The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) announced the 2025 “$100,000 Start an SUD Startup” Challenge in July of 2025, and now that the submissions have gone through the judging process, NIDA is delighted to share the results of the Challenge.
The following teams have been selected by the NIDA judges to receive the Stage 1 prize of personalized entrepreneurial mentoring for each team. Winner notification letters with instructions will be sent to the email addresses of the Team Leader.
Congratulations to all Winners!
- Submission #3
Team Members: Aldwin Anterola, Emily Hartwell, Matthew Gunn, and Edreco Amos
Proposal Title: CHS Navigator: A Pathway from ED Visit to Cannabis Use Disorder Care - Submission #6
Team Members: Holly Hagle, ZhiQiang Chen, Felipe Castillo, Yifei Liu, and Mei Fu
Proposal Title: RecoverLens: Transforming Home into an "Active Partner" for Early Recovery from Substance Use Disorder (SUD) - Submission #10
Team Members: Adela Grando, Anita Murcko, and Martha Kaiser
Proposal Title: ComplyLight: Automating 42 CFR Part 2 Data Segmentation for Safe Substance Use Disorder Care - Submission #16
Team Members: Jenny Pennycuff, Chris Verrico, Francesco Versace, George Kypriotakis, and Ali Haider
Proposal Title: Inner-ear Device for Overdose Detection - Submission #28
Team Members: Justin Bell, Jordan Hansen, and Mike Garafalo
Proposal Title: RecPath; bridging people who are incarcerated to SUD treatment - Submission #35
Team Members: Michael Chary, Alexander Fortenko, and Benjamin Sprouse
Proposal Title: Ariadne Team; digital decision-support platform to improve long-term buprenorphine therapy adherence - Submission #39
Team Members: Zach Schrank, Nehemiah Stewart, Kenneth King, and Tommy Baumel
Proposal Title: Team Maslow; software tool to enhance adherence to SUD treatment, rates of SUD follow-up, and ultimately reduce SUD relapse rates - Submission #42
Team Members: Razi Masood, Orlando Wright, Jon Santiago, Nicky Agahari, and Mohammad Arif Ul Alam
Proposal Title: AI-Driven Continuous Relapse Risk Monitoring and Intervention Platform - Submission #45
Team Members: Kelly Clark, Nick Agahari, and Melissa "Mo" Dittberner
Proposal Title: A Scalable Neurostimulation Intervention to Improve Tolerability and Success of Long-Term Opioid Tapering - Submission #46
Team Members: Muhammad Parvaz, Anantha Ramakrishnan, and Riaz Basha Shaik
Proposal Title: VoxSU: A Patient-Governed Engagement and Recruitment Platform for Substance Use Disorder Research and Innovation - Submission #49
Team Members: Erica Sharpe, Jolene Bressi, Javid Muhammedali, Olivera Bogunovic, and Ian Martin
Proposal Title: Yodra Team; Yoga Nidra app for those in SUD treatment - Submission #52
Team Members: Sarah Carbone, Gha Young Lee, and Amie Kitjasateanphun
Proposal Title: Opioid Induced Physiological Mapping for a Predictive Detection Algorithm for Discrete Wearable Technology to Prevent Opioid Overdoses when Alone - Submission #57
Team Members: Seungho Lee, Matt Murphy, Giovanni Traverso, and Jerome Schmidiger
Proposal Title: SUTOL Bio; once-monthly oral naltrexone delivery system capable of prolonged gastric residence
NIDA sincerely appreciates all the solvers who entered the Challenge and applauds their efforts to translate their research ideas into products that address substance use disorders.
If you have questions about this challenge, contact the NIDA Challenge team at NIDAChallenge@nih.gov.