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Biomedical Engineering Senior Makes the Finals of Mayo Business Competition

After two years of effort, Biomedical Engineering senior Axel Delakowski is competing in the finals of the 2021 Mayo Business Plan Competition, with a plan to offer a renewable, naturally-biodegradable, and home-compostable alternative to single use cups. Axel will be competing in the finals on March 31, 2021 at 5:00 pm.

Team Zero, featuring Axel as well as TCNJ seniors from Chemistry, Finance, and Marketing, has created The Chi-cup, inspired by years of “seeing the same problem go unsolved…Why should an item, only meant to be used once, persist in the environment for hundreds of years?” Axel sought to replace our “linear economies” that often use non-renewable material like plastic to create a product that ends in landfills. Instead, the Chi-cup works towards a “circular economy,” that “preserves our environment and health.” Rather than producing plastic waste, The Chip-cup uses chitin from seafood waste to create a recyclable cup that could “degrade in your backyard and be used as a fertilizer for healthier soil,” requiring less waste and a healthier environment.

We wish Team Zero much success in the Mayo Business Plan Competition finals!

Photo Caption:
Featured Left to Right:
Jay Lim ’21, Chemistry
Thomas Fitzgerald ’21, Finance w/Chemistry Minor
Axel Delakowski ’21, Biomedical Engineering
Joaquin Garcia ’21, Marketing w/Information Systems and Technology Minor