EquAirity
Founder: David Castro
Category: Nonprofit
Wildfire smoke seeping through windows, mold in damp corners, and dust settling where ventilation fails—millions of families live with unhealthy indoor air and no affordable way to monitor or improve it.
Inspired by growing up in an undocumented, low-resource household and later seeing similar conditions across Portland, EquAirity is built on one core belief: clean air should not depend on income, immigration status, or ZIP code. The project focuses on equitable access to clean indoor air solutions for communities most impacted by pollution and climate-driven smoke events.
Naz i-VR
Founder: Nazly Purba
Category: Educational
University students are experiencing rising academic and psychosocial pressures driven by digital overload, post-pandemic isolation, and hybrid learning challenges. Naz i-VR explores immersive educational tools designed to support student learning, engagement, and wellbeing in an increasingly complex academic environment.
Neurodiversity & Disability Allyship Workplace FlashDeck
Team Members: Lior Sa’ar, Jessica Navedo
Category: Workplace / Education
Neurodiverse and disabled employees face higher rates of burnout, unemployment, and negative workplace experiences—often not due to lack of empathy, but lack of understanding.
This FlashDeck is designed as a simple, accessible tool for workplaces of all kinds—nonprofits, for-profits, government, and educational institutions—to spark meaningful micro-moments of learning. By providing managers and teams with foundational language, scenarios, and prompts, the deck helps normalize conversations around accessibility, accommodation, and inclusion, turning everyday interactions into opportunities for cultural change.
Restaurant Food Dehydrator
Founder: Biniyam Mossie
Category: Government
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. This project aims to reduce carbon output by helping restaurants preserve excess food through dehydration, extending shelf life and minimizing waste that would otherwise decompose in landfills.
Shiddie Gear
Founder: Piper Easton
Category: For-Profit
Returning for the second year!
Outdoor athletes know the problem well: technical apparel that doesn’t actually fit. Built on standardized sizing that ignores real bodies and movement, ill-fitting gear affects performance, safety, and confidence—especially for women and youth athletes.
Founded by a coach and competitor, Shiddie Gear creates custom, performance-driven apparel designed to move with athletes, not against them. The mission is simple: when athletes feel confident in their gear, they stay longer and perform better in their sport.
Viking Motorsports: Regenerative Suspension System
Team Members: Hunter Lozynski, Soham Kalbag, Antonio Novelo, Jake Patterson, Quinn Hathaway
Category: Educational
This multidisciplinary motorsports team is tackling wasted energy in vehicle systems. By capturing kinetic energy generated through suspension and linear motion, the team aims to convert otherwise lost energy into usable power—potentially extending battery range for electric vehicles and other applications.
Meet the Everyday Entrepreneur Finalists
Childbirth Classes PDX
Founders: Emmy Sterling, Anthony Sterling
Maternal-child healthcare faces major challenges, from high maternal mortality rates to limited access to reliable information. Many pregnant parents turn to social media or AI for guidance rather than healthcare providers.
Inspired by firsthand experience navigating pregnancy as a low-income parent, Childbirth Classes PDX offers accessible, evidence-based childbirth education with a focus on supporting low-income and uninsured families through pregnancy, birth, and the critical postpartum period.
Cultured Care
Founder: Steffannie Roache
Most practice management systems overlook culture, identity, and trauma—forcing clinicians serving communities of color into tools that don’t reflect their workflows or clients. Cultured Care delivers culturally grounded, trauma-informed practice management designed for real-world care environments, reducing burnout and improving client experiences.
Echolon
Team Members: Celestin Innocent, Owen Chen, Esli Flores
Small and mid-sized businesses generate valuable data but lack the tools or expertise to use it effectively. Echolon provides an AI-powered analytics platform that translates raw data into clear, actionable insights—without the complexity or cost of traditional enterprise tools.
Mentor Session & Professional Readiness Curriculum
Founder: Bo Han Hurt
Peer mentors often lack structured tools for running intentional sessions and building their own professional portfolios. This curriculum provides actionable lesson planning frameworks while simultaneously modeling professional development—benefiting both mentors and mentees.
PSU Park
Team Members: Sheriff Bah, Ben Soderquist
Parking near campus is expensive and unpredictable, even as nearby private lots sit unused. PSU Park connects commuters with underutilized parking spaces, reducing stress and cost for students and staff alike.
The Final Rose
Team Members: Eric Asakawa, Evangeline Van, Owen Swifter
As dating participation declines and social confidence drops, The Final Rose explores new ways to engage people in romance and connection. Inspired by the rise of reality dating shows, the project addresses what the team calls a modern “romantic recession.”
📍 Location: PSU SEC Building (2130-2136 SW 5th Avenue, Portland, Oregon)
🕛 Time: Pitches begin at Noon
📅 Date: March 27th
Get your tickets now! - https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2026-ctcee-finals-tickets-1979272314774?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl