Ajit Prabhu Catalyst Fund Apex Awards Announcement

RPI News press release (April 7, 2026) announcing the inaugural Ajit Prabhu '98 Catalyst Fund Apex Awards — $75K total across three categories — administered by the Severino Center. Names winners, prize amounts, and venture descriptions.

• Three awards totaling $75,000: Tough Tech MVP ($15K to StarStack), Faculty Translation Grant ($30K to HARMONIC-IR), Catalyst Pre-Seed Award ($30K to Talinted).
• 51 applicants across all categories.
• Funded by Ajit Prabhu '98 (Quest Global CEO) substantial gift.
• StarStack had successful 2025 beta and summer 2026 pre-orders.
• Talinted is patent-pending gene editing with in vivo testing planned for 2026.

Single press release; Catalyst Fund total size not specified beyond the Apex Awards. Winner claims about product readiness (pre-orders, testing plans) are unverified.

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