Heirloom took home first place in the 2025 Top Dog New Venture Championship, Louisiana Tech University’s premier entrepreneurial pitch competition and one of the oldest in the state. Hosted by the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in the College of Business, the cross-disciplinary competition provides a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs to showcase innovative business ideas.
Jessica Ramey, a senior Computer Information Systems major, was named “Top Dog” by the judges for her venture, Heirloom, a family recipe social network that preserves culinary traditions by allowing users to store, share, and collaborate on digital and print cookbooks.
"Heirloom began as a simple idea that gave my love of cooking a deeper meaning,” said Ramey. “I’ve always had an entrepreneurial spirit, and I’m proud that I poured my heart into this business and that it truly resonated with people. I had so much fun competing in Top Dog, and I owe so much to Jessica George, whose mentorship and unceasing cheerleading made me a better entrepreneur."
This year’s competition featured 25 teams, with 12 advancing to the preliminaries and six earning a spot in the finals. Jessica George, Center director and instructor of management, mentored teams throughout the competition.
“Top Dog continues to showcase the remarkable creativity and collaboration happening across our campus,” said Dr. Chris Martin, dean of the College of Business. “Students from a range of disciplines are working together to solve real-world problems, and their ideas demonstrate the entrepreneurial spirit that defines Louisiana Tech. I’m grateful to this year’s judges for their time and invaluable feedback, and I commend each participant for their exemplary work.”
Finalists included:
- Heirloom (Jessica Ramey) (first place) – a digital platform that preserves family culinary traditions by turning treasured recipes into collaborative digital and print cookbooks, creating lasting “culinary memories” with opportunities for revenue through subscriptions, classes, and partnerships
- Wound IQ (Okeke Odirachukwu, Caleb Christopherson, Savala Ariba Salam) (second place) – transforms standard post-op dressings into smart sensors that track temperature and pH to detect early infection, combining disposable hardware with cloud-based software for scalable hospital revenue and improved patient outcomes
- MediMeal (Hailey Emerson, Kristian Pellegrino) (tied for third place) – an app that unites meal logging, medication reminders, and personalized health insights to help users connect diet, medication, and symptoms while providing reminders for better daily management
- Mirror Mirror (Dominic LeBouef, Luke Wilson) (tied for third place) – a smart mirror that provides users with glanceable schedules, reminders, and updates, turning daily routines into organized, stress-free moments for today’s busy lifestyle
- Gridiron Guardian (Luke Colwick, Harvey Gorecki, Max Mitchell, and Harold