LONG Beach, Calif., April 22, 2025 – An AI-powered approach to teaching aspiring healthcare professionals how to communicate with patients in an empathetic way took the day at the CSULB Sunstone Innovation Challenge.
CuraVoice members took home the $15,000 first place cash prize as well as in-kind services worth another $20,000 for their business concept. The second-place prize of $10,000 went to Mindfull Elevate, a service for colleges and universities to help student-athletes build mental awareness already at work at the Cal State Long Beach campus.
This is the 15th annual Innovation Challenge, Dr. Wade Martin said. It is presented by the CSULB Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (where Martin is the director), with support from the CSULB colleges of Business, Engineering, and the Arts.
More than 150 people filled the room at The Pointe for this year’s competition.
Sunstone Management has been the title sponsor for the last seven years, providing the prize money and other support. The money comes through the Sunstone Community Fund, a nonprofit donor-advised fund.
“Our founder, John Shen, would have loved to be here tonight,” said Sunstone CEO John Keisler. “He loves students. When he was a student at Duke, he got help from many people. Now he’s supporting you and students like you in hopes that you will pay it forward too.”
CuraVoice team leader Sakhi Patel, a Doctor of Pharmacy student at the University of California Irvine, said many students in healthcare tracks have a hard time communicating with patients – a problem that continues into professional careers. Use of AI allows for an adaptive learning tool to create individualized training experiences.
“I’ve been involved in the healthcare industry in several capacities for years,” said judge Walter Larkin. “There’s no doubt that communicating empathy is a serious problem for physicians.”
Three of the four teams in Track One of the competition dealt with aspects of healthcare. Second-place winner Mindful Elevate, led by soccer star Aleea Caceres, already has hosted workshops on the CSULB campus and plans to expand soon to other campuses with NCAA sports programs. Epistellar will use a smartwatch approach to help seizure sufferers get quick help in emergency situations and offer educational support. The other honorable mention, Student Shift, is a web-based platform connecting college students with parents and small business owners seeking part-time help.
The Innovation Challenge includes a Track Two with four more teams working to develop business ideas. Rise and Unwind, a concept for a combined coffee shop/speakeasy took first place and walked away with the $1,500 prize. Team Guardian, proposing a stylish bracelet that includes GPS tracking and the wearer’s medical information (available only with a code) took the $1,000 for second. Honorable mentions and $500 went to Grapevine, a feedback data consolidator, and Phyber Footwear, planning a line of 3D-printed shoes.
For more information about the CSULB Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, go to www.csulb.edu/institute-for-innovation-entrepreneurship.