UMD CS Announces Hatchery Teams for 2025-2026

The University of Maryland’s Department of Computer Science has selected four student teams—Capy’s Journey, Cube, SenseGuard and ThinkEx—for the 2025-2026 academic year of the Mokhtarzada Hatchery Program. Now in its fifth year, the program continues to support students in launching startups, providing annual funding of up to $10,000 per team.

The Hatchery equips teams with resources to move projects from concept to implementation. Along with funding, students gain access to shared workspaces in the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Engineering. Each team is also paired with mentors, often experienced entrepreneurs or industry professionals, who guide them through the development process.

Funded by UMD alumni and siblings Haroon (B.A. ’01, economics), Idris (B.S. ’10, computer science) and Zeki Mokhtarzada (B.S. ’01, computer science), the program aims to foster entrepreneurial experience among students. The Mokhtarzadas created the initiative in 2021 to provide student founders a structured environment to explore and test ideas.

Each group is expected to present its progress at the annual showcase held at the end of the spring semester. The event provides a forum for teams to demonstrate their startups to the campus community and receive feedback.

Capy’s Journey

Capy’s Journey is a gamified mobile app that focuses on mindfulness and attention training. It offers guided meditations, lessons and daily wellness exercises intended to help users build consistent practices. The app is designed to present mindfulness as an interactive experience that can be returned to regularly.

The team behind Capy’s Journey includes University of Maryland undergraduates Olivia Zhang (B.S. ’27, computer science) and Rohan Vyas (B.S. ’28, neuroscience), as well as Cornell University student Caleb Shim (B.S. ’28, computer science; B.S. ’28, mathematics).

Cube

Cube is a digital savings platform that allows people to pool money in groups and take turns receiving a lump sum. The structure gives members timely access to funds without interest or debt, with potential uses ranging from covering emergencies to supporting education or business ventures. Cube is built to operate within communities and provide a secure, rotating access system.

Cube was first envisioned by UMD alum Fitsum Endashaw (B.S. ’19, computer science) and is now being carried forward by Robel Endashaw (B.S. ’25, computer science), Abubakr Hussien (B.S. ’26, computer science) and Yisac Wanna

SenseGuard

SenseGuard provides a monitoring system for vacant sites such as real estate assets, using LoRaWan, a wireless communication protocol. The system links sensors across sites while using less power and cost compared to Wi-Fi or Z-wave alternatives. The platform offers a full-stack setup that includes sensor installation, a web dashboard and automated alerts through email.

The SenseGuard team includes University of Maryland students Edward Marine (B.S. ’27, computer science) and Viswanath Vasa (B.S. ’27, computer science; B.S. ’27, mathematics).

ThinkEx

ThinkEx is a digital environment designed to capture and organize human interaction with large language models. Instead of information being dispersed across chat threads, the platform turns questions, notes and insights into persistent cards. These cards are automatically grouped into clusters that form a navigable map of the user’s thinking.

According to the team, large language models support the workflow by rewording ideas, clustering related material and supplying context, while users remain in charge of analysis and synthesis. ThinkEx is led by University of Maryland students Ishaan Chakraborty (B.S. ’27, computer science) and Urjit Chakraborty (B.S. ’29, computer science).

—Story by Samuel Malede Zewdu, CS Communications