换妻社区

Published March 30, 2026

CAPTION:听SocialBridge听AI, a team from 换妻社区, won first place in the Undergraduate Division. Pictured L-R:听Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Founder Dhu Thompson, team leader Anjan Mandal, Pradeep Poudel, advisor Prasanthi听Sreekumari, Roshani Pathak, Dean of the 换妻社区 College of Business and Social Sciences Dr. Arturo Rodriguez听

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MONROE, La.听鈥� The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup hosted its fifth annual awards luncheon on March 26, 2026, at 换妻社区鈥檚 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. 听

Teams from 换妻社区 took home prizes in both divisions, with听Hustlr听placing second and winning $25,000 in the Graduate Division, while听SocialBridge听AI took home first place and $25,000 in the Undergraduate Division, and听Xplify听won second place and $15,000. Team members from听Hustlr听and听Xplify听also won the live elevator pitch competitions in their respective divisions, which were decided by the attendees of the luncheon following each team鈥檚 90-second pitch for their company.听

Graduate Division Winners听

In the Graduate Division, RX Connect, a team from Louisiana State University Shreveport, took home the听first place听prize of $50,000. RX Connect is an AI-powered healthcare platform that听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.听听

The second-place prize of $25,000听in the听Graduate听Division听was awarded to听Hustlr, a team from听换妻社区.听Hustlr听connects users with trusted workers from their own communities who are ready to work now, for tasks including yard work, moving,听and others where extra labor is听required.听Hustlr听features team leader听Dylan Hayden, team members听Chase听Gunn and Nokia Masengu, and advisor听Joyce Zhou.听

Third place听in the Graduate Division听and a prize of $10,000 went to听Bio-Pod, a team from听the University of Louisiana Lafayette.听Bio-Pod is a pre-measured,听biodegradable, drop-in pod that feeds plants for weeks.听Bio-Pod听features team leader听Natasha Syed, team members听Matthew Hasling and Mansu Acharya,听and advisor听Jonathan Shirley.听

Dylan Hayden from听Hustlr听won the live Elevator Pitch Competition in the Graduate Division and took home a prize of $2,000.听听

Undergraduate Division Winners听

In the Undergraduate Division,听SocialBridge听AI, a team from 换妻社区, took home first-place and $25,000.听SocialBridge听AI is an AI-powered communication coaching platform for autistic and neurodivergent learners.听SocialBridge听AI features team leader Anjan Mandal, team members Roshani Pathak and听Pradeep Poudel, and advisor Prasanthi听Sreekumari.听听

The second-place prize of $15,000 in the Undergraduate Division went to听Xplify, a team from 换妻社区.听Xplify听is a marketing tool that helps local businesses get more repeat visits and bring in new customers through reward-based incentives.听Xplify听features team leader Damir听Filaretov, team members Viktor听Motov, Connor Pauley, and Katherine McCullars, and advisor Veronika Humphries.听听

Third place in the Undergraduate Division and a prize of $10,000 went to听SensorySync, a team from听the University of New Orleans.听SensorySync听is a platform that helps families of neurodivergent children听and therapists stay connected and organized.听SensorySync听features team leader听Pranish Ghimire, team members听Simant Singh and Krish Neupane, and advisor听Shafin Khan.听听

Connor Pauley from听Xplify听won the live Elevator Pitch Competition in the Undergraduate Division and took home a prize of $2,000.听

The advisors from each of the top three teams听in both divisions听also received a $3,000 prize.听听

The 2026听Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup Competition was the largest yet, with听44 entries, including 31 undergraduate teams and 13 graduate teams from nine听colleges and听universities across Louisiana. Participating听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.听

Dhu Thompson, Premier Sponsor and Founder of The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, provided remarks at the luncheon.听听

After thanking those who helped make the competition happen and recounting his own entrepreneurial experiences, Thompson spoke directly to the听student听competitors.听鈥淚n entrepreneurship, failure is not the opposite of success;听it is a part of success,鈥� said Thompson.听鈥淲hat separates the people who eventually succeed is not that they avoid failure, it鈥檚听that they treat failure as feedback,鈥� Thompson added.听He also encouraged听all of the finalists in attendance, saying, 鈥淲hether you win听an award听today or not, you have already done something听that many people only talk about:听you took initiative, you dealt with uncertainty, and you opened yourself up to criticism, and that鈥檚 exactly what entrepreneurs do.鈥澨�听

About The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup听

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听provides an opportunity for students听to develop critical thinking, team building, presentation, and other soft skills, which are all important to career growth.听听The goal is to inspire participants and the community to think entrepreneurially by rewarding creativity, professionalism, and hard work.听听听

The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup was founded by distinguished 换妻社区听alumnus听Dhu Thompson. Thompson is the founder, past owner, and former听chairman听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听chairman听of the board for Revolution Bag, which manufactures EPA-compliant trashcan liners. Thompson鈥檚 honors include听2004听Arkansas Business Executive of the Year and听SBA听Person of the Year. In听2019听he sold the Revolution brands to a New York private equity firm and now focuses on entrepreneurship growth in Arkansas and Louisiana.听听In 2023, Thompson received the Warhawk Ambassador Award, one of 换妻社区鈥檚 highest honors. In 2024, Thompson was inducted into the Arkansas Business Hall of Fame.听

For more information about The Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, visit听听

To watch the video of the听2026听Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup听Awards Luncheon, click听听

CAPTION:听RX Connect, a team from LSU-S, won first place in the Graduate Division. Pictured L-R: Jyothis Batra, team leader Kurtis Alton, Wendy Alton听听