Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge | Oregon Tech
Source: http://www.oit.edu/academics/catalyze-challenge
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:14
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge | Oregon Tech
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Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
Igniting Entrepreneurship of Students and Recent Alumni of Oregon Tech
Winners
Schedule
Sponsors
Oregon Tech’s Catalyze Klamath Challenge
has been a huge success for student competitors and the Klamath Falls community. Over the past nine years, student/alumni teams have competed for over $100,000 in prize money and services. The 2023 event was made possible through generous sponsorship and donations from AVISTA, the City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA), Klamath IDEA, Oregon Small Business Development Center, Sky Lakes Office of Strategy & Innovation, VertueLab, and the Wendt Family Foundation.
Catalyze Klamath aims to
support business ideas and/or fledgling entrepreneurial activity
from any field of study that produces a new idea, product, or service that could become a thriving business in Klamath Falls and has the potential for job growth in rural Oregon.
2025-26 Schedule of Events
Event
Date
Location
Additional Information
Kick-Off Event
Nov 19, 2025
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for students, faculty, and staff, to learn about the contest and begin to form teams
Pre-Registration Team Formation
Jan 21, 2026
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for all prospective contestants to meet and network with potential team members as well as register for the event
Catalyze Team Registration
Jan 23, 2026
Team registration is due by 11:59pm
Catalyze Team Meet and Greet
Feb 4, 2026
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for all teams to meet with the Catalyze Klamath mentor network and learn about available external resources
Preliminary Concept Submission
Feb 13, 2026
Preliminary concept submission is due by 11:59pm
Shark Tech Venture Pitch Contest
Mar 4, 2026
This event will also serve to select finalists (if needed). Mandatory for all teams
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Contest
April 23, 2026
4:00 PM
CEET Auditorium
Teams compete in front of a panel of judges for the PRIZES! A list of judges, prizes, and final details will be posted prior to the competition
Catalyze Guide
Official Rules & Info
Catalyze Klamath Falls Preliminary Concept Submission Form 2025-26
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Rules 2025-26
Judges Rubric
Volunteer Mentor Form
Resources
InventOregon Resources
Catalyze Klamath Library Guide
Contact Information
Hallie Neupert
Professor
541-885-1480
Send Email
Reports
Catalyze Report 2024
Winning teams are awarded cash prizes to invest in start-up costs and ignite project development, or to share among the Team.
Catalyze Winners
2024 Catalyze Klamath Winner
2024 Winner:
FairPlay Challenge
FairPlay Challenge offers escape room kits for educators in Klamath County and City School Districts. These kits create exciting challenges where students solve puzzles to escape. Designed for classrooms, they're easy to set-up, reuse, and customize. The goal of FairPlay Challenge escape room kits is to provide educators with interactive, engaging learning activities, guiding K-12 students through non-traditional subjects such as anti-bullying, drug and alcohol cessation, nutrition, and more.
Team: Grant Kightlinger (Business Marketing) and Molly Grace (Business Marketing)
2024 Winner:
Automatic Field Tourniquet
Ancile Systems created the AFT (Automatic Tourniquet) to help people during emergencies. It's easier to use than traditional tourniquets because you just slide it on and press a button. Using advanced technology and blood flow data, the device automatically constricts until it stops the bleeding entirely. This simplicity makes it suitable for a wide range of users, including the elderly, children, and individuals with disabilities.
Team: Carter Stewart, pictured (Mechanical Engineering) and Emmett Allen (Mechanical Engineering)
Previous Catalyze Winners
2023 Winner:
Deep Dive Robotics
An autonomous robotic submarine that utilizes advanced visual recognition technology to inspect and collect data from various water bodies for a multitude of purposes, including environmental assessments, search and rescue missions, dam and watercraft inspections, and monitoring fish populations.
Team: Lauren Sadrin (Mechanical Engineering) and Mauricio Huntoon DeRoche (Mechanical Engineering)
2022:
Stellarum Publishing
A customizable planning notebook and companion app that can be used to organize tabletop role playing games.
Team: Gabbi Pech (Business – Marketing) and Hayden Pech (Business – Marketing)
2021:
The BioSpec Enterprise
An all-in-one indoor house plant monitoring system. The BioSpec Enterprise went on to compete in the Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge (InventOR).
Team: Abbey DuBois (Software Engineering Technology), Joshua Hewitt (Cybersecurity), Jared Monroe (Mechanical Engineering Technology) and Matt Volpe (dual Embedded/Software Engineering Technology)
2019:
The Reclaimers
Turn recycled plastics into crude oil. The Reclaimers went on place first in the Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge (InventOR).
