Solution to Automate Bottlenecks in Commercial Real Estate Wins 2025 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge

BATON ROUGE – Prismera, a solution that automates bottlenecks in commercial real estate by utilizing artificial intelligence to streamline lease abstraction, won first place in the 2025 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge and received an $18,000 award.

Prismera founders, Riley Hudson and Nicolas Osborn, are international trade and finance majors. 

The J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge, held by the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, is an annual business plan pitch competition open to all on-campus students in the LSU system. The competition aims to empower student entrepreneurs by providing capital and technical support as they develop their pitches and plans. In the first round, students submit an application along with a two-minute pitch video explaining their existing business or idea for a new venture. Entrants selected as semi-finalists prepare an executive business plan. These plans are evaluated, and three finalists are chosen to pitch live to a panel of judges for a chance to earn a share of the $35,000 prize pool.

Justin Daigle, an entrepreneurship major, earned second place and $12,000 to upscale his business, JD’s Auto Detailing LLC. This company maximizes convenience by providing mobile detailing services at homes and offices throughout the Baton Rouge area.   

We the Salsa, founded by Roberto Antonio Cedillos Hernandez, a PhD candidate in nutrition and food science with a concentration in food science and technology, earned third place and $5,000. The product is a protein-packed salsa with bold, authentic flavors. 

"The Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute is tackling a major challenge: fueling Louisiana’s small business engine,” said Jared Llorens, dean of the E. J. Ourso College of Business. “With 99.5 percent of the state’s enterprises being small businesses, SEI equips student entrepreneurs with the skills, mentorship and platform they need to start real ventures. The J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge is just one that LSU leads the charge in turning student ideas into economic impact."

The competition has played a pivotal role in launching successful businesses. FarmSmarter.AI, the 2024 winner, earned top prize in the 2025 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup sponsored by the University of Louisiana at Monroe. The AI-powered tool for professional farming and recreational gardening communities also earned seventh spot in the 2025 Rice Business Plan Competition, the world’s largest student startup competition. In total, these wins yielded more than $150,000 in revenue. Mallard Bay, an online marketplace for hunting and fishing trips, earned third place in 2021. Last spring, the company announced a $4.6 million funding round. Suds Laundry Services, an app that offers the pickup and delivery of quick laundry services for commercial and residential customers, won second place in 2019. A thriving enterprise, Suds received $75,000 at the 2023 Demo Day, an event hosted by Pharrell Williams' nonprofit Black Ambition.

For more information about the competition, which is made possible thanks to the generous support of the J Terrell Brown family, visit lsu.edu/business/venture. 

 

About Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute

The mission of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute is to promote and foster entrepreneurial practices through education, outreach, and research. An integral part of LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business, the SEI utilizes its various programs and other means to address entrepreneurial challenges and positively impact students, the regional economy, the state of Louisiana, and the nation. A generous donation by LSU alumni Emmet and the late Toni Stephenson made the continued development of the college's entrepreneurship institute possible.