Three students at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette earned high marks for business ideas they presented during the recent Moody Business Pitch Competition.
The B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration stated in a release that it hosted the event, which was designed to spur innovative business ideas and entrepreneurism. The business pitch competition was held online late last month, after an on-campus event that had been scheduled was canceled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Five finalists participated in the competition based on their performances during a speed consulting and business development workshop that was held in February on campus, the release states. A group of UL Lafayette faculty and staff members and local business professionals judged the competition.
Paul Pryor, a junior electrical engineering major at UL Lafayette, won first place and $3,000 for “Leviathan,” an idea for a low-cost, large-format 3-D printer designed for the automotive and aerospace industries.
Garrett Hebert, an MBA candidate, placed second and earned $1,000 for “The Paw Pub,” a concept for a combined restaurant and animal adoption center.
Ambika Dahal, a mechanical engineering doctoral student, was awarded third and received $500 for “Frubotics.” The invention incorporates artificial intelligence and robotics to address labor shortages in fruit and vegetable farming.
