Student grudge match

Shouvik Som, Robert Gorkin, Gobind Singh Bisht and Vinay Agarwal

School name: Indian Institute of Technology, Vinod Gupta School of Management, Kharagpur, India

Team members: Shouvik Som, Gobind Singh Bisht, Robert Gorkin, Vinay Agarwal

Concept: Anyone who has tried to shave with a dull razor can attest to the frustration - and pain - of the resulting nicks and cuts. The founders of Diamas Coats believe they have the solution: A patent-pending coating process for blades and razors that can produce a "diamond-like hardness and atomic-scale surface smoothness." Shaving with a Diamas-coated blade, they say, reduces skin trauma and provides a closer shave with less irritation. Plus, the founders claim that blades treated with their coating will hold their edge longer than conventional blades.

The three-member management team offers a mix of management and scientific expertise, including one member with a background in the health-approval process - a helpful advantage in navigating the long and complex regulatory path required to break into the biomedical field. A two-member advisory board adds more technical expertise.

Timeline: Diamas Coats plans to have a final prototype ready by the end of the year, and is gearing up to start taking orders in February 2009. - Kathleen Ryan O'Connor

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