Team: Annika Andersen (Renewable Energy Engineering & Electrical Engineering), Ashlei Morgan (Mechanical Engineering) and Jessica Arrington (Mechanical Engineering)
2018 Winning Team:
OrbitOWLS
Utilize new technology to send small satellites and other devices to space for a fraction of the price of current methods
Team: Micah Hicks, David Minar, Julien Mindlin-Davidson, Brandon Camp, Ben Porter
2017 Winning Project:
Helios Hive
A Solar Bee Hive which allows for the temperature regulation within a hive or set of hives, in order to assist with the elimination of the varroa mite. Inventor Mathias Dean is a
Renewable Energy Engineering
graduate.
2016 Winning Team:
GO Possibilities
Production of graphene oxide
Team: Matthew Stansbury, Eric Tipler, Ben Fawver, Tate Orlik Hill
2015 Winning Team:
Gro-volution
Sustainable agriculture production system ("In the box farming")
Team: Eric Wilson, Derek Pallett, Nathan Leung
Thank You Sponsors
Darrel and Diana Samuels
In The News
Oregon Tech students compete for $18,000 at Catalyze Challenge; winning teams designed escape room kits and field tourniquet
Oregon Tech Catalyze Challenge teams and $18K prize pool announced
Oregon Tech students compete for $13,000 at annual Catalyze Challenge; winning team designed autonomous robotic submarine
Following the Shark Tech Pitch Competition, six teams are advancing to the Catalyze Challenge held on April 20
Oregon Tech students prepare to present business concepts
Seven student entrepreneur teams present solutions to real-world problems, win over $19k in seed money
Five Student Entrepreneur Teams Present Solutions to Real-World Problems, Win Over $18k in Seed Money
Oregon Tech Student Entrepreneurs & Inventors Present Solutions to Real-World Problems, Win Over $20k in Seed Money
The winning team, called The Reclaimers, plans to turn recycled plastics into crude oil and use their $9,000 winnings to advance their usability testing
Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win Over $20k in Seed Money, Makerspace
The winning project, called OrbitOWLS, utilizes new technology to send small satellites and other devices to space for a fraction of the price of current methods.
Student Entrepreneurs Form Teams for Fourth Annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
The Catalyze Meet-and-Greet, held January 17 at Gaucho Collective, allowed teams to meet one another and connect with many of the mentors available to aid them in their missions.
County joins those funding Catalyze Klamath
Klamath County commissioners have dedicated $5,000 to support the fourth annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge as the program prepares to expand its reach. The funding was approved unanimously from the county’s economic development budget and was a re-authorization of $5,000 dedicated last year.
'Innovation close to home'; Catalyze Klamath kicks off
Students gathered at to the Gaucho Collective to learn more about this year’s competition, themed “Innovation close to home.”
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2018
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2016 and 2017, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win $20k in Seed Money and Services
The winning project, called Helios Hive, is an invention by Renewable Energy Engineering student Mathias Dean. Mathias went home with $10,000
Final Competition Will Award $14,000 Seed Funding to Winning Teams
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015 and 2016, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Eyes on the prize at Shark Tech
Seven judges, seven teams of Oregon Tech students, and multiple hours of preparation will all come together in May as students vie for a $15,000 cash prize from Catalyze Klamath, an entrepreneurial pitch competition.
But first, students participating in the Fourth annual Catalyze Klamath competition tested their project’s mettle with a panel of “Shark Tech” judges Wednesday.
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2017
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015 and 2016, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Oregon Tech Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win $17k in Seed Money and Services
The winning team, called GO Possibilities, won based on their production of graphene oxide and development of 3-D printers that convert it into printable sheets used for energy storage in numerous applications
Catalyze Klamath Falls Student Entrepreneurs Prepare Presentations
Competitors will present their entrepreneurial pitches at the final competition on Tuesday, May 17th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2016
Building on the success of the first Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines for Catalyze 2.0
Oregon Tech Entrepreneurs Win Seed Money for Business Development
Sustainable agriculture production system, Gro-volution, wins first-ever Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Gains Momentum
5 competitors in the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge just wrapped up their first competitive event in the challenge with a $9,000 prize pool from donations from Senator Whitsett & Representative Whitsett, and Klamath County
Self-contained farms
The company’s proposed business model involves taking standard shipping containers and transforming them into self-contained, continually producing farms
Oregon Tech students share ideas for start-ups at Klamath IDEA talk
Business incubator aims to foster a culture of innovative entrepreneurship
Registration open for Tech entrepreneurship program
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge to encourage solutions for job growth in Klamath County
Oregon Tech Launches Catalyze Klamath Innovation Challenge
Oregon Tech brings Innovation Close to Home with a new challenge specifically targeting business growth and relevant project experiences for students
Oregon Tech Announces Seventh Annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
Skip to main content
Back
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
Igniting Entrepreneurship of Students and Recent Alumni of Oregon Tech
Winners
Schedule
Sponsors
Oregon Tech’s Catalyze Klamath Challenge
has been a huge success for student competitors and the Klamath Falls community. Over the past nine years, student/alumni teams have competed for over $100,000 in prize money and services. The 2023 event was made possible through generous sponsorship and donations from AVISTA, the City of Klamath Falls, Klamath County, Klamath County Economic Development Association (KCEDA), Klamath IDEA, Oregon Small Business Development Center, Sky Lakes Office of Strategy & Innovation, VertueLab, and the Wendt Family Foundation.
