Two BASIS Independent McLean students, Rishik P. (Grade 10) and Aarya V. (Grade 11) won second-place in the Startups @ Spring competition, an annual contest organized by Spring Education Group (SEG).

The Startups @ Spring competition is a highly competitive event with students from across the nation for students attending SEG-affiliated middle and high schools creating and presenting unique business ideas to the judges. The top three business pitches, chosen by the SEG Contest Board, are rewarded by monetary donations to the charity of the winners’ choice. 

This year’s second place winner, Aarya and Rishik’s drug detection pitch, involved, as described by Aarya, “an innovative drug sensor system designed to help make bars and restaurant venues safer for patrons who drink alcohol.”

Aarya and Richik’s device tests alcoholic drinks for drugs that someone could have discreetly added without the drinker’s knowledge. The innovative thin film sensor used in the device is designed to be accurate, reusable, and discreet, with a multi-functional phone app to detect the presence of specific substances in drinks. The sensor is meant to be not only sanitary but also receptive of a wide range of different drugs that it could then detect. The system reacts to the presence of harmful drugs by alerting the user’s phone app of their presence and by contacting select personal contacts in cases of emergency.

To design and present their project, Aarya and Rishik crafted and refined their startup concept, built a model, and gained valuable lessons in product development and real-world application. As recognition of their efforts, Spring Education Group donated $3,000 to the charity of Aarya and Richik’s choice, the US-India Solidarity Mission.