Student founders Jelaleddin Gylychmuhammedov and Minh Ha earn $3,000 at Worcester’s premier intercollegiate pitch competition, representing WPI and the i3 Lab on a city-wide stage.
On the evening of April 7, 2026, Worcester’s entrepreneurship community gathered for the third annual WooTank Intercollegiate Showdown — a Shark Tank-style pitch competition that brings together the best student startup talent from across Central Massachusetts. Six colleges. Six teams. One stage. And this year, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s own BrailleBox walked away with a $3,000 award and a room full of believers.
Founded by WPI students Jelaleddin Gylychmuhammedov and Minh Ha, BrailleBox is a classroom-ready system that combines a tactile learning device with a teacher dashboard to help visually impaired students learn Braille faster while giving teachers real-time insight into their progress. It is exactly the kind of venture the i3 Lab was built to support: student-led, mission-driven, and solving a problem that genuinely matters.
The Pitch That Delivered
BrailleBox didn’t just show up — they showed out. The team delivered a confident, well-prepared pitch that articulated both the technical depth of their product and the real-world impact it can have in classrooms. The judges rewarded that with $3,000, the second-highest award of the night, and a validation that extends well beyond the dollar amount.
WPI has now built a consistent track record at WooTank — year after year, our teams take the stage prepared, polished, and competitive. That doesn’t happen by accident. It is the result of a support system, a community, and a culture of building that the i3 Lab has worked hard to cultivate.
“At WPI, we don’t just teach entrepreneurship — we live it. Watching BrailleBox take the WooTank stage and deliver is a reminder of what student founders are capable of when they’re given the right environment to grow. WooTank has become one of Worcester’s most important proving grounds for the next generation of student innovators, and we couldn’t be more proud to see WPI students rise to the moment year after year.”
— Ardian Preci, Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship Programs, WPI i3 Lab
At WPI the next generation of entrepreneurs aren’t waiting to graduate. They’re not waiting for permission. They’re already here — pitching, building, and representing WPI beyond these towers.
Congratulations to Jelaleddin, Minh, You made WPI proud.
#WPI #i3Lab #WooTank #BrailleBox #StudentEntrepreneurs #Worcester #Innovation
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