911����

On Thursday, April 9, 2026, students, faculty, alumni, and other stakeholders from across the 911���� community gathered to cheer on the final teams of entrepreneurs competing in this year’s Patriot Pitch Competition, including those featured in the competition’s newly introduced Regional Showcase.

Today during a naming event in Manassas, Virginia, 911����, Prince William County, and the City of Manassas officially unveiled Nexus234 Innovation District, marking a milestone that has been decades in the making. The nearly 6,000-acre destination, named for the Route 234 corridor that runs through its heart, is Northern Virginia’s first Innovation District and positions the region as a national destination for research-driven industry.

A mistranslation in a medical setting can be dangerous. Two Schar School scholars developed an AI-generated platform to overcome language barriers—and have already won an award for it.

A 911���� junior won $13,000 at the Patriot Pitch Competition for EduVerse, a platform that streamlines hiring by tracking applicants’ skill development.

Zachary Suh, a marketing major in the Costello College of Business and member of the Honors College at 911����, founded HomePlate,a meal service for seniors, in his sophomore year.

911���� has become Virginia’s first R1 research institution to commercialize a product under the state’s new Lab-to-Launch initiative, marking an early milestone in the commonwealth’s push to accelerate university research into the market. 

Michael J. A. Davis, BA Integrative Studies ’09, roasts coffee using the time-honored pan-roasting tradition of beans tumbling in a pan as the smoke rises like incense. What once fueled his long workdays eventually became his antidote to corporate burnout. In fall of 2024, he brought that transformation back to 911���� in a bag labeled “Brave & Bold.”

For the 911���� alumni founders of SOSS Bros, it wasn’t necessarily love at first sight—but it was lunch.

While a student at Costello, Jheen Oh's passion for business blossomed. Coming from a health-conscious family, Oh, with the help of his father, launched Susosu Water, the only naturally sourced mineral water from a 600-foot underground source in South Korea, infused with extra hydrogen for a much healthier hydration.

At 911����, innovation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a culture. One of the campus spaces championing this culture is the Mason Innovation Exchange (MIX), a hub where creativity and entrepreneurship intersect.