Aerate, founded by six Penn undergraduate students, is this year’s winner of the $30,000 Perlman Grand Prize at the third annual Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship Startup Challenge, which was sponsored by Eric Aroesty (C’92). The team members are:

Ashwin Kishen (ENG’19, W’19, GEN’20)

Spencer Collins (ENG’19, GEN’19)

Jake Fine (ENG’19, GEN’19)

Yann Pfitzer (ENG’19, C’19, GEN’20)

Connor Sendel (ENG’19, W’19)

Sam Weintraub (ENG’19, GEN’20)

Aerate’s novel, patent-pending air conditioner functions as a dehumidifier and air cooler up to 20 times more efficient than others in the market. Specifically designed for high-humidity environments, Aerate plans to bring this climate-friendly product to the Indian market to combat the growing need for cool air.

Aerate predicts that by 2050, the global population will purchase 3.3 million new air conditioners. In India, the need is greater than ever, and many expect the country to become the world’s top user of electricity for cooling. CFO and co-founder Mr. Kishen was always jarred by the heat when visiting relatives in India. This experience resonated with him and it fueled his entrepreneurial drive at Penn. The team developed their concept while enrolled in Penn’s Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics program, focusing on technology that could tackle climate change. Aerate also recently won the 2019 Pennvention competition held by Weiss Tech House.