Engineering students showcase innovative ideas in annual Top PUP competition – Lincoln Parish Journal

Conor Montalbano and Peyton Muse, both studying marketing, joined forces to create Harmony Brew, a protein coffee brand that symbolizes a healthy lifestyle and positive energy even in busy places.

Courtesy of LA Tech University Communications

The Harmony Brew team won first prize in the 2024 Top Pup competition, open exclusively to first-year students at Louisiana Tech University’s School of Business.

Providing an early introduction to entrepreneurship and startup methodology, Top Pup teams develop and pitch their ideas, products, or companies in the Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship course. The winning team from each quarter then competes for a grand prize in the spring. This year, the College of Business awarded more than $11,000 in scholarship funds to members of each winning team thanks to the generosity of alumni Matt and Catherine Saurage and Just Business Giving Society donors.

Winners Conor Montalbano and Peyton Muse, both studying marketing, joined forces to create Harmony Brew, a protein coffee brand that symbolizes a healthy lifestyle and positive energy even in busy places.

“Harmony Brew started as a passion project,” Montalbano said. “I pitched it to one of my good friends and it turned out to be more than just an idea. I had always been a coffee drinker, but as my lifestyle became more active, I stopped drinking it because it didn’t give me the satisfaction it used to. That’s how I came up with protein coffee, the solution to all my energy and hunger needs.”

Students developed a business plan including competitive analysis, financial forecasts, short-term and long-term goals, and marketing strategies to promote their innovative idea.

“We often do class projects, but they end up being over in a few weeks,” Muse said. “Researching and continuing a project for almost an entire academic year was a test of work balance for me. This product especially encouraged us to focus on research, reaching out to Ruston residents to get their feedback. But with feedback comes criticism, so learning how to always build and make criticism productive was a valuable part of Top Pup. I’m really grateful for the experience.”

Second place went to a team made up of computer science student Jessica Ramsay and marketing student Honesty Poland. Their concept, Bubbles for Bulldogs, is a laundry business designed exclusively for Tech students.

“We came up with the idea for Bubbles for Bulldogs because many college students struggle to juggle the challenges and responsibilities of moving away from home for the first time,” Ramsay said. “It was a way to help ease the burden on students.”

Poland agreed, noting that their business idea was a way to engage and help their peers.

“The experience of participating in Top Pup taught me how a business idea or thought can grow into something more,” Poland said. “In addition to improving my public speaking skills, I learned the value of teamwork and receiving and implementing feedback from others.”

The UNI-RIDE team, consisting of Elleigh Smith, a computer science major, Shawn Staggs, a finance major, and Seth Stanley, a biomedical engineering major, won third place for their dorm-to-class ride-sharing business. Valerie Chatellier, a marketing major, received a special judges’ award for Scoot Dawg, an electric scooter company that makes electric scooters for Tech’s campus.

Every undergraduate student in the College of Business is required to take the Introduction to Business and Entrepreneurship course, which is the foundation for all eight business majors. In the course, students learn about entrepreneurship, one of the College’s core themes alongside innovation and technology.

“As someone who is curious about being an entrepreneur, I am fascinated by the inner workings of a business,” Montalbano said. “This experience has shown me how complex every part of business is, from finance to marketing. I have learned a lot from the Top Pup experience and I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of it.”