Little Bang! 2026 Winners

2026 Little Bang! Pitch+Poster Competition Winners

In the 2026 Little Bang! Pitch + Poster Competition, eight teams were awarded $1,000 for their innovation and pitch. Read on to meet the teams and learn more about their winning innovations. 
 

$1,000 Award Recipients

Mossé

Carla-Cristina Edwards

Mossé reimagines insect protection as a luxury beauty essential. Designed to wear like a fine fragrance, it blends skin-safe, plant-derived aromatic compounds as well a natural compounds known to deter mosquitoes with a soft, elevated scent profile suitable for everyday use. Lightweight and non-greasy, the formula layers seamlessly with personal fragrance routines and can be reapplied throughout the day without overpowering the senses.

Next Diagnostics Inc.

Annalee Maayah, Azan Patel, Ryleigh Teague, Madison Lessing

NEXTfuge, by Next Diagnostics Inc., is a portable, microfluidic device that delivers lab-quality results in under 10 minutes. It performs 32 simultaneous biomarker tests from a small blood sample, which then gets uploaded to a HIPAA-compliant software for medical professionals to assess. By delivering diagnostics at the point of care—whether in ambulances, rural clinics, or emergency settings—NEXTfuge reduces diagnostic turnaround time by over 80%.

First Bite

Camilla Lindh, Lakshmi Penumasta, Rachel Amstutz, David Melnichuk, Phineas Tucker

Unplanned extubation and endotracheal (ET) tube migration cause significant harm and mortality in neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit (NICU and PICU) patients, affecting over 14,500 children annually. First Bite is a minimally-invasive, non-adhesive, orally-mounted, atraumatic ET tube securement device for NICU and PICU patients under 10 kg. First Bite features a single-piece, pacifier-like oral interface, providing soothing sensory stimulation to mitigate oral aversion. A dual-plane strap attaches to the oral component, stabilizing the ET tube while allowing for rapid release and repositioning, facilitating clinician workflow, and securing accompanying gastric feeding and suction tubes.

Oasis

Atmaja Patil, Varun Kadapatti

Many of the 100,000+ small water systems across the U.S. are running on aging infrastructure, leaving millions of households with unreliable access to clean drinking water. The integral data used to log chemical balances, well performance, and more, lives in physical binders—making it nearly impossible to catch issues early, complete state & federal compliance reports, or compete for the billions in grant funding available for system upgrades. Oasis solves this by digitizing the entire operational workflow. Paper logs, notes, and historical records become searchable digital data, auto-generated compliance reports, and grant-ready evidence. By turning paper logs into actionable intelligence, Oasis helps small water systems improve reliability, and finally access the funding needed to modernize their water infrastructure.

Bake with Ray

Shannon Perna

Bake with Ray is an interactive education center that uses baking classes to spark enthusiasm about STEM concepts, primarily in 5th to 8th graders. The aim of the business is to create a space where learners can engage in hands-on workshops in order to fully understand concepts such as chemical reactions, fractions, coding, mechanical design, and nutrition, all while creating something exciting and delicious. 

BioBoba

Eimy Castellanos

BioBoba is a novel functional boba that replaces traditional tapioca pearls with a fucoidan-enhanced alternative. Fucoidan is a bioactive polysaccharide extracted from brown seaweed and recognized for both its antioxidant and anti inflammatory properties. By replacing tapioca starch, BioBoba will utilize a hydrogel system to create a special fucoidan popping pearl that contains delicious flavor and functional health benefits without the dense carbohydrates. This introduces a healthier bubble tea alternative to the beverage market that aligns with health-conscious consumers. BioBoba offers a functional and flavorful experience by bridging seaweed biotechnology with mainstream food culture.

LumaGlow Studio

Juliana Renert

LumaGlow Studio is a sustainable, solar-powered solution to improve nighttime biker safety through custom, glowing, photoluminescent road designs. This solution provides a self-sustaining alternative to street lamps, emitting a soft blue glow that guides riders through low-light environments. Operating on a project-based B2B model, LumaGlow Studio partners with clients to deliver custom-designed glowing pathways using a curated range of photoluminescent materials. Each project includes site specific visual designs that can reflect local identity, cultural themes, or public art initiatives. 

aobin

Isabella Reyes, Naomie Gomez

RufFresco, by aobin, is a dog cooling vest that uses evaporation cooling to help combat overheating in dogs. The vest is made with a cooling fabric that can be soaked in water and wrung out, keeping dogs safe and comfortable. It also includes double D-rings for strong leash attachment, a pocket for a small tracking device, as well as a buckle to allow for a more snug and inclusive fit for dogs.