On Sept. 3, CREATE-X Demo Day will take place for the first time at LOOP, Georgia Tech’s new creative and cultural hub, where more than 100 startups will give a firsthand look at what Tech founders have spent the summer building and launching. 

Demo Day brings together students, investors, mentors, industry leaders, and the Atlanta community to meet founders, experience live product demonstrations, and discover new ventures from Georgia Tech. From women’s health and accessibility to artificial intelligence and manufacturing, founders will showcase companies addressing real-world challenges across industries. 

Among them are two startups whose journeys show just how far an idea can go. 

From Demo Day Attendees to Founders 

For Yaashmita Senthilnathan, a second-year student in the College of Sciences and the Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts, and Srija Konathala, a second-year student in the College of Computing, this year’s Demo Day represents a full-circle moment. 

In 2025, the roommates attended Demo Day together, walking through the exhibits and meeting student founders. “We really enjoyed Demo Day,” Konathala said. “We met some other students and thought, ‘Imagine if that could be us?’” 

A year later, it is. 

They are now building Alva, a women’s health technology startup that combines AI and consulting to help biotech and medtech companies improve product testing. 

Through Georgia Tech’s Startup Exchange and as finalists in the Klaus Startup Challenge, the founders refined their ideas, pivoted when needed, and eventually launched Alva through CREATE-X. 

The team has already secured pilot partnerships with CREATE-X startups from previous cohorts, Deleon and EstroSense, enabling them to validate their platform while helping those companies test the usability of their products. 

Now, instead of walking through Demo Day imagining themselves as founders, they’ll be among those showcasing what they’ve built. “Going from attending Demo Day to now being a part of it honestly shows us how far we’ve come,” Senthilnathan said. 

Making Gaming More Accessible 

For Akos Vida, a second-year student in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering, the idea behind AdaptaPlay began with a gamer who wanted to play racing video games but couldn’t use a traditional controller. 

The gamer had cerebral palsy, and the experience inspired Vida to develop adaptive gaming technology for people with limited hand function. 

AdaptaPlay has tested its technology with organizations including the Shepherd Center, AbleGamers Foundation, APAC in Mexico City, and Georgia Tech’s Tools for Life initiative. Vida has also been selected as a speaker for the TEDxAtlanta Youth conference in October. 

Through CREATE-X Startup Launch, he continued refining both the product and his approach to building a company. “Ever day, you You believe more and more that your project is possible,” Vida said. “The guest speakers and mentors make help you realize, that when broken down,you realize that building something like this can actually happen. With every day and milestone, you look back and see that you reached a goal that first seemed impossible” 

At Demo Day, attendees will have the opportunity to meet founders like Vida and see how Georgia Tech students are turning problems they care about into products and companies. 

CREATE-X Demo Day 2026 
Thursday, Sept. 3, 5 – 7 p.m. 
LOOP 
665 Marietta St. NW 
Atlanta, GA 30313 

Demo Day is free and open to the public.