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Pine Crest Upper School Entrepreneurs Earn Second Place and Seed Funding at SPARK Pitch Competition
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June 2nd 2026
Four (4) Pine Crest Upper School students have earned second place and seed funding at the City of Hollywood Chamber of Commerce SPARK Pitch Competition for their innovative venture, HeadStart, a predictive migraine management platform powered by artificial intelligence.
What makes the accomplishment particularly notable is that the Pine Crest team was the only high school team competing against adult entrepreneurs and established startups.
HeadStart was developed by Alejandro Forner Ibanez ’27, Georgia Kolettis ’27, Alexa Marino ’27 and Edward Wang ’27. The platform uses machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics to help identify migraines before symptoms begin. By analyzing subtle physiological changes through photoplethysmography (PPG) signals, including variations in blood flow and heart rate variability, the technology provides users with advance warning of an impending migraine and helps identify the optimal treatment window.
"The team's innovative solution stood out among a competitive field, earning praise from judges and industry leaders for its potential to improve the lives of those affected by migraines," said Mrs. Keri Kolettis, Pine Crest Vice President of Global Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Science Curriculum Academic Advisor. "To see students competing head-to-head with experienced founders and earning recognition for their work speaks volumes about the quality of their innovation."
The inspiration for HeadStart emerged from a challenge facing millions of migraine sufferers worldwide. Because many patients cannot accurately predict when a migraine will occur, they often miss the critical window when treatment is most effective. HeadStart seeks to address this problem by transforming existing wearable technology into a proactive health management tool.
The venture leverages sensors already embedded in many commercially available smartwatches, making the technology both accessible and scalable. Rather than relying solely on symptom tracking, the platform continuously learns from each user's unique physiological patterns to generate personalized risk forecasts and actionable insights.
The SPARK Pitch Competition is the latest in a series of accomplishments for the team. Earlier this year, HeadStart was recognized as Florida State Champion in the Presidential AI Challenge, earned the Gore Innovation Excellence Prize, and was selected as a Top 50 Finalist at the Diamond Challenge Limitless World Summit, a global entrepreneurship competition featuring more than 3,000 teams from 128 countries.
The achievement highlights Pine Crest's commitment to experiential learning and entrepreneurship, empowering students to apply emerging technologies to meaningful real-world challenges.
Congratulations to Alejandro, Georgia, Alexa and Edward on this outstanding accomplishment.
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