NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University announces the winners of the 2025 Inferno Pitch Business Plan Competition, an annual program designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship among students.
After an exciting series of pitch presentations on Nov. 12, three student teams emerged as top winners:
- First Place: TableHero – an intelligent reservation platform that increases venue revenue, pitched by Valeria Mendieta Montoya of Pereira, Colombia.
- Second Place: Smart Farm – a smart collar with an application to monitor farm animal health and location. Team members were Angee Mariana Bedoya Rivera of Natchitoches (team lead), Katherine Clary of Natchitoches and Maria Camila Valencia Gonzalez of Pereira.
- Third Place: Prism Analytics – an affordable and comprehensive data analytics service to help small businesses and startups make data-driven decisions, pitched by Santiago Tobon Cardona of Pereira.
NSU student Valeria Mendieta Montoya pitched her idea for an intelligent dining reservation platform to win the 2025 Inferno Pitch. She will advance to the Pelican Cup competition, a state-wide entrepreneurship competition for college students.
The finalists presented their ventures before a distinguished panel of judges, including Frances Buffin, human resources administrator for the Biomedical Research Foundation (BRF); Matthew Gamble, entrepreneur, co-founder of Collins & Gamble and winner of 2023 Pelican Cup; Leslie Oglesby, manager of economic development and research at the Natchitoches Area Chamber of Commerce; Joanna Washington, vice president, senior deposit operation specialist and branch manager of the City Bank & Trust Company, and Ronnie Williams, Jr., mayor of City of Natchitoches.
“We are incredibly proud of our students for their creativity and professionalism. Inferno Pitch provides a platform for students to transform ideas into actionable business plans, and this year’s winners truly exemplify entrepreneurial excellence,” said Dr. Weiwen Liao, associate professor and coordinator of Inferno Pitch 2025.
The Inferno Pitch Business Plan Competition is sponsored by the Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program (EAP), which is a division of BRF. EAP’s mission is to build an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in north Louisiana
For more information about the Inferno Pitch Competition, contact Liao at liaow@nsula.edu or (318) 357-5692.