ACC InVenture Prize (ACCIP) represents an opportunity to stimulate undergraduate entrepreneurial activity and increase student-faculty engagement, to celebrate and highlight the exceptional creativity and ingenuity of students and to inspire a greater sense of camaraderie among the conference.

The Engineering Entrepreneurs Program (EEP) team, Sylva Systems, will be representing NC State in the 2026 competition. Vote for them to win the People’s Choice award between March 23-27, 2026, by texting “NC State” to 415-965-7445. Tune in to PBS on March 27, 2026 to watch the competition live.

Meet Sylva Systems

Sylva Systems started with the idea of promoting environmental conservation while helping farmers across the country with small profit margins. Sylva Systems provides an autonomous drone service that inspects tree farms, using machine learning to detect tree health issues and pinpoint their precise locations — eliminating hours of manual inspections.

What is the team most excited about for ACCIP?

• Cole: I’m most excited to show the strengths of NC State as a whole. Our engineering program fosters a collaborative environment across disciplines, from forestry to engineering, enabling us to develop the most impactful products. Showcasing this strength to the ACC and across the country makes me thrilled to be a part of such an event!
• Hank: I’m most excited to have the opportunity to represent NC State on a national scale. I really do mean this when I say it – our group has truly had excellent chemistry from the beginning. We thoroughly enjoy being around each other, and it feels like there is no problem we cannot solve if we put our heads together. I’m not just excited about showcasing what we are capable of academically, but also to display to the world what kind of students you will find at NC State — highly ambitious, personable and genuine. All in all, I think our entire group would agree it is a privilege to represent the school we love so much, and I’m confident that we have an outstanding group to do it.
• Kevin: I’m most excited to represent NC State and showcase the work we have done on this project to the nation. Being part of the ACC Inventure Prize competition and going up against the other universities is truly an honor. I’m looking forward to demonstrating the strength of our program here at NC State.
• Nathan: I’m most excited about wearing a suit and beating the other schools.
• Quinn: I’m most excited for the opportunity to compete against other great ACC schools and showcase what we have been building. It is definitely a unique chance to represent NC State on this stage, and I’m excited to see how we match up with the other programs. Ultimately, I would love to bring home another ACC championship for the Wolfpack.
• Tyler: I’m very excited to showcase what we have been working on to a national audience. We have been working on this project for around six months now, and getting the chance to show it off and represent NC State is incredible. We are all looking forward to the ACC InVenture competition and promise to represent NC State the best we can.

What made the team interested in EEP?

• Cole: EEP promotes the multidisciplinary and creative aspects of engineering that are often overlooked in lectures. EEP’s mission to foster this kind of environment drew me into the program, where I joined a group of hardworking and ambitious students!
• Hank: I have always had a very entrepreneurial-focused brain. I have started a few small successful businesses in my life, such as a youth sports camp, sports media company and pressure washing business. I thoroughly enjoyed the process of building them and calling them my own. Going into my senior year, I knew I wanted to expand on this and explore how the intersection of engineering and entrepreneurship works; the EEP was a no-brainer.
• Kevin: I have been pursuing a minor in business entrepreneurship alongside my computer engineering major, making the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program a natural fit as it combines the two. I became interested in EEP because I wanted to learn how to turn technical ideas into scalable solutions that create real-world impact.
• Nathan: To me, EEP has always provided the best opportunities to make cool stuff and have the most fun!
• Quinn: I was drawn to the Engineering Entrepreneurship Program for its business-focused approach to engineering. While my coursework has developed many technical skills, EEP offers the opportunity to apply them in a real-world context by considering market needs and customer impact. I was especially interested in collaborating with students across disciplines and developing the ability to bridge the gap between technical and business.
• Tyler: The Engineering Entrepreneurship Program seemed like the best option to grow and learn alongside like-minded individuals. In our core classes, we get focused learning on specific subjects, but sometimes we are not able to work across disciplines. In the real world, engineers and other professionals work alongside people of all disciplines, so I thought this would be the best way to prepare for that. It also looked very fun.

Help this team take home the $5,000 People’s Choice Award by texting “NC State” to 415-965-7445.