Two student teams from the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø competed in the 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup, a statewide business plan competition that brings together student-founded ventures from universities across Louisiana.
A total of 44 teams entered this year’s competition, with 12 advancing to the final round, including six undergraduate and six graduate teams. The 2026 competition also introduced separate undergraduate and graduate categories and increased the total prize pool to $157,000. 17³Ô¹ÏÍø was represented by Entelechy in the graduate category and SensorySync in the undergraduate category.
Entelechy, the 2024 Privateer Pitch winner, presented its project, Camo Chameleon. The team includes Soheil Saneei, Nhi Pham and Gabe Malone, with faculty advisors Dong-Jun Min and Shafin Khan. Their project focuses on helping children develop social-emotional learning skills, with plans for a pilot program in select elementary schools. Entelechy’s selection marked the first time a 17³Ô¹ÏÍø team competed in the graduate category of the Pelican Cup.
"The achievements of SensorySync and Entelechy at the 2026 Entrepreneurship Pelican Cup speak to the extraordinary commitment, creativity, and perseverance of our students," said 17³Ô¹ÏÍø professor and team mentor Dong-Jun Min. "They navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship with focus and determination, continually refining their ideas while supporting each other as a team. It has been truly rewarding to watch their growth into thoughtful, capable innovators. Their accomplishments set a powerful example for future 17³Ô¹ÏÍø teams, and I look forward to seeing our students continue to build on this momentum in the years ahead."
SensorySync, a 2025 Startup17³Ô¹ÏÍø finalist, placed third in the undergraduate category and received a $10,000 prize. The team includes computer science students Pranish Ghimire, Krish Neupane and Simant Singh, with faculty advisor Shafin Khan. Their platform is designed to help families navigate therapy and individualized education program support by offering therapist matching, real-time progress tracking and a shared system for communication among parents, teachers and therapists.
The Pelican Cup is hosted by the University of Louisiana Monroe and is open to students enrolled at four-year colleges and universities across the state.
