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Published March 4, 2026

MONROE, La. – The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup competition has announced the finalist teams for the 2026 competition. A total of 12 finalist teams have been selected to compete in the oral finals, with six in the undergraduate category and six in the graduate category.  The winners will be announced at the 5th Annual Awards Luncheon on Thursday, March 26, at 11:30 a.m. at Bayou Pointe Event Center on the ULM campus. Tickets are on sale now for $100 for the public and $50 for students. Visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup for ticket and sponsorship information. 

The finalists were announced in a video on February 20, 2026, by Dr. Arturo Rodriguez, Dean of the ULM College of Business and Social Sciences. The video can be viewed at www.facebook.com/TheEntrepreneurshipPelicanCup.  See below for a detailed list of the finalist teams.  

In fall 2025, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup announced an expansion of the competition in its fifth year. For 2026, contestants have been split into undergraduate and graduate categories, with new prize amounts, growing the overall prize pool from $96,000 to $157,000.  

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is open to any full- or part-time, certificate- or degree-seeking student of any major enrolled in a four-year college or university in Louisiana. The goal of the competition is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work.  

The competition requires a written formal business plan judged by business owners and investors. The twelve finalist teams will compete in the oral finals on March 25 at ULM. Also, during the awards luncheon, each team will select one member to conduct a 90-second “Elevator Pitch,” and the winner will receive a $2,000 cash award.   

The 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition is the largest yet, with 44 entries, including 31 undergraduate teams and 13 graduate teams from nine colleges and universities across Louisiana. Participating schools include Centenary College, Grambling State University, Louisiana State University Shreveport, Louisiana Tech University, Northwestern State University, Tulane University, University of Louisiana Lafayette, University of Louisiana Monroe, and University of New Orleans.  

This year’s cash prizes include: 

Graduate Category 

First Place                       $50,000 

Second Place                   $25,000 

Third Place                      $10,000 

Elevator Pitch Winner     $2,000  

First, Second, and Third Place faculty advisors receive $3,000.   

Undergraduate Category 

First Place                       $25,000 

Second Place                   $15,000 

Third Place                      $10,000 

Elevator Pitch Winner.   $2,000  

First, Second, and Third Place faculty advisors receive $3,000.   

 

Finalist Teams 

Graduate Category 

Accountable AI (Louisiana Tech University) – Team Leader: Haiwen Wang Team Members: Diego Segura Ibarra Advisor: Jinyuan Chen 

Bio-Pod (University of Louisiana Lafayette) – Team Leader: Natasha Syed Team Members: Matthew Hasling, Mansu Acharya Advisor: Jonathan Shirley 

Entelechy (University of New Orleans) – Team Leader: Soheil Saneei Team Members: Nhi Pham, Gabe Malone Advisors: Dong-Jun Min, Shafin Khan 

Hustlr (University of Louisiana Monroe) - Team Leader: Dylan Hayden Team Members: Chase Gunn, Nokia Masengu Advisors: Joyce Zhou 

Outage Pilot (University of Louisiana Lafayette) - Team Leader: Md Zahirul Khan Team Members: Md Khairul Islam, Usama Aslam Advisor: Farzad Ferdowsi 

RX Connect (Louisiana State University Shreveport) - Team Leader: Kurtis Alton Team Members: Jyotish Batra, Wendy Alton Advisor: Mike McDaniel 

Undergraduate Category 

Heirloom (Louisiana Tech University) – Team Leader:  Jessica Ramey Team Members: Daniel Ramey, Riley Cupit Advisor: Jessica George 

Invasive X (Louisiana Tech University) – Team Leader: Ryan Lee Team Members: Jackson Greer, Baron Cosey Advisor: Jessica George 

Sensory Sync (University of New Orleans) – Team Leader: Pranish Ghimire  Team Members: Simant Singh, Krish Neupane Advisor: Shafin Khan 

Social Bridge AI (University of Louisiana Monroe) - Team Leader: Anjan Mandal Team Members: Roshani Pathak, Pradeep Poudel  Advisors: Prasanthi Sreekumari 

Verdivolt Innovations (Centenary College) - Team Leader: Henry Pudwill Team Members: Luke Guillot, Will Riley Advisor: Barbara Davis 

Xplify (University of Louisiana Monroe) - Team Leader: Damir Filaretov Team Members: Viktor Motov, Connor Pauley, Katie McCullars Advisor: Veronika Humphries 

 

Sponsorships for The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Awards Luncheon are still available, but tables are expected to sell out. For more information about sponsorships, visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup.  

About The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup 

Open to students in all majors attending any four-year college or university in Louisiana, with cash prizes now totaling $157,000, the Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup is the premier business plan competition for Louisiana. It provides an opportunity for students to develop critical thinking, team building, presentation, and other soft skills, which are all important to career growth.  The goal is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work.   

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished ULM alumnus Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former chairman of the board for Delta Plastics, producer of agricultural irrigation tubing, and the largest recycler of plastics in Arkansas. He is also the former owner and past chairman of the board for Revolution Bag, which manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompson’s honors include 2004 Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and SBA Person of the Year. In 2019 he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana.  In 2023, Thompson received the Warhawk Ambassador Award, one of ULM’s highest honors. In 2024, Thompson was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.