Matthew Gross, founder of MG Walls LLC, a materials science and engineering student was named the winner of the Penn State inaugural Idea Pitch competition. Matthew’s company won the contest with its business plan detailing the manufacture, marketing, and distribution of PolyWall, a synthetic alternative to drywall.

“The product offers customers ease of installation, long life expectancy, fire-resistance, and lower monthly utility bills. It’s also a green building product created using partially recycled/reclaimed plastic products. Additionally, PolyWall is designed so that virtually all installation procedures can remain the same, making it attractive to builders and contractors who use traditional drywall.”

Uliifi, “a Web site that would manage lost and found for large institutions, connecting those who lost property with those who found it to negotiate a return” took second place and Sushi Tokyo, “a sushi lunch box distribution business based out of Lansdale, Pa.” placed third. The top three teams won assistance to move their concepts to fruition and will share $1,000 in prize money.

More than 30 teams initially registered for the competition.

The full announcement is available on Penn State Live.

It’s fantastic to see another set of innovative ideas emerge from Penn State students!