CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!

Congratulations to the 2025 winning teams!

• First place ($3,000): ALK
  Second place ($1,500): Alfred.AI
• Third place ($500): Memento
• Honorable mention: VerdiFI

FULL VIDEO HERE
VIEW PHOTOALBUM

ALK: Katelynn Wiseman ’26 (Nolan), Miya Deng ’26 (Nolan)

ALK is a wellness-driven bar and lounge concept that blends traditional cocktails with functional highs made from kava, CBD, and adaptogens. Designed for boutique and lifestyle hotels, it offers a turnkey, design-forward experience that elevates social spaces and aligns with modern wellness-minded travelers.

Alfred.AI: Amedeo Tafuri ’27 (Johnson)

Alfred.AI bridges premium short-term rentals and full-service hospitality through agentic AI that automates guest experiences and host operations.

Memento: Evan Ye ’27 (Dyson), Sukin Yang ’26 (Dyson)

Memento is a hospitality platform that unifies hotels, dining, and local experiences into one seamless, personalized journey: helping travelers discover and book authentic stays that feel uniquely their own.

VerdiFI: Michael Llorda MBA ’27 (Johnson)

VerdiFI combines energy expertise with innovative financing to help hospitality owners reduce costs, cut emissions, and improve valuations—without upfront capital.

Thank you to our Judges!

Finals

• Adam Falcheck MPS ’14, DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, LLC
• Jason Spillerman ’92, P ’25, Vibrant Development Group
• Ellen Yui, P ’14 & P ’16, Yui+Company

Semi-Finals

• Tom Botts, P ’26, Upgrade
• Steve Chasen ’91, Deep Channel Partners
• Monica Digilio, Compass Advisors
• Kim Hehir ’94, Brutus Broth
  Ashwin Kamlani MMH ’03, Hyperfunnel
• Kevin Leichter ’97, Premier Paint Roller Co.
• Max Rosenthal, Fischer Travel Enterprises

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 VIDEO RECORDING 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:
Semi-final judges

• Kenneth Blatt ’81, Principal, CPG Real Estate
• Ondrea Levitt-Schiciano ’92, Owner, Levitt-Fuirst Insurance
  J
• acque Riley, Global Hospitality Brand Marketing, Communications & Launch Strategies, Club Quarters Hotels
• Stacy Silver, President, Silver Hospitality Group
  Jacob Wright, MBA ’22, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Skyward Hospitality

Final judges

• Meli James ’00, Co-Founder, Mana Up, President, Hawaii Venture Capital Associations
• Yael Nagler ’00, Chief Executive Officer, Yass Partners
• Harman Narula ’09, Co-Founder, Canary Technologies

Media Coverage
BusinessFeed, December 1, 2022: Contestants Cash In on a Case for Cannabis

2021 Pitch Deck Competitions

• First place ($3,000): Bubble
• Second place ($1,500): Nuzzle
• Third place ($500): The Rice Gang
  Honorable mention: SleepWell
  FULL RECORD AVAILABLE HERE

Bubble

Angel Zhang ’21, MMH ’22 and James Bai, MMH ’22 use a digitalized, zero-labor model to create productive work and study solutions for dense urban populations.

Nuzzle

Charlotte de Lastelle, MMH ’22 and Youmei Xu, MMH ’22 create an integrated online platform for families with kids (0-17 years old) which connects parents and local service providers to organize local experiences.

The Rice Gang

Irin Chitman, MMH ’22 envisions a fast-casual counter service restaurant that serves whole grain brown rice bowls with organic Thai entrees and side dishes to urban, health-conscious, busy adults looking for healthy Thai food on the go.

SleepWell

Eric Chen, MPS-RE ’22 and Andy Han, MPS-RE ’22 show a proptech-driven space that creates elevated sleeping experience for sleep deprived professionals

A special thank you to our judges:

Semi final judges

• Kenneth Blatt ’81, Principal, CPG Real Estate
• Yaniv Blumenfeld ’95, Founder and Managing Partner, Glacier Global Partners, LLC
• Monica Digilio, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Compass Advisors, LLC
• Steven Hurowitz, P ’19 & P ’21, Chief Executive Officer, HB Capital Group, LLC
• Ondrea Schiciano ’92, Owner, Levitt-Fuirst Insurance
• Jacob Wright MBA ’22, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Skyward Hospitality

Final judges

• Meli James ’00, Co-founder,
• Mana Up, President, Hawaii Venture Capital Associations
• Richy Petrina ’01, Founder, Ithaca Wine Ventures
• Ellen Yui, P ’14 & P ’16, Founding Principal, YUI+Company

Congratulations to the 2020 winning teams!