Catalyze Klamath aims to
support business ideas and/or fledgling entrepreneurial activity
from any field of study that produces a new idea, product, or service that could become a thriving business in Klamath Falls and has the potential for job growth in rural Oregon.
2025-26 Schedule of Events
Event
Date
Location
Additional Information
Kick-Off Event
Nov 19, 2025
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for students, faculty, and staff, to learn about the contest and begin to form teams
Pre-Registration Team Formation
Jan 21, 2026
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for all prospective contestants to meet and network with potential team members as well as register for the event
Catalyze Team Registration
Jan 23, 2026
Team registration is due by 11:59pm
Catalyze Team Meet and Greet
Feb 4, 2026
5:00-6:00 pm
CEET 208
This is a hosted event for all teams to meet with the Catalyze Klamath mentor network and learn about available external resources
Preliminary Concept Submission
Feb 13, 2026
Preliminary concept submission is due by 11:59pm
Shark Tech Venture Pitch Contest
Mar 4, 2026
This event will also serve to select finalists (if needed). Mandatory for all teams
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Contest
April 23, 2026
4:00 PM
CEET Auditorium
Teams compete in front of a panel of judges for the PRIZES! A list of judges, prizes, and final details will be posted prior to the competition
Catalyze Guide
Official Rules & Info
Catalyze Klamath Falls Preliminary Concept Submission Form 2025-26
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Rules 2025-26
Judges Rubric
Volunteer Mentor Form
Resources
InventOregon Resources
Catalyze Klamath Library Guide
Contact Information
Hallie Neupert
Professor
541-885-1480
Send Email
Reports
Catalyze Report 2024
Winning teams are awarded cash prizes to invest in start-up costs and ignite project development, or to share among the Team.
Catalyze Winners
2024 Catalyze Klamath Winner
2024 Winner:
FairPlay Challenge
FairPlay Challenge offers escape room kits for educators in Klamath County and City School Districts. These kits create exciting challenges where students solve puzzles to escape. Designed for classrooms, they're easy to set-up, reuse, and customize. The goal of FairPlay Challenge escape room kits is to provide educators with interactive, engaging learning activities, guiding K-12 students through non-traditional subjects such as anti-bullying, drug and alcohol cessation, nutrition, and more.
Team: Grant Kightlinger (Business Marketing) and Molly Grace (Business Marketing)
2024 Winner:
Automatic Field Tourniquet
Ancile Systems created the AFT (Automatic Tourniquet) to help people during emergencies. It's easier to use than traditional tourniquets because you just slide it on and press a button. Using advanced technology and blood flow data, the device automatically constricts until it stops the bleeding entirely. This simplicity makes it suitable for a wide range of users, including the elderly, children, and individuals with disabilities.
Team: Carter Stewart, pictured (Mechanical Engineering) and Emmett Allen (Mechanical Engineering)
Previous Catalyze Winners
2023 Winner:
Deep Dive Robotics
An autonomous robotic submarine that utilizes advanced visual recognition technology to inspect and collect data from various water bodies for a multitude of purposes, including environmental assessments, search and rescue missions, dam and watercraft inspections, and monitoring fish populations.
Team: Lauren Sadrin (Mechanical Engineering) and Mauricio Huntoon DeRoche (Mechanical Engineering)
2022:
Stellarum Publishing
A customizable planning notebook and companion app that can be used to organize tabletop role playing games.
Team: Gabbi Pech (Business – Marketing) and Hayden Pech (Business – Marketing)
2021:
The BioSpec Enterprise
An all-in-one indoor house plant monitoring system. The BioSpec Enterprise went on to compete in the Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge (InventOR).
Team: Abbey DuBois (Software Engineering Technology), Joshua Hewitt (Cybersecurity), Jared Monroe (Mechanical Engineering Technology) and Matt Volpe (dual Embedded/Software Engineering Technology)
2019:
The Reclaimers
Turn recycled plastics into crude oil. The Reclaimers went on place first in the Invent Oregon Collegiate Challenge (InventOR).
