Seattle-area teams take top two spots in student entrepreneurs global pitch competition

Geek Wire

26-06-2025

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Kymavi, the winners of the TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Pitch Competition, from left: Ishaan Pathania, Tayem Keshk, Rajal Maheshwari, Arjun Panpaliya, Aadhav Muthukumar. (Photo courtesy of TiE Seattle)
Two teams of Seattle-area high school students took the top two prizes at the 2025 TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Global Pitch Competition.
The winning teams emerged from the TiE Young Entrepreneur (TYE) Seattle chapter finals competition earlier this month.
Kymavi followed its first place finish in the Seattle competition with first place in the global event and a $3,000 prize. The startup says it has created marine- and land-biodegradable plastic bags that release ocean-healing additives upon breakdown to absorb pollutants and buffer ocean acidification.
Team members include Tayem Keshk, Aadhav Muthukumar, Ishaan Pathania, Arjun Panpaliya, all of Skyline High School, and Rajal Maheshwari of Newport High School.
'We're thrilled to win; it reflects eight months of hard work and growth,' said Keshk, Kymavi's CEO, who previously told GeekWire that his team's idea originated after seeing trash and plastic bags on beaches and in rivers and lakes in the Seattle area and during visits to see family in Egypt and India.
Second-place finishers Key Beauty, from left: Saanvi Kadam, Ashrita Reddy, Tarini Krishna, Kruthik Ankam. (Photo courtesy of TiE Seattle)
Second place and a $1,500 prize in the event went to Key Beauty, makers of AI and skin-scanning technology that offers accurate makeup shade matches for girls and women of color. The startup previously finished in the same spot in the Seattle competition.
'It's about representation and access, ensuring everyone sees themselves in the products they use,' said the team, whose members include Ashrita Reddy, Tarini Krishna, Saanvi Kadam, Andrew Wang, Kruthik Ankam, and Kireeti Kompella.
The finals brought together 29 international teams from regional competitions across the TiE network. Each team had 10 minutes to present their startup idea, followed by five minutes of Q&A with a panel of judges.
The event was held simultaneously at George Mason University's Fuse Center in Arlington, Va., and Amity University in Delhi, India, June 19-20.
Founded in 2000, TiE Seattle is a chapter of The Indus Entrepreneurs, a global nonprofit with 61 chapters in 14 countries, dedicated to growing and fostering entrepreneurship throughout the world.