{"id":1377,"date":"2026-05-12T19:42:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T19:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/?page_id=1377"},"modified":"2026-07-27T09:52:54","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T13:52:54","slug":"competition","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/business.cornell.edu\/centers\/pihe\/engagement\/competition\/","title":{"rendered":"Hospitality Business Plan Competition"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\n
\n\n

The Cornell Hospitality Business Plan Competition is an annual entrepreneurship event that begins at the start of the academic year when students form teams and deliver five-minute pitches for their hospitality business concepts. The competition ends in early spring during Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC)<\/a>, when the student teams submit their final business plans and semi-finalist teams present to a judging panel that selects the top three concepts as winners.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Prizes for the top three finishers total more than $37,000 (All prizes subject to tax withholdings as required by IRS regulations). The Business Plan Competition is a meaningful learning experience for students interested in pursuing an entrepreneurial venture whose ideas could launch new independent ventures in the seed, start-up or early growth stages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Official Rules and Guidelines<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Congratulations to our 2026 winner!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First place: Purvis Fish & Chips<\/strong>
Team member: Avery Sheppard, MMH ’26<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about the competition in the Cornell Chronicle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
Cornell Chronicle Article<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
\n
\n

Past competition results by academic year<\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n \n
\n
\n
\n
\n \n \n 2025-2026\n <\/span>\n <\/summary>\n
\n \n

2026 Business plan competition congratulations!<\/h3>\n

First place ($25,000): Purvis Fish & Chips<\/strong>
\nTeam Members: Avery Sheppard, MMH ’26<\/strong>
\nPurvis Fish and Chips is a waterfront restaurant serving premium, locally sourced fish from a six-generation family fishery, delivering an authentic dining experience rooted in tradition and quality.<\/p>\n

Second place ($7,500): Reland<\/strong>
\nTeam Members: Katelynn Wiseman, MMH ‘26, Miya (Wei) Deng, MMH ‘26, Aiden (Yiming) Chen, MMH ‘26
\n<\/strong>Reland defines a new category of airport hospitality that transforms layovers into recovery wellness sessions.<\/p>\n

Third place ($5,000) + Audience Choice Award ($500): Kube & Co.<\/strong>
\nTeam Members: Benjamin Gibson ‘29, Michael Dizon-Bumann ’26
\n<\/strong>Kube & Co transforms iced coffee by turning ice into an enhancement, not a compromise, with flavored coffee cubes that eliminate dilution and improve flavor as they melt. Through café partnerships and direct-to-consumer sales, we deliver premium experience for consumers while enabling cafés to generate incremental revenue from every iced coffee.<\/p>\n

Honorable <\/strong>Mention ($1000): Nocturne
\n<\/strong>Team Members:<\/strong> Sophia Wang ‘26, Henry Toll ‘26, Hamid Rezaee ‘26, Evan Ye ‘27
\n<\/strong>Nocturne is a melatonin-free sleep aid drink with 8 natural ingredients that helps you fall asleep and stay asleep without grogginess, dependency, or rebound insomnia. It works with your body’s own sleep chemistry, so you wake up sharp and ready to perform, not sedated.<\/p>\n

Honorable Mention ($1,000): Better Tales<\/strong>
\nTeam Members: Paulina Alexandra Endara ‘26<\/strong>
\nBetter Tales is a forest-friendly, flavor-first chocolate brand that produces at origin to connect farmers with consumers through hospitality-driven tasting and retail experiences at destination. By capturing value across both ends, it enables better farmer compensation while supporting forest preservation and regeneration.<\/p>\n

Watch the 2026 Competition<\/a><\/p>\n

2026 BPC Photo Album<\/a><\/p>\n

News<\/h4>\n