A bold idea from a local student is among just 60 semifinalist submissions selected from over 3,700 nationwide to pitch at the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, June 15-16 in downtown Flint.
FLINT, Mich., June 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Anirudh Rao from Lone Tree, Colorado has been selected as a semifinalist in the Mott Million Dollar Challenge, a national pitch competition for K-12 students.
More than 5,300 young people from all 50 states and Washington, D.C. submitted over 3,700 business ideas and social solutions to the Challenge. From those entries, 1,500 submissions were selected in the first round. Now, the creators behind the top 60 ideas are advancing to compete at a live national event in Flint, Michigan next week.
Anirudh Rao, an 8th-grade student at STEM School Highlands Ranch, developed Mirai, a low-cost, sustainable moisture-powered nano generator that converts humidity in the air into usable electricity. Designed as an alternative to traditional electrochemical batteries, Mirai uses a graphene oxide membrane on a fiberglass substrate to generate electricity as water molecules pass through nanoscale pores, creating a voltage that is boosted through custom circuitry to power environmental and health sensors. By harnessing moisture instead of disposable batteries, the device addresses challenges related to battery waste, environmental damage, fire hazards, affordability, and accessibility. Anirudh has developed working prototypes using 3D-printed components and envisions applications ranging from soil and climate monitoring for farmers to air-quality tracking for scientists and health sensors in remote communities.
“Imagine a future without disposable batteries,” said Anirudh in the social pitch to the Mott Million Dollar Challenge.
As a semifinalist, the project will be awarded $5,000. Anirudh will pitch live in front of judges during the final competition June 15-16 in Flint.
Funded by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation as part of its centennial celebration, the Mott Million Dollar Challenge is administered by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE) in collaboration with VentureLab, Young Entrepreneur Institute (YEI), the Afterschool Alliance, Collaborative Communications and the 50 State Afterschool Network. The Challenge is designed to shine a light on entrepreneurship education as a meaningful way to help students build skills they need to navigate and shape the future.
Learn more about the Mott Million Dollar Challenge and explore semifinalist ideas at https://mottmillion.org/60-semifinalist-pitches/.
Contact:
Jen Peters
peters@collaborativecommunications.com
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SOURCE Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
