing to replace them.​

Members: Carolyn Bidó, Sejal Dhindsa, Jenn Manelski​

Typha Tex

Venture focus: Sustainable fashion, new materials, and social commerce​

TyphaTex is a supplier specializing in eco-friendly textiles, with a unique focus on utilizing non-native cattails like Typha angustifolia and Typha x glauca as the primary

raw material for their products. These natural materials are used to create a range of fibers, textiles, stuffing, and insulation, as they are sustainable, renewable, and biodegradable. By adopting this approach, TyphaTex aims to reduce the negative impact of invasive species on natural ecosystems while increasing the availability of plant-based commodities. Furthermore, the company is committed to promoting resource efficiency and reducing waste in the retail sector. They also work with parks and nature preserves to restore wetland ecosystems and support sustainable production practices.

Members: Katherine Casper, Selena Lynch, Juliet Silvestre, Victoria Treni​​