First place($3,000): WEET
Second place ($1,500): Ultraviolet Transactions
Third place ($500): Life After Life
Honorable Mention: Executive Chef

FULL RECORDING AVAILABLE HERE

Team WEET
Abhimanyu Goyal ’22 envisioned a mobile app that allows our users to make romantic connections while allowing our partner businesses to acquire new customers. Our users experience a fun, safe, low-pressure dating experience while our partners (restaurants) see a theoretically limitless stream of new faces to convert into return customers.

Team Ultraviolet Transactions
Samantha Law ’21 (CALS) and Alexa Torres ’21 created a sanitation device that eases employee and guest fears when it comes to payment. By using UV-C light technology, UV Transactions quickly disinfects all forms of payment which include cash, credit cards, coupons, etc. UV Transaction aims to improve the overall guest and employee experience by creating a safer and cleaner interaction.

Team Life After Life
Jeremiah Swain MMH ’21 and Jacob Tennenbaum ’21 (Baker) re-imagines the conventional cemetery and its multitude of unsustainable shortcomings to create a socially and environmentally valuable alternative that embraces evolving cultural norms, the funeral affordability crisis, and the rapidly decreasing availability of land. We look to capitalize on the momentum of the natural burial movement by creating beautifully landscaped native garden cemeteries in semi urban areas.

Team Executive Chef
Olivia Friedberg ’24 and James Lambert ’24 designed a high-end meal delivery service that partners with high-end restaurants to create easy to cook meal kits inspired by signature dishes on their menu. We aim to combine high quality ingredients and drink pairings to bring fine dining experiences directly to the consumer’s kitchen.

A special thank you to our judges:
Semi final judges

• Fred Singer, President & CEO, Singer Equipment Co.
• Kenny Blatt ’81, Principal, CPG Real Estate
• Jess Petitt ’05, Vice President – Analytics, Hilton
• Ashwin Kamlani, MMH ’03, Executive Vice President, Kognitiv
• Chris Hemmeter ’86, Managing Director, Thayer Ventures
• Stacy Silver, President, Silver Hospitality Group LLC

Final judges

• Bob Alter ’73, President, Seaview Investors LLC
• Monica Digilio, Director, Sunstone Hotel Investors
• Warren Leeds ’84, P ’14 & P ’19, Founder and CEO, Dartcor Food Services

Media Coverage

Cornell Chronicle, November 18, 2020: Swipe, match, eat: ‘Weet’ pitches better online dating app

Congratulations to the 2019 winning teams!

pitch deck winners
First Place ($3,000): WAY
Second Place ($1,500): Silver Moon
Third Place ($500): Suna Breakfast

First Place: WAY
Splitting the check requires fighting to get a server’s attention, calculating who owes what, and finding yourself in uncomfortable situations with friends. WAY is a FinTech startup that streamlines the check-splitting process. Simply scan a photo of the check, share with friends, choose your items, and pay with WAY.

Joe Davolio ’20 (ILR)
Justin Goldstein ’21 (SHA)
2019 Hospitality Pitch Deck

Second Place: Silver Moon
Silver Moon is a travel agency targeting the wealthy retired population in China who are seeking personalized overseas travel planning products & services.
Shucen Ding, MMH ’20
2019 Hospitality Pitch Deck

Third Place: Suna Breakfast
Suna Breakfast is a breakfast delivery service bridging the gap of students waking up in the morning wanting food but not having access to healthy and convenient options, and university dining systems and diners that have significantly more production capacity in the morning but no way to reach these customers.
Pedro Bobrow ’20 (Dyson)
Max Child ’20 (SHA)

Special thank you to our judges
Semi final judges

• Bob Alter ’73, President, Seaview Investors, LLC
• Kenny Blatt ’81, Principal, CPG Real Estate
• Stacy Fisher-Rosentha; P ’16, President, Fischer Travel Enterprises and Fischer-Rosenthal Consulting
• Ravi Mehrotra, President, Founder, Chief Scientist, IDeaS Revenue Solutions
• Mark Wolman, P ’18 & P ’20, Principal and Partner, Waterford Hotel Group
• Ellen Yui, P ’14 & P ’16, Founding Principal, YUI+Company & YUIDesign
• Final judges
  Meli James ’00, Co-founder, Mana Up, President, Hawaii Venture Capital Association
• Warren Leeds ’84, P ’14 & P ’19, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Dartcor Food Services
• Danny Stein ’92, Managing Partner, Volery Capital Partners

Media Coverage
Cornell Chronicle, November 27, 2019: Pitch competition rewards new ‘way’ to pay restaurants

Congratulations to the 2018 winning teams!

