Augusta University announced on April 1 the winners of its 2026 INNOVATE Pitch Competition, which drew hundreds of participants from across the region to submit proposals aimed at addressing real-life community challenges.
The competition, held March 25 at the Georgia Cyber Center, offered teams five minutes each to present their ideas before a panel of judges. Winners were chosen in undergraduate, graduate, and community entrepreneur categories. For the second consecutive year, Augusta-based private equity firm Vinea Capital sponsored the event and provided an award for a community entrepreneur.
Augusta University President Russell T. Keen said he was impressed by the passion shown by participants. “Innovation is something that, through the years, has been parallel with imagination,” Keen said. “The idea of what is happening now and what could happen later. What could make something better? What could save a life? What can improve humanity and change the way we do things? What could create access for those who can’t have it?”
Keen also encouraged all competitors to persist in their efforts: “Many people say, ‘No, you can’t do that. It can never be done,’” Keen said. “I’m going to tell you something about Augusta University. We have a motto that it can be done… just remember to continue to say, ‘It can be done.’”
This year’s competition included a new component: each institution within the University System of Georgia will select one team for a statewide Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition on April 6-7 at Kennesaw State University. Representing Augusta University will be Titra Health—a team led by students Ray Wade and Ibrahim Mohammad—whose project focuses on improving monitoring for patients using GLP-1 medications.
Wade explained that GLP-1s are among “the newest and biggest medication for treating obesity and diabetes,” noting rapid market growth but limited patient oversight leading many users to discontinue treatment within one year. Mohammad added that Titra Health aims to close this gap by providing infrastructure for active management via primary care physicians using an app connected directly with electronic health records.
Lynsey Steinberg, Director of Academic Entrepreneurship at Augusta University and co-founder of INNOVATE, reflected on how far the event has come since its founding in 2019 inspired by student needs: “We realized that with the brainpower we have here at the university and with interdisciplinary collaboration, we absolutely can solve problems… Now INNOVATE has been providing solutions for seven years.”
Steinberg thanked external mentors such as David Pope—chief pharmacy officer at Xifin—for guiding teams like Titra Health toward success: “He has been a tremendous mentor to our student teams.” She also acknowledged judges Allan Soto (Vinea Capital), Troy Akers (Eisenhower Army Medical Center), and Stacey Lewis (Aurubis) for their participation.
Looking ahead, Steinberg said plans are underway to expand partnerships with industry challenges as well as develop new initiatives such as an entrepreneur-in-residence program.
