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Lukas Garcia, a Clemson chemistry and artificial intelligence student and founder of Crystal-XG, was named one of 10 national winners, earning $25,000 for his startup venture.
Student entrepreneur Lukas Garcia has been named one of 10 national winners in the America250 America’s Startup competition, a national collegiate contest designed to spotlight early-stage ventures with potential to shape the country’s future.
Garcia, a chemistry major, began his journey in undergraduate research at the Molecular Structure Center, Clemson’s crystallographic lab. He earned $25,000 in non-dilutive grant funding after pitching Crystal-XG, his startup focused on using machine learning to predict reaction conditions for crystal synthesis.
“Winning at the America250 competition was an incredible validation of the work we’ve done at Crystal-XG,” Garcia said. “The funding will allow us to file a utility patent to protect our intellectual property and accelerate the development of technology.”
The America250 program gives winners national recognition and visibility among investors, entrepreneurs and innovation leaders.
“I was delighted to direct Lukas to this competition and felt he had a great chance to do us all proud,” said John Hannon, founding director of Clemson’s Entrepreneurship Hub, the Brook T. Smith Launchpad. “He made a great impression on some of the best and most famous minds in Silicon Valley. If they continue to take advantage of all the opportunities we provide them, the sky’s the limit for Lukas and his stellar team.”
The live pitch experience was held May 1-3 in San Mateo, California, at Draper University. America’s Startup is part of America250’s America Innovates initiative and designed the competition to connect winning founders with mentorship, educational programming and possible accelerator or incubator support.
Garcia has built momentum for Crystal-XG through a series of Clemson and regional competitions. He represented Clemson University in the ACC InVenture Prize competition earlier this year. He also helped lead Crystal-XG to the top prize in the 2025 College of Science Catalyst Competition and first place in the 2025 Brook T. Smith Launchpad Liftoff competition.
Crystal-XG also recently placed fourth at e-Fest 2026, a national undergraduate entrepreneurship competition, winning an additional $15,000.
“We hope to use our recent momentum to continue scaling our technology and expand our network across the industry and beyond,” Garcia said.
The Brook T. Smith Launchpad is the entrepreneurship hub of Clemson University and is located in a 9,000-square-foot commercial space in downtown Clemson. The hub provides educational, networking and support opportunities to students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.
Innovation is part of Garcia’s Clemson story in more ways than one. His father, Carlos Garcia, is a professor in Clemson’s Department of Chemistry. Lukas’ father helped spark his interest in interdisciplinary work, an influence that helped shape his path at the intersection of chemistry, artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship.
Garcia’s national recognition reflects Clemson’s commitment to creating opportunities for students to turn research, creativity and bold ideas into real-world impact.
Source: Clemson University
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