Kathmandu. At the Global Finals held in San Diego last week, TiE Boston's Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) team, Aqua-Sol won the 1st Runner-Up Award. The team, which consists of Soham Kulkarni, Samarth Bedre, Jacob Slavsky, Anoop Rampure and Karthik Pisupati, developed a technique that uses a water distribution system to enhance solar panel efficiency and extend the lifespan of solar panels. They were also awarded the Best Business Plan Award.

The TYE Global Pitch Competition brought together 21 teams from TiE Chapters around the world including Atlanta, New Delhi, Oregon, Tampa Bay, Kerala, and Vancouver, and was held on the campus of the University of San Diego. Before winning their impressive 1st Runner-Up Award, Aqua-Sol first advanced through the Boston regional round, where they edged out 13 other teams and progressed to the Global semi-final round, where there were four competing tracks of 5 teams each from around the world. In the Global final round, they presented their business idea to an esteemed panel of seven judges and also answered insightful questions.

On the occasion, TiE Boston President Yash Shah said, “We're delighted that our team, Aqua-Sol, has secured the first runner-up place at the Global competition. The TYE program consistently delivers on its promise of building a community of high school students with an entrepreneurial mindset and skills that drive innovation. They are go-getters, self-starters and comfortable navigating through the unknown. We are so proud of them and look forward to giving them all the support they will need as they grow through their entrepreneurship journey.”

TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Academy was conceptualized and executed by TiE Boston in 2005, and in the eighteen years since, has been offered at twenty-five TiE chapters around the world. More than 30,000 high school students have participated in the TYE Global program. Many have gone on to found their own companies. Instructors, mentors, and industry experts teach design thinking, customer validation, prototyping, and business models through hands-on workshops. Students develop essential life skills and STEM skills, risk-taking mindset, teamwork, innovation, and leadership.

As Aqua-Sol CEO Karthik Pisupati explained, “TYE has helped me grow not only as a leader, but also as an entrepreneur. It has helped me realize that if you work hard and focus on your goals, anything is possible. Connections are so important in this world, and TYE gave me a great opportunity to connect and meet new great people. I will forever be grateful for the experience that TYE has offered me, and to my team who gave me all these fond memories.”

Another team member, Aqua-Sol COO Soham Kulkarni concurred, “TYE Globals has taught me one important thing, which is perseverance. In the competition, every other team seems like they are going to win. But the best thing to do is to just keep going and presenting the best you can. This was one of the concepts that I believe led to our team's success. The experience and skills that I learned from TYE Globals will help me become a more successful person in our current world.”

In Cambridge-Boston, the TYE program offers a 12-week school year program for high school students (1 day/alternate weeks on Saturdays) and a Summer Boot Camp for middle-school students (5 days/week full time). "Students learn from a network of industry leaders from top companies, to help them design, test, and build a successful business ideas while learning critical life skills in the TYE Academy", said Adam Carter, Associate Program Director, "We are currently accepting applications for both our programs”.

TiE Boston's TYE program is supported by BNY Mellon, Cambridge Innovation Center (CIC), State Street Bank and Suffolk University.