Members of the Cha鈥橤ate team prepare and serve bubble tea at their table during the 2025 Entrepreneur Showcase.
The 14th annual Thought Into Action (TIA) Entrepreneur Showcase is quickly approaching. Pitching ventures are putting final touches on their presentations, tabling students are planning the layout of their space, and alumni are anticipating watching it all. This year鈥檚 lineup is filled with strong ventures, powerful alumni, and a community eager to see it all.
This year鈥檚 pitch competition will feature four ventures who have what it takes to elevate their business to the next level. Despite the ventures having vastly different missions, they all have one thing in common: solving a real issue. With three of the pitching ventures being in the tech field, the showcase will demonstrate that innovative technology is the future. Similar to last year, one of the ventures at this showcase will focus on social change, balancing out the competition with a pitch that tugs at the judges鈥 heartstrings. The four pitching ventures are:
- Echoscape, an innovative digital program that redefines immersive experiences through therapeutic sound and tech innovations, presented by Colgate ITS staff Mike Ahearn Wilcox.
- MajiSafi Solutions, an initiative to combat water scarcity in Makueni, Kenya by building sustainable, solar-powered wells, presented by Agnes Ndanu 鈥28.
- Hatch Pay, the only next generation digital wallet that proactively selects the best card for every tap transaction, presented by Fletcher Goodell 鈥26, Anders Larson, and Jack Tapper.
- PLNT, a plant nursery solution that uses AI and robotics to modernize the industry and simplify planting, presented by Porter Comstock 鈥26.
Prior to the pitch competition, the four judges will join moderator Gus Coldebella 鈥91 for a panel discussion. The four judges this year are a blend of industry professionals that have experience in creating innovative solutions. Three of them were at one point in the same spot as the pitching ventures, attending Colgate and unsure of what the future would hold. The judges 鈥 who come from a wide variety of fields ranging from plant nurseries to movie production to wellness PR 鈥 are:
- Viraj Puri 鈥03 鈥 Colgate鈥檚 2026 Entrepreneur of the Year, and co-founder and chief executive officer of Gotham Greens
- Sara Brooks 鈥 co-founder and advisor at Goldilocks
- Kevin Heffernan 鈥90, P鈥27 鈥 writer, actor, and producer for the Broken Lizard Comedy Group
- Lila Sullivan 鈥17 鈥 president and co-founder of Flourish Plant
In addition to the top prize of $10,000, the pitch competition will also feature four 鈥淎udience Choice鈥 awards, each worth $250.
Tabling ventures that will not appear on stage for the pitch competition will be participating in the Iggy game. Each audience member will be given four 鈥淚ggies鈥 that they can distribute to the four tabling ventures that catch their eye. More than two dozen ventures will be vying for the audience鈥檚 Iggies, which will earn the ventures a share of $10,000 in grant funding. This tabling portion of the showcase provides students with an ideal opportunity to share their mission, gain visibility, and receive funding. For the audience, milling around the tables could net you some refreshing bubble tea, pet a former Mexican street dog, or even sign up for a 5K race.
The pitching ventures this year will include:
- 13th Hour Espresso (Thomas Pempel 鈥28): Entirely student-run mobile coffee cart bringing high-quality espresso drinks to Colgate students up the hill.
- Alunite (Jahanvi Chamria 鈥28): Connecting students and alumni for mentorship, career opportunities, and growth: smarter, faster, and more personal.
- Braqish (Jack Suter 鈥27): Eco-minded community built through t-shirt brand.
- Cha鈥橤ate LLC (Jenna Palubeckis 鈥28, Chi Trieu 鈥28, Suchen Yao 鈥27): Colgate鈥檚 student-run bubble tea business, helping bring Cha to your 鈥橤ate.
- Colgate Business Review (Talia Broder 鈥28, Amelia Bernstein 鈥28): Colgate鈥檚 first business magazine, delivering insightful, accessible business analysis and original perspectives that connect students, alumni, and the broader community.
- DeBillBoard (Yabesi Witinya 鈥26, Aayusha Dhungana 鈥26): Revolutionizing campus discovery through a consolidated, AI-driven feed that personalizes student life in real-time.
- EchoScape (Mike Ahearn Wilcox): Redefining immersive experiences through therapeutic sound and tech innovations.
- Edits by Ellrose (Ellrose Hanlon 鈥26): Creative film and photography venture specializing in local advertising and global storytelling for brands and organizations.
- ERM Advising (Elizabeth Manly 鈥27): Leveraging market insights for student startup growth.
- EscaTrace Compliance (Ethan Persons 鈥28): FSMA 204 compliance without the complication.
- FlowMatrix AI (Sebastian Tamburro 鈥26): The next decade belongs to businesses that transform now, we make sure you鈥檙e one of them.
- Foodee (Onil Carrion 鈥26): AI-powered grocery and meal decision assistant that turns recipes into smart grocery lists and personalized nutrition guidance to help users shop with intention, eat healthier, and makes cooking easier.
- Gate TVs (Matt Nemsick 鈥27, Zaharah Fiorentinos 鈥27): Colgate鈥檚 sole student-run smart TV rental service.
- Glorlink (Ruhan Yi 鈥29): Where faith meets work.
- Hami-Down (Valeria Reyes 鈥26, Ella Conover 鈥26, Perin Romano 鈥26): Online platform for the Colgate community to efficiently buy and sell goods in a sustainable manner that reduces costs, increases convenience, and minimizes carbon impact.
- Hatch Pay (Fletcher Goodell 鈥26, Anders Larson, Jack Tapper): The only next generation digital wallet that proactively selects the best card for every tap transaction.
- MajiSafi Solutions (Agnes Ndanu 鈥28): Tackling water scarcity one sustainable well at a time.
- Muse (Jaeryung Park 鈥26, Abrielle Silvia 鈥26, Lauren Klebba 鈥28): 鈥淔or Artist, by Artist鈥 platform dedicated to cultivate a community of artists and creatives on Colgate鈥檚 campus.
- Oasis Running (Andrew Sullivan 鈥26, Donnie Jellig): Revolutionizing racewear in athletics and beyond.
- PLNT (Porter Comstock 鈥26): Modernizing the plant nursery industry with AI and robotics.
- QuikGate (Nathan Walsh 鈥28, Chad Ruggiero 鈥28): Quick and cheap campus food delivery, anytime and anywhere.
- Raider Marketplace (Thomas Sfikas 鈥28, Anthony Bolivar 鈥28): From dorm to dorm 鈥 buy and sell with students.
- Soul Socks (Amy Glasman 鈥27): Making blisters a thing of the past.
- TellerLink (Yaphet Reyes-Powell 鈥27, Corbin Whittington): Automated Interactive teller machine, using dual LLM security to save on costs.
- The Sunrise Classic (Thomas Rivier 鈥28, Ryan Wilson 鈥28): Early morning track race designed to create an environment for people of all ages and abilities to run their best.
- Translation Review and Memory App (Koichi Mori 鈥29): English language learning app that helps users retain translated words and phrases through flashcards and smart reminders.
- Wags and Wings Dog Rescue (Alana Conolly 鈥27): Rescuing homeless dogs from Mexico to give them a second chance with loving adopters in the U.S.
This year鈥檚 event will be full of potential and opportunity. Make sure to clear your calendar for Saturday, April 11, to come see all of these ventures thrive at the TIA Entrepreneur Showcase during Arts, Creativity, and Innovation Weekend.