At 海角社区, innovation isn鈥檛 just a buzzword鈥攊t鈥檚 a culture. One of the campus spaces championing this culture is the (MIX), a hub where creativity and entrepreneurship intersect.
MIX programs, such as the MIX Incubator, the Student Innovators Launchpad, and featured programs working with drones, robotics, and other technologies, help George Mason students transform their bold ideas into real-world solutions with guidance from experienced mentors, hands-on workshops, and networking opportunities.
In November 2025, George Mason student innovators made waves at the annual Accelerate Investor Conference, a two-day event held at Fuse at Mason Square in Arlington, which brought together investors, founders, and thought leaders. Among 50 start-ups and more than 20 student teams, four teams from the MIX Incubator and its Student Innovator Launchpad program鈥擜ccelP3 (bioinformatics and computational biology PhD students Morolake Okanlawon, Yingjie Zhang, and Hsuan Chih Kuo), Aniwear (mechanical engineering student Josh Peterson), Anvil Labs LLC. (electrical engineering students Justin Luckenbach and Chelsea Camacho-Zambrana), and EduVerse (computer science student Jagan Yekturi)鈥攈ad the opportunity to pitch their ideas in the student track. These teams showcased cutting-edge solutions, from bioinformatics tools to heating and cooling wearable tech.
Yekturi鈥檚 EduVerse, earned third place and an $1,000 prize for its platform connecting students and recruiters. 鈥淭he MIX Incubator strengthened my ability to define a clear Ideal Customer Profile and align my solution directly with customer pain points,鈥 Yekturi said. 鈥淭he feedback and support accelerated my learning far beyond what I expected.鈥
鈥淭he biggest benefit for us was getting a chance to network with people in our industry who could help us take our business to the next step,鈥 said Luckenbach, co-founder of Anvil Labs LLC.
The MIX experience goes beyond competition. Through integration with the National Science Foundation , students gain exposure to lean start-up principles, customer discovery, and commercialization strategies鈥攁ll essential for scaling a business.
Gisele Stolz, senior director of Entrepreneurship Programs and director and co-PI of George Mason鈥檚 I-Corps Program; Sampson Addo, program manager of the I-Corps Program; and Minjin Batzorig, the MIX鈥檚 program and operations coordinator, manage and provide support for these programs. Mentors like George Siragusa of the Virginia Small Business Development Centers, Adam Phillips of AthletesInnovate, and Innovation Commercialization Assistance Program mentors Elizabeth Pyle and William McPheat provided invaluable guidance throughout the journey.
The MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is designed to help junior and senior undergraduate, masters, and PhD students transform ideas rooted in tech and deep-science research into viable businesses. Participants learn about customer discovery, market evaluation, and commercialization strategies, emphasized through integration with the NSF I-Corps program. The program culminates in a showcase where students pitch to a panel of investors, industry professionals, and entrepreneurs, making the Accelerate Conference a natural extension of their entrepreneurial journey.
The MIX Launchpad concluded in November with a Pitch Entrepreneur Competition, where AeroHealth, led by civil and infrastructure engineering PhD candidate Xiaorong (Sherry) Shan, won first place for her innovative approach to breast cancer screening.
鈥淭he MIX Pitch Entrepreneur Competition showed me that success comes from stepping out of comfort, embracing challenge, and growing through failure,鈥 Shan said.
Looking ahead, the MIX Student Innovators Launchpad is recruiting for its Spring 2026 cohort. Applications are open until mid-January, and accepted teams will kick off on February 6. This program prepares students for opportunities like Patriot Pitch and other funding opportunities. Interested? .
To learn more about entrepreneurship opportunities at George Mason, contact Batzorig at mbatzor@gmu.edu.