WMU student’s health care AI innovation wins $100K through Cultivate 269 pitch competition

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Technology meant to revolutionize health care communication by eliminating language barriers is getting a major boost. Samuel Marseille, a Western Michigan University graduate student studying international development administration, won the inaugural Cultivate 269 pitch competition—earning $100,000 to take his budding innovation, Oneshot AI, to the next level. 

“Winning feels incredible. But what moves me more is knowing how strongly the judges and my fellow students believe in my work,” Marseille said. “I am so proud to be a Bronco!” 

Billed as health care’s first fully automatic, HIPAA-compliant, real-time interpretation system, Oneshot AI is intended to make multilingual communication seamless, offering a crucial translation resource to families and medical professionals when it matters most—from doctors’ offices to pharmacies to the emergency room. 

“My father always said, ‘If you can think of it, you can do it.’ And that’s what happened tonight,” Marseille said shortly after winning. “Right now, in Michigan and Kalamazoo, you can dare to dream big.” 

The competition, a partnership between Western Michigan University and Kalamazoo Forward Ventures, aimed to spur creativity and entrepreneurship among the next generation of founders. 

Pitch night 

Marseille was one of nine students chosen as finalists from a pool of 49 applicants voted on by their peers and a panel of judges. At the main event on Friday, April 10, each student got six minutes to pitch their unique business plan to a room packed with supporters, potential investors, and community and business leaders. 

“Coming together to empower others is in the fabric of Kalamazoo’s DNA. We invest in our young people so they can have access to opportunities, and I am just really proud to be a Western Michigan University alum,” said Dwayne Powell Jr., chief operating officer and main street managing partner of Kalamazoo Forward Ventures—an investment firm created by WMU alumni to empower the underserved. “Kalamazoo is the City of Champions, but we don’t just do well in sports; we do well in entrepreneurship as well.” 

Award-winning journalist and WMU communication instructor LZ Granderson, B.A.’96, who emceed pitch night festivities, marveled at the talent in the room. 

“The future right here is bright; I’m talking about young minds that are brilliant, that are sharp and who are thinking about something outside of themselves,” he told the audience. “These are dreams they’ve had in them all these years, and they’ve been able to come to Western to figure out ways to make their dreams come alive.” 

The pitch night judging panel included Joe Cekola, president of Imperial Beverage; David Johnson, director of technology and innovation advancement in WMU’s Office of Research and Innovation; Johnnie Turnage, civic innovator and co-founder of Black Tech Saturdays; Bob Wallis, creative strategist and digital transformation expert at 61 Keys; and Monica Wheat, executive director and co-founder of Venture Catalysts. 

“The students did an excellent job. The organizers told me ahead of time that there was going to be variety but also quality in these business plans,” said Wheat, “and I saw that across the board with all nine finalists.” 

Wheat says the level of traction Marseille already had for his product, the availability of a working prototype and the potential impact for a real-world problem ultimately led to his pitch winning both the $75,000 grand prize and the $25,000 popular vote prize. Still, all of the finalists came away winners when Bobby J. Hopewell, president and CEO of Kabundant, announced each finalist would get a share of $25,000 from his firm to help get their idea off the ground. 

“We want all nine of these young entrepreneurs to stay here in our community, doing the thing that they demonstrated so well on stage,” he said, encouraging all of the student founders to connect with the many potential investors in the room for even more potential support. 

Kalea Barnes, a finalist for her mobile bakery specializing in foods for customers with dietary restrictions, says the experience she gained in the competition was invaluable. 

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity,” said Barnes, a sales and business marketing student. “Just coming here, expanding my network and talking with new people, there are already new opportunities and more pathways for me to move forward.” 

Cultivate 269 organizers are working to connect all of the competition participants with resources in the community to continue to move their ideas forward.  

“When we set out to build Cultivate 269, the goal was simple: create a lightning rod for our ecosystem and let abundance lead the way,” says Marcel Fable Price, director of platform and programming for Kalamazoo Forward Ventures. “In our first year, alongside Western, we built the largest non-dilutive collegiate pitch competition in the state. But the real success is what comes next. If we continue to connect these founders to customers, capital and community, we will not just create winners on stage; we will build lasting businesses. Kalamazoo is ready, and we are just getting started.” 

Marseille agrees. 

“This is just the beginning for me, because after health care we’re going to go higher," he said. “We’re going to get law enforcement these tools, and we’re going to keep going. I won’t stop until I see the world speak the same language. I can’t wait; the best is yet to come!”