• First place: Speak2 Systems
• Second place: BoutiquePlus+
• Third place: home2home

Team Ashmad
Aishwarya Singh SHA ’22 and Madeline Hanscom HumEc ’22 propose to create a nonprofit organization that teaches special needs and disabled kids and adults basic hospitality skills, in hopes to position them for job opportunities.

View presentation

Team BoutiquePlus+
Xiaokun Qin SHA ’19 and Yennie Handika MMH ’19 aim to provide professional, local, up-to-date, and integrated digital marketing management solutions for the fast-growing Chinese boutique hotels.

View presentation

Team home2home
Sebastian Barrera MMH ’19 and Kathy Lin MHA ’19 propose to offer young traveling professionals mid-length stay apartments with all accommodations one would find in their own home.

View presentation

Team Speak2 Systems
Ori Belson MAE ’19 and Tim Buttigieg SHA ’19 are focused on improving the well-being and quality of life of intubated patients within intensive care units worldwide. Hoping to improve the recovery process for such patients, especially those who might otherwise require increased levels of sedation and introduction to opioid drugs.

View presentation

A special thank you to our judges:
Semi final judges

• Yaniv Blumenfeld, Glacier Global Partners
• Jeanne Bowerman ’86, Script Magazine
• Diana Dobin, Valley Forge Fabrics
• Marisa Sergi ’15, RedHead Brands
• Brad Treat MBA ’02, Cornell University
• Ellen Yui, Yui+Company

Final judges

• Felix Litvinsky, Blackstone LaunchPad, Cornell University
• Denise Ramzy, Dyson School, Cornell University
• Jules Sieburgh, Jules A Sieburgh, LLC

Congratulations to the 2017 winning teams!

• First place: Religio
• Second place: Sweat in the City
• hird place: Rewardzzzz
• Fourth place: QuicKey

Team Religio
Peter Cetal ’19 (ILR) introduces an enterprise software company that gives churches the tools to better connect, engage, and retain their parishioners online.

Team Sweat in the City
Michelle Park ’18 (SHA) and Elyse Wolin ’18 (SHA) propose to create an online marketplace of boutique fitness studios where people can find and learn about all the studios in their city, buy class packages, and book their classes—all in one place.

Team Rewardzzz
Hunter Friedland ’19 (SHA) explains the creation of a universal rewards and loyalty program built on blockchain.

Team QuicKey
Yash Malhotra ’18 (SHA) and Ilan Filonenko, MEng ’18 introduce an app that lets day travelers rent hotel rooms by the hour.

Media Coverage
Cornell Chronicle, November 27, 2017: Software that keeps the faith wins pitch competition

Congratulations to the 2016 winning teams!

• First place: Dona Nata
• Second place: SportStorm
• Third place: Bill’s Beer, Bread, and Cheese

Team Dona Nata
Natalia Ruiz MMH ’17 and Antonio Miceli MMH ’17 introduce traditionally-cooked, authentic Mexican cuisine prepared and delivered in a fresh market setting evoking the “fonda” Mexican dining style.

Team SportStorm
Sam Frey ’20 and Harrison Bernstein ’20, propose combining sports and fashion to create a new spin on winter jackets. Our jackets are a fresh idea that will gain unquestioned popularity within the sports industry.

Team Bill’s Beer, Bread, and Cheese
William Mangan MMH ’17 and Lydia Xu MMH ’17 highlights Fishtown, Pennsylvania’s industrial past by creating a fast-casual restaurant, bar and market that has its own craft brewery, artisanal bakery and distinctive cheese cave on premise. Guests are encouraged to watch and learn how to make beer, bread and cheese, enjoy innovative beer, bread and cheese pairings through our dine-in menu that integrates our three artisanal products, as well as take their favorite Bill’s products home.

Media Coverage
Cornell Chronicle, November 22, 2016: Mexican eatery idea wins ‘pitch deck’ competition