CocoMar and BRCĒ, two student startups from the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at Michigan State University have been selected among the top 15 teams to compete in the Queen’s Entrepreneur Competition (QEC) Final Weekend taking place on January 9-10 in Toronto, Canada.
Hosted by Queen’s University, the Queens Entrepreneur Competition brings together high potential student-founded ventures for two days of pitching, mentorship, and networking with experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders.
CocoMar, a clean hydration and clean protein with a ready-to-drink, coconut-water-based smoothie founded by Fatima Taha (‘26), Valentina Sgrillo (‘26) and Breno Tepedino (‘26)
BRCĒ is a material technology startup gaining national attention for turning a simple, everyday product into a breakthrough performance solution for athletes. The team is led by Madhav Aggarwal (‘26) and Tanvi Gadamsetti (‘26)
Co-founder of CocoMar, Fatima Taha shared the impact of the opportunity and support behind it.
“Being selected for QEC is an incredible honor, and I’m truly grateful for the support from the Burgess Institute. This opportunity will help us accelerate CocoMar’s growth by sharpening our strategy, learning from experienced mentors, and building the connections we need to scale. We’re excited to keep bringing our coconut-water-based, real-fruit protein smoothies to more customers while continuing to grow as entrepreneurs through this experience.”
CocoMar and BRCĒ’s selection highlights the Institute’s focus on preparing founders not just to pitch, but to build, test, and scale in real markets alongside global mentors, investors, and peers.
About the Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation: The Burgess Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is the destination where students launch high-impact, entrepreneurial journeys at Michigan State University. The Burgess Institute empowers students to learn through action by providing global mentors, courses, seed funding, entrepreneurship competitions, student organizations, resources, and campus-wide co-working spaces.