CHICAGO—Illinois Tech men’s soccer has some bright young minds. This was on display in full-force last week, as Aleksandar Lazic and Michael Podsiadly were a part of one of the winning teams in “Pitch @ Illinois Tech” on April 12.

Held in Illinois Tech’s new Ed Kaplan Family Institute for Innovation and Tech Entrepreneurship, “Pitch @ Illinois Tech” was a student-led idea competition focusing on identifying real-world problems and researching solutions that create a positive impact on the world. The event’s grand finale on April 12, which was a culmination of several rounds that started on February 24, was judged by individuals that either work for Venture Capitals in Chicago or have started their own successful startups.

Lazic, Podsiadly, and three other Illinois Tech students worked on a project called “Reactant”, which described the creation of interactive kiosks that will be placed around college campuses in exchange for emergency poles, which will allow businesses to advertise to college students through a web platform while enhancing campus security. “Reactant” was the first-place winner in the contest, which offered a reward of $1,000.