From Classroom to Crisis Solution: Uplift Microhome Wins 2026 MIT $100K Competition
MIT Leaders for Global Operations student Charlie Nitschelm and Harvard Business School student Trevor O’Leary lead Uplift Microhome, a startup developing reusable, modular, off-grid housing designed for rapid deployment in disaster and emergency situatio
Key Results of the 2026 MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition
- Grand Prize of $100K awarded to Uplift Microhome, founded by MBAs Charlie Nitschelm and Trevor O’Leary
- $160,000 in funding awarded to standout student ventures
- 75+ teams applied; seven finalists advanced to the final stage
- Competition continues a 30+ year legacy of launching companies like Akamai, iRobot, and HubSpot
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 1, 2026 — The MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition hosted its 2026 Launch finale this month where innovative student founders from MIT and the Greater Boston area competed for $160,000 in prize funding. The MIT $100K is a student-run startup competition, organized every year entirely by students at MIT Sloan School of Management, and is a driving force behind the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at MIT Sloan.
Overseen by three managing directors — Jayshree Bhargava, Taylor Brown, and Cheline Christory — the event brought together investors, alumni, and members of the startup community to watch finalists pitch ventures tackling real-world challenges, from climate resilience to advanced technologies.
2026 Winners
- First Place ($100,000): Uplift Microhome
- Second Place ($50,000): Mohan
- Third Place ($5,000): Iceberg Systems
- Audience Choice Award ($5,000): Pixology
More than 75 teams from across MIT and Greater Boston applied to compete this year. Following a rigorous selection process, 16 semifinalists were chosen, and seven finalists ultimately advanced to present live before a panel of experienced judges in front of a full audience.
Making a case for a better approach to disaster and transitional housing
Uplift Microhome, co-founded by Charlie Nitschelm, a student in MIT’s Leaders for Global Operations program and Trevor O’Leary, a student at Harvard Business School, earned the competition’s top honor for its innovative approach to disaster relief housing — developing modular, reusable homes designed to be deployed quickly and efficiently in times of crisis.
“Every year, millions of Americans are displaced by natural disasters, yet we still lack dignified and affordable housing solutions,” said Nitschelm. “This recognition validates both the urgency of the problem and the need for better, faster deployment of housing after disasters.”
Uplift Microhome is building compact, fully equipped housing units that can be transported by truck and deployed on site within minutes — without the need for traditional infrastructure. Each unit is designed to operate off-grid with integrated battery power, water storage, and essential amenities, offering a faster and more flexible alternative to conventional emergency housing.
“MIT $100K has been instrumental in helping us refine not only our technology, but how we bring it to market,” added O’Leary. “The mentorship, feedback, and community we gained through the competition have accelerated our progress in ways that would have been difficult to replicate elsewhere.”
Engineered for rapid response, Uplift’s homes can be delivered on a standard tractor trailer and installed using a forklift. Their self-leveling design allows them to be placed on uneven terrain, making them especially suited for disaster zones where speed, flexibility, and reliability are critical.
Notable startups in the competition are the second place winner, Mohan, which is using generative AI models to model the earth’s subsurface in 3D to help exploration companies drill fewer holes and find more ore. The third place winner, Iceberg Systems, uses groups of independent, self-running systems to spot risks that could spread and affect people and critical infrastructure. Additionally, the audience choice award, Pixology, offers an agentic AI platform that instantly creates on-brand, sponsor-ready sports content, turning live moments into monetizable digital assets.
MIT $100K: A Proven Launchpad
Founded in 1989 by students alongside the late MIT Sloan Prof. Ed Roberts, founder of the MIT Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship, the MIT $100K has grown to include three independent contests coordinated by a group of more than 20 MBA students – Pitch, Accelerate, and Launch – from September through May. Each contest focuses on developing specific founding skills. For each semi-finalist contender, the MIT $100K brings together a network of resources that includes mentorship from venture capitalists, serial entrepreneurs, corporate executives, and attorneys; media exposure; prototyping funds; business plan feedback; and discounted services. Altogether, almost $1M in non-dilutive prize money and other financial resources are awarded to help these new ventures accelerate. www.mit100k.org
About the MIT Sloan School of Management
The MIT Sloan School of Management is where smart, independent leaders come together to solve problems, create new organizations, and improve the world. Learn more at mitsloan.mit.edu.
