ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ

Four University of North Georgia students received over $4,500 in prize money during the Nighthawk Innovators Challenge, held April 21.  

First place was awarded to William "Billy" Brown, a junior pursuing a degree in marketing with a concentration in digital marketing. Brown's concept was TapX, a digital matchmaker between employers and students, with instant feedback provided to students. He received $2,000 for his idea.

"Winning first place in the Innovators Challenge is more than a milestone. It's the beginning of a journey to reshape professional networking for students, employers and future professionals. This award will help build momentum for TapX as we prepare to raise capital, grow our user base and solve a critical challenge in the recruiting industry," Brown said. "I'm truly grateful for the opportunity to compete in the Nighthawk Innovators Challenge and to be recognized among the talented participants. What began as a simple idea has grown into a meaningful and innovative solution to a problem that I experienced firsthand — and one that many others continue to face."

TapX was born on Feb. 7 after Brown attended a networking event unprepared. Brown was asked for a resume, which he didn't bring and the corporate rep handed Brown a business card, encouraging him to email the document. Brown misplaced the card and lost the opportunity.

"That one missed opportunity sparked the idea for TapX: a smarter, faster way to share your resume. Within just 45 days from conception, I launched the minimum viable product," he said. "Since then, I've been focused on refining the platform to make networking seamless and professional for all users."

Nimish Chauhan took second with a tool which helps intelligence analysts perform faster investigations through automation. Its current focus is on finding extremists and radicalized behavior by connecting thousands of data points on social media. Chauhan is an international student pursuing a Master of Science in computer science with concentrations in cyber operations and machine learning.

Chauhan said that the inspiration for the project came from Dr. Edward Mienie's intelligence and counterterrorism class.

"I learned about the problem of homegrown terrorism through social media, which is a national security concern right now, and came up with the idea to utilize graph neural networks, an evolving domain of deep learning, to assist intelligence analysts in local and federal agencies through this program," Chauhan said.

Chauhan will be working with Dr. Bryson Payne, professor of computer science and director of ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ's Institute for Cyber Operations, on the project, using the award funds to collect data.

Rounding out the top three spots was Kaitlyn Klein, a junior from Woodstock, Georgia. Klein's project, Simple Kingdom, is a Christian apparel company with goals to become a boutique and coffee shop all-in-one that encapsulates the heart of the community.

"I love that ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ, specifically the Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, cares about its students, and through that, supports them in their endeavors. The pitch challenge provided ample opportunity for us business-minded students to network and connect with mentors, receive feedback, and with the award, dive into our business," Klein said. "My idea was largely inspired by what I lived through in the transition from high school to college. Before coming to this university, I felt uncomfortable in my own skin and lost without hope. Then, at ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ, God found me through all the lies I had told myself, and He deeply transformed my life. Through my Christian coffee shop and boutique, I want to provide hope for all those who may not know God and also provide a home for anyone to come to."

Klein said the award, $500, will help her career aspirations by kick-starting her business through making it into an LLC as well as establishing funds for her future retail space. 

The Ruben Boling Community Innovation Award, with a prize of $1,000, was awarded to senior Emma Baxter, who is pursuing a degree in marketing with a concentration in digital marketing.

"It was an honor receiving the Boling award. When I first signed up for the Nighthawk Innovators Challenge, I didn't expect to win anything. I simply saw it as a chance to step out in faith and pitch my idea. Little did I know I would be chosen to win the Boling award," she said. "This recognition has given me the confidence to truly begin working on my business. I aspire to change communities by helping nonprofits that struggle with marketing, and I want to give them the same confidence to step out in faith themselves. That is what Good Works Social Co. is all about: helping nonprofits build confidence so they can deepen their impact in the communities that they serve."

Baxter is from Watkinsville, Georgia.

"This award honors the founding director of ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Dr. Ruben Boling, and is awarded to the most outstanding social innovation that demonstrates exceptional commitment to addressing community needs. The recipient project exemplifies how innovative thinking can create sustainable, positive change at the local level," Evan Cantrell, project and program coordinator in ÐÁÓÈÀïÅ®ÓÅ's Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, said.

Other contestants included Ryan Cunningham, a history student with an innovative wheelchair idea, and Shaksham Karki, a computer science student with ConnectU, an app idea to connect university students.