Capstone Competition Creates Pharmacy Entrepreneurs

Doctor of Pharmacy students presented their business ideas to industry leaders and competed for cash prizes.

Teamwork, entrepreneurship, and creativity were on display at the 21st Annual School of Pharmacy—Boston Capstone Business Plan Competition at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). More than 130 students in the third professional year of the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program presented business ideas they developed throughout the academic year.

“This is a celebration of your research, leadership, dedication, and resilience,” said Joe Ferullo, PharmD, BS, RPh, Director of Pharmacy Innovation and Entrepreneurship at MCPHS. “The challenges you tackled this year gave you the tools you need to succeed in your future careers.”

Dr. Ferullo explained that the Capstone curriculum was developed more than 20 years ago to create well-rounded pharmacy leaders. The year-long course pushes students beyond their academic comfort zone, empowering them to solve a problem or address a gap in the healthcare system by developing novel business concepts. Nearly 6,000 students have completed the program, and some have turned their plans into real companies, including PillPack and End Mass Overdose, now EMO Health.

This year, 24 teams participated in the competition, presenting their business plans to a distinguished panel of judges including faculty members, alumni, and leaders from organizations such as Hannaford, Walgreens, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Boston Medical Center, CVS, Shaw’s, Taurus Health, and more. The judges’ scores were combined with academic performance to determine the top teams.

HormonaCare took first place for developing a real-time hormone monitoring device designed to support individuals facing infertility and other hormone-related conditions. The concept was developed by Sarah Beasley, Minju Kim, Hyunsung Lee, Amanda Matter, Fabiola Nina, and Sophie Effiong.

“Fifteen percent of women in the U.S experience infertility,” said Beasley, the team’s Project Manager. “We thought, if there can be continuous glucose monitors, we should do the same with hormones. This device can help close the gap between discovering fertility issues and interventions.”

Able Aid Pharmacy earned second place for its specialized pharmacy services tailored to individuals with disabilities. PharmAId, an artificial intelligence (AI) software platform designed to streamline workflow and increase efficiency for independent pharmacies, placed third.

The competition included two other awards. Kaylee Eacho received the Outstanding Pharmacy Leadership Award, recognizing her work as Project Manager for her team. Rescue RX, a mobile pharmacy unit, won the Best Logo award. All award winners shared $2,500 in cash prizes and received plaques, certificates, and MCPHS apparel.