MONROE, La. – The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup hosted its fourth annual awards luncheon on March 26, 2026, at ULM’s Bayou Pointe Event Center. The luncheon was the culmination of the entrepreneurship competition, with $157,000 in prize money awarded to the top three teams in the Undergraduate and Graduate Divisions, including their faculty advisors, and the winners of the live Elevator Pitch Competition in each division, voted on by attendees of the luncheon.
Teams from ULM took home prizes in both divisions, with Hustlr placing second and winning $25,000 in the Graduate Division, while SocialBridge AI took home first place and $25,000 in the Undergraduate Division, and Xplify won second place and $15,000. Team members from Hustlr and Xplify also won the live elevator pitch competitions in their respective divisions, which were decided by the attendees of the luncheon following each team’s 90-second pitch for their company.
Graduate Division Winners
In the Graduate Division, RX Connect, a team from Louisiana State University Shreveport, took home the first place prize of $50,000. RX Connect is an AI-powered healthcare platform that simplifies prescription access by guiding patients, healthcare providers, and pharmacies through every step of the medication journey. RX Connect features team leader Kurtis Alton, team members Wendy Alton and Jyotish Batra, and advisor Mike McDaniel.
The second-place prize of $25,000 in the Graduate Division was awarded to Hustlr, a team from ULM. Hustlr connects users with trusted workers from their own communities who are ready to work now, for tasks including yard work, moving, and others where extra labor is required. Hustlr features team leader Dylan Hayden, team members Chase Gunn and Nokia Masengu, and advisor Joyce Zhou.
Third place in the Graduate Division and a prize of $10,000 went to Bio-Pod, a team from the University of Louisiana Lafayette. Bio-Pod is a pre-measured, biodegradable, drop-in pod that feeds plants for weeks. Bio-Pod features team leader Natasha Syed, team members Matthew Hasling and Mansu Acharya, and advisor Jonathan Shirley.
Dylan Hayden from Hustlr won the live Elevator Pitch Competition in the Graduate Division and took home a prize of $2,000.
Undergraduate Division Winners
In the Undergraduate Division, SocialBridge AI, a team from ULM, took home first-place and $25,000. SocialBridge AI is an AI-powered communication coaching platform for autistic and neurodivergent learners. SocialBridge AI features team leader Anjan Mandal, team members Roshani Pathak and Pradeep Poudel, and advisor Prasanthi Sreekumari.
The second-place prize of $15,000 in the Undergraduate Division went to Xplify, a team from ULM. Xplify is a marketing tool that helps local businesses get more repeat visits and bring in new customers through reward-based incentives. Xplify features team leader Damir Filaretov, team members Viktor Motov, Connor Pauley, and Katherine McCullars, and advisor Veronika Humphries.
Third place in the Undergraduate Division and a prize of $10,000 went to SensorySync, a team from the University of New Orleans. SensorySync is a platform that helps families of neurodivergent children and therapists stay connected and organized. SensorySync features team leader Pranish Ghimire, team members Simant Singh and Krish Neupane, and advisor Shafin Khan.
Connor Pauley from Xplify won the live Elevator Pitch Competition in the Undergraduate Division and took home a prize of $2,000.
The advisors from each of the top three teams in both divisions also received a $3,000 prize.
The 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition was 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.
Dhu Thompson, Premier Sponsor and Founder of The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, provided remarks at the luncheon.
After thanking those who helped make the competition happen and recounting his own entrepreneurial experiences, Thompson spoke directly to the student competitors. “In entrepreneurship, failure is not the opposite of success; it is a part of success,” said Thompson. “What separates the people who eventually succeed is not that they avoid failure, it’s that they treat failure as feedback,” Thompson added. He also encouraged all of the finalists in attendance, saying, “Whether you win an award today or not, you have already done something that many people only talk about: you took initiative, you dealt with uncertainty, and you opened yourself up to criticism, and that’s exactly what entrepreneurs do.”
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.
For more information about The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, visit www.ulm.edu/pelicancup
