Pitch Friday Finals: The Path to Victory!

Hosted by the Albert Lepage Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, the Pitch Friday Competition series allows student startups to pitch their ideas, receive valuable feedback, and win cash prizes. Eighteen different student ventures pitched their innovative ideas across five competitions this school year. As a tradition, the winners from each competition pitch in the Grand ‘Mamma Jamma’ Round. What’s at stake? First place walks away with a $10,000 cash prize and another $2,500 in pro bono legal services, while second place takes home $2,500 in cash. On Friday, April 22nd, from 12–2:30 PM, the five winning ventures will battle it out one last time. Are you curious about which five TU startups made it to the finals? We’ve got you covered! Keep reading for a quick introduction to our finalists.

First up: All Season Apparel. Founded by Kwasi Agyeman (JD ‘22), All Season Apparel makes university-colored apparel in an environmentally and socially sustainable manner. You can spot students around campus sporting their “Tulane Daddy” merch.

The next team to take home a win was the “Go-to Plug for Late-Night Grub,” SexyCakes. Don’t be surprised if the name sounds familiar to you: founded by Jonah Bornstein (BSM ‘23) and Alex Leiman (BA ‘22), SexyCakes started as a fresh late-night food delivery service but has now expanded to other categories such as household items and pre-packaged snacks. SexyCakes delivers food quickly to your dorm door with no delivery fee.

Our January pitch competition looked a little different; it was not only virtual but also the largest competition hosted this year. Eight ventures competed, but ultimately, Heaven n’ Heels took first place. Heaven n’ Heels provides modular shoes that can quickly and easily transform from a heel to a flat and back again. As founder Julia Hender (BSM ‘24) explained, the company strives to “make beauty synonymous with comfort.”

Five teams came ready with fantastic pitches and even better ideas in the last “open” round of the competition. However, two Tulane medical students behind the company CleanSheath reigned supreme. Founders Catherine Gilbert (MD ‘22) and Jorge Nagel (MD ‘22) pitched an innovative catheter design that is safer, cleaner and unlike anything else currently on the market.

In the “Last Chance” round, four teams from previous rounds came to pitch again, and unsurprisingly, the competition was close. Ultimately it was decided that SimpleCars would claim that final spot. Founder Cameron Tuths (BSM ‘24) hopes that SimpleCars will allow users to find the lowest price on a special-order car for specific makes and models across all dealerships. Oh, and we forgot to mention- this is entirely online: making it super convenient for the user!

On April 22nd, the 2021-2022 Pitch Fridays Series will end. Come by GWBC 170 between 12–1 PM to watch All Season Apparel, SexyCakes, Heaven n’ Heels, CleanSheath and SimpleCars go head to head in the final Grand ‘Mamma Jamma’ Round. Then join us from 1-2:30 PM in GWBC 320 for a celebration reception where the winner will be announced. Also, a huge special thanks to our grand prize donors: Andrew & Klee Miller, Tulane Association of Business Alumni and Stone Pigman. If you’ve ever been curious about the Lepage Center, what Tulane student entrepreneurs are up to or entrepreneurship in general, this is the event for you! For more information, please contact Timekia Mallery at tmallery@tulane.edu.