Pitch Deck Competition

The Cornell Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition is an experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs who are contemplating, starting, or operating an early stage hospitality-based venture, and who are looking to improve their pitching skills, with the potential to earn seed funding for their venture.

The Leland C. and Mary M. Pillsbury Institute for Hospitality Entrepreneurship at the Cornell Nolan School of Hotel Administration sponsors the Cornell Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition. This competition is an experiential learning opportunity for student entrepreneurs contemplating, starting, or operating an early-stage venture who are looking to improve their pitching skills with the potential to earn seed funding for their venture.

Students register for the competition in early fall and submit their pitch decks in October for review by a team of industry judges. Four finalists will be selected to present in November to a panel of industry judges. The winning team will be awarded a prize of $3,000, second place will be awarded a prize of $1,500, and the third-place team will be awarded a prize of $500.

**All prizes subject to tax withholding as required by IRS regulations.

For complete guidelines and information, review the official rules of the Hospitality Pitch Deck Competition or contact the Pillsbury Institute at pihe@cornell.edu or 607.255.0179.

Pitch Deck Competitions by Year

Congratulations to the 2024 winning teams!

First place ($3,000): Flaps
Second place ($1,500): FRUJI Foods
Third place ($500): PYRO
Honorable mention: JOUS

Full Recording Here

Flaps: Harry Han ’25, Benjamin Lin ’25
Flaps is a platform that connects private jet travelers to private jet charter companies in minutes.

FRUJI Foods: Kaylee Yin ’25
FRUJI Foods upcycles exotic fruits into delicious, dried fruits that are then sold to restaurants, hotels, and event caterers to be used as an ingredient in meals.

PYRO: Francine Aclan’24, Emma Doherty ’25
PYRO is a product for hospitality that converts food waste into renewable fuel: biochar.

JOUS: Camilo Ortiz ’25
JOUS is a food discovery company specializing in refreshing, juice-based beverages designed to mix well with spirits.

Thank you to our Judges!

Finals

Diana Dobin, Valley Forge Fabrics
Vikki Malhotra ’18, Uber
Jason Spillerman ’92, P ’25, Vibrant Development Group
Brad Treat, Cornell University

Semi-Finals

Brandon Barton ’03, Bite
Dan Leyva ’14, Taco Azul
Jess Petitt ’05, Hilton
Stacy Silver P ’25, Silver Hospitality Group
Jacob Wright MBA ’22, P ’27, Skyward Companies
Ellen Yui P ’14 & P ’16, YUI+Company

Congratulations to the 2023 winning teams!

First place ($3,000): spekld
Second place ($1,500): smpl
Third place ($500): Liv Well Yogurt
Honorable mention: Gather

Full recording available here

spekld
Jonah Gershon ’24 created the first ever solid stick of brown butter offering the tantalizing caramel, toffee, and nutty flavors of brown butter in an instant without the hassle and struggle of making it yourself. Use spekld in any recipe for immediate flavor enhancement or even just spread it on toast!

smpl
Talal AlHusayni ’25 (Dyson) and Jean Salamoun ’25 aim to create a tech-enabled food truck targeting college students during late night hours, offering more affordable, quicker, and superior dining alternatives to limited choices offered in college towns.

Liv Well Yogurt
Olivia Hosie ’26 developed a plant-based yogurt CPG company that delivers adequate nutrition through hospitality to its consumers. This product offers convenience, health, and taste by delivering high protein, naturally sweetened soymilk yogurt with whole food toppings, included in the packaging.

Gather
Ariadne Billy ’24 aims to host large dinners that bring the community together and spurs up local economic development through restaurant partnerships, creating an unforgettable experience.

Thank you to our judges!

Semi-final judges

Gilad Berenstein, Brook Bay Capital
Dayna Blank, Playa Hotels & Resorts
Monica Digilio, Compass Advisors, LLC
Jason Herthel, Montage International
Stacy Silver, Silver Hospitality Group
Ellen Yui P ’14 & P ’16, YUI+Company

Final judges

Mark Maynard ’90 (CALS), Maynard Consulting
Jason Spillerman ’92 (CALS), Vibrant Development Group
Ellen Yui P ’14 & P ’16, YUI+Company

Media Coverage

Cornell Chronicle, November 16, 2023: Brown butter rises to the top at Pitch Deck Competition

Congratulations to the 2022 winning teams!

First place ($3,000): Après
Second place ($1,500): Spekld
Third place ($500): Parachute
Honorable mention: CROWD

Full recording available here

Start times for each presentation:
2:50 – Apres
18:07 – CROWD
35:20 – Parachute
51:20 – Spekld

Après
Dani Kaiser, MMH ’23 and Matthieu Laurens, MMH ’23 presented an upscale lounge and restaurant to enjoy legal cannabis among friends when visiting America’s premier ski destinations.

Spekld
Jonah Gershon ’24 came up with a new butter and baking innovation, offering perfectly browned solid sticks of butter. Spekld allows any home baker or even professional chef to instantly elevate dishes with complex, nutty and toffee flavors we love from brown butter.

Parachute
Obinna Onyenedum, MMH ’23 and Milad Rohani, MMH ’23 showed a tech platform, connecting hotels with local retailers, to have curated clothing readily available in your room when you arrive, removing the stress of packing while boosting local economies and enhancing the sustainability of the retail and tourism industry.

CROWD
Jennifer Kim ’25 and Monica Lee ’25 offered a mobile, hospitality tech app designed for users to see all of their loyalty accounts and status in one interface from hotels, airlines, food & drinks, and even concerts. Book, cancel, reserve anytime, anywhere.

A special thank you to our judges: