AIAS and Schindler Announce Winners of the 2018 #ElevateYourPitch Competition

Washington, DC & Morristown, NJ (July 24, 2018) – The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) is proud to announce the winners of Elevate Your Pitch, an elevator pitch competition brought to you in conjunction with Schindler Elevator Corporation, the North American operating entity of the Switzerland-based Schindler Group.

Schindler is one of the leading global manufacturers of elevators, escalators and moving walks. In March, the AIAS and Schindler teamed up to bring a new elevator pitch competition to the AIAS membership. This competition presented students with a great opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a panel of judges for a chance to win recognition and one of three cash prizes.

An elevator pitch is a quick description of your business and/or idea in the time it would take to ride up an elevator (60 seconds to two minutes). Presenting yourself effectively is an essential tool in the architectural profession, which can lead to new partnerships, clients, and ultimately, new business. Ideas may be at any stage of development from the creation of concepts or ideas to an established business or product.

The competition ran from February 1, 2018, to June 1, 2018, at which point a jury selected the top four entries to compete in the finals at the AIAS Grassroots Leadership Conference. The jury consisted of a panel of representatives from Schindler Elevator Corporation.

First Place| $2,500
Clear Space aims to fight distraction where it matters, with a simple call-text interface. The app converts automatically when GPS sees you've entered your designated Clear Spaces. This idea was submitted by Roland Knowlden of Illinois Institute of Technology.

Second Place| $1,000
Studio Mug is designed for communal workspaces, featuring a lid and self-cleaning device to avoid germs traditionally found in office mugs. This idea was submitted by Samantha Pires of New Jersey Institute of Technology.

Third Place| $500
Xe knows that conquering anxiety can be tough. But with the upcoming app Xe, you’ll be able to get back on your feet in no time. This idea was submitted by Sofiya Makarova of Ryerson University.

Honorable Mention | Apple Watch
SnapChef allows you to snap a photo of your fridge and will create a recipe for you with the ingredients that you have! This idea was submitted by a team at The City College of New York, which includes Benjamin Akhavan, Evana Said, Shane Mangubat, and Tuba Ahmed.

About The AIAS
The American Institute of Architecture Students is a non-profit, student-run organization dedicated to programs, information and resources on issues critical to architecture and the experience of education. For more information, visit aias.org.