Left to Right: Zou, Marzoratti, Tyagi at CEO Global Pitch Competition
Technotonin Industries, a team of three young STEM students— including two from WPI—has been crowned winner of this year's Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization (CEO) Global Pitch Competition in Tampa, FL. The team, composed of WPI students Antonio Marzoratti and Ivan Zou, alongside Arav Tyagi, a student from Boston University, won the award November 2 with its groundbreaking technology PAWE (Portable Affordable Wheelchair Enhancer). The battery-powered motorization device is designed to attach to manual wheelchairs, enhancing mobility options for wheelchair users.
Read more in the WPI Journal about Marzoratti and Zou’s technology, their entrepreneurial journey, and the support they’ve found on campus.
In September 2024, the team gained attention for its invention at WPI’s Demo Day, hosted by the university’s i3 Lab (Ideate, Innovate, Incubate), where Marzoratti and Zou presented their technological solution and won the 1st Place Kalenian Award and entry into the CEO Global Pitch Competition.
Technotonin Industries was part of the first cohort of the Goat Innovators Summer Accelerator (GISA), WPI’s intensive program designed to support young entrepreneurs in developing and launching market-ready products. The team credits GISA and the support from the WPI i3 Lab for helping them transform their project into a business and playing a role in their success at pitch competitions. “We knew nothing about pitching or how to build a business until we joined GISA,” Zou says. “Now we understand that we are building a business and not just a product.”
Left to right: Zou, Marzoratti
“One of the biggest things is the connection with mentors provided through the i3 Lab,” Marzoratti says. “We’re getting advice from people who have done this over and over again.”
The i3 Lab and GISA programs are pivotal elements of WPI’s mission to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and real-world problem-solving among students.
Rosanna Garcia, Paul R. Beswick Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in The Business School, praised the team’s journey and innovation. “The dedication and resourcefulness that Antonio and Ivan have shown are truly inspiring,” she says. “Technotonin Industries is a great example of how WPI students are not only solving real-world problems but also developing a strong foundation in business principles.”
Ardian Preci, director of the i3 Lab, expressed his enthusiasm and pride in the students’ accomplishments and the support WPI provides to budding entrepreneurs. “Stories like this and students with this type of energy are what make it so exciting to be involved in entrepreneurship at WPI,” he says. “If students have dreams of starting something, there is a place and an ecosystem at WPI that can help them realize these dreams.”