Team: Annika Andersen (Renewable Energy Engineering & Electrical Engineering), Ashlei Morgan (Mechanical Engineering) and Jessica Arrington (Mechanical Engineering)
2018 Winning Team:
OrbitOWLS
Utilize new technology to send small satellites and other devices to space for a fraction of the price of current methods
Team: Micah Hicks, David Minar, Julien Mindlin-Davidson, Brandon Camp, Ben Porter
2017 Winning Project:
Helios Hive
A Solar Bee Hive which allows for the temperature regulation within a hive or set of hives, in order to assist with the elimination of the varroa mite. Inventor Mathias Dean is a
Renewable Energy Engineering
graduate.
2016 Winning Team:
GO Possibilities
Production of graphene oxide
Team: Matthew Stansbury, Eric Tipler, Ben Fawver, Tate Orlik Hill
2015 Winning Team:
Gro-volution
Sustainable agriculture production system ("In the box farming")
Team: Eric Wilson, Derek Pallett, Nathan Leung
Thank You Sponsors
Darrel and Diana Samuels
In The News
Oregon Tech students compete for $18,000 at Catalyze Challenge; winning teams designed escape room kits and field tourniquet
Oregon Tech Catalyze Challenge teams and $18K prize pool announced
Oregon Tech students compete for $13,000 at annual Catalyze Challenge; winning team designed autonomous robotic submarine
Following the Shark Tech Pitch Competition, six teams are advancing to the Catalyze Challenge held on April 20
Oregon Tech students prepare to present business concepts
Seven student entrepreneur teams present solutions to real-world problems, win over $19k in seed money
Five Student Entrepreneur Teams Present Solutions to Real-World Problems, Win Over $18k in Seed Money
Oregon Tech Student Entrepreneurs & Inventors Present Solutions to Real-World Problems, Win Over $20k in Seed Money
The winning team, called The Reclaimers, plans to turn recycled plastics into crude oil and use their $9,000 winnings to advance their usability testing
Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win Over $20k in Seed Money, Makerspace
The winning project, called OrbitOWLS, utilizes new technology to send small satellites and other devices to space for a fraction of the price of current methods.
Student Entrepreneurs Form Teams for Fourth Annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
The Catalyze Meet-and-Greet, held January 17 at Gaucho Collective, allowed teams to meet one another and connect with many of the mentors available to aid them in their missions.
County joins those funding Catalyze Klamath
Klamath County commissioners have dedicated $5,000 to support the fourth annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge as the program prepares to expand its reach. The funding was approved unanimously from the county’s economic development budget and was a re-authorization of $5,000 dedicated last year.
'Innovation close to home'; Catalyze Klamath kicks off
Students gathered at to the Gaucho Collective to learn more about this year’s competition, themed “Innovation close to home.”
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2018
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2016 and 2017, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win $20k in Seed Money and Services
The winning project, called Helios Hive, is an invention by Renewable Energy Engineering student Mathias Dean. Mathias went home with $10,000
Final Competition Will Award $14,000 Seed Funding to Winning Teams
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015 and 2016, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Eyes on the prize at Shark Tech
Seven judges, seven teams of Oregon Tech students, and multiple hours of preparation will all come together in May as students vie for a $15,000 cash prize from Catalyze Klamath, an entrepreneurial pitch competition.
But first, students participating in the Fourth annual Catalyze Klamath competition tested their project’s mettle with a panel of “Shark Tech” judges Wednesday.
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2017
Building on the success of the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015 and 2016, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines again!
Oregon Tech Student Entrepreneurs Wow Industry Judges with Highly Technical Business Products, Win $17k in Seed Money and Services
The winning team, called GO Possibilities, won based on their production of graphene oxide and development of 3-D printers that convert it into printable sheets used for energy storage in numerous applications
Catalyze Klamath Falls Student Entrepreneurs Prepare Presentations
Competitors will present their entrepreneurial pitches at the final competition on Tuesday, May 17th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Oregon Tech Announces Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge 2016
Building on the success of the first Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge in 2015, Oregon Tech is revving up its innovative engines for Catalyze 2.0
Oregon Tech Entrepreneurs Win Seed Money for Business Development
Sustainable agriculture production system, Gro-volution, wins first-ever Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge Gains Momentum
5 competitors in the Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge just wrapped up their first competitive event in the challenge with a $9,000 prize pool from donations from Senator Whitsett & Representative Whitsett, and Klamath County
Self-contained farms
The company’s proposed business model involves taking standard shipping containers and transforming them into self-contained, continually producing farms
Oregon Tech students share ideas for start-ups at Klamath IDEA talk
Business incubator aims to foster a culture of innovative entrepreneurship
Registration open for Tech entrepreneurship program
Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge to encourage solutions for job growth in Klamath County
Oregon Tech Launches Catalyze Klamath Innovation Challenge
Oregon Tech brings Innovation Close to Home with a new challenge specifically targeting business growth and relevant project experiences for students
Oregon Tech Announces Seventh Annual Catalyze Klamath Falls Challenge