Since their last time in Athens, the founders of BRCE have sold more than $560,000 of their unslippable shoelaces. Now they’re aiming for the stars, literally. 

BRCE co-founders, Michigan State University seniors Madhav Aggarwal and Tanvi Gadamsetti, wowed judges with the traction they’ve gained with BRCE and plans to license their patented fiber and yarn technology to NASA and the Department of Defense. 

“Over the last year, to validate our technology as fast as possible, we created the world’s first and only shoelaces that never come untied, never lose grip for better angle stability,” Aggarwal told judges at the UGA’s Next Top Entrepreneur Competition on April 16. 

“Phase Two now is replicating the Intel Inside model, providing finished fabrics, cords, coatings, replicating what Intel did, but with (original equipment manufacturers).”  
 
Aggarwal and Gadamsetti took home the $10,000 grand prize. 

In the spring of 2025, the pair presented in Athens at the UGA Entrepreneurship Program’s Collegiate Great Brands Competition and took home the $10,000 first prize. 

Since then, they have inked deals with sports teams, shoe brands, and started developing insulating fabrics for the DOD. They won first place and took home $600,000 from the prestigious Rice University Business Plan Competition and secured a deal on ABC’s Shark Tank. 

BRCE was one of 80 student-run businesses from across the country that applied to compete in the UGA Entrepreneurship Program’s Next Top Entrepreneur Competition. Thirty teams made it through the initial judging round, and 11 teams were invited to pitch at the finals. 

Judges awarded second place and $5,000 to NeuroFore, a Parkinson’s disease diagnosis tool that uses non-motor symptoms to diagnose the disease at its earliest stages, giving more time for interventions. NeuroFore was developed by Hamasa Ebadi, a doctoral student at Washington University in St. Louis. 

Third place and $2,500 went to Métopi, a compact inhaler design that makes it easier for asthma patients to always carry rescue inhalers. Métopi was created by Miles Lanham, a University of Virginia undergraduate and former collegiate track athlete. 

Prizes at this year’s Next Top Entrepreneur were sponsored by D12 Commercial Interiors and Fiserv. 

This year’s judges included Wes Van Dyk (BBA ’12), a serial entrepreneur and winner of UGA Entrepreneurship’s Next Top Entrepreneur in 2011. He was joined by head of corporate citizenship for Fiserv, Vivian Greentree; founder of D12 Commercial Interiors, Rob Shier (MBA ’04); KBH Industrial founder, Tarun Ganeriwal (MBA ’09); The Retail Connection co-founder, Alan Shor (JD ’83); and Blackjack Paving founder, Jay Herzog (BBA ’86). 

In addition to the top three prize winners, the other companies selected for the finals include:   

• Artea, a biomedical testing model startup, was presented by Georgia Institute of Technology student Veronica Mok. 

• BurnRED, an innovative system for creating multi-fuel, precision burners, was created by University of Massachusetts Lowell student Mike McCarthy. 

• Filterra, a nose-clip-based raspatory filter, was presented by University of Texas student Katia Lui. 

• FramePro, an AI assistant tailored to work with independent contractors and tradespeople. 

• Kinnex Health, a wearable biomechanical sensor to aid in physical therapy exercises, was created by University of Idaho students Grace Cooper, Micah Green and Emily Harper. 

• LockGuard, a portable, modular security system, was created by Rutgers University student Anjo Therattil. 

• MemorySketch, a computer tablet-based cognitive health screening tool, was presented by Michigan State University students Angela Leach and Jackson Simkins. 

• SkyFall Space, a space junk removal system, was presented by UGA Engineering senior Grant Baumann. 

The Collegiate Great Brand Competition is hosted by the UGA Entrepreneurship Program, whose mission is to help develop the mindset of future entrepreneurs and prepare students for business leadership roles. It provides a comprehensive academic program that encompasses experiential learning and equips students with the tools and resources to pursue their startup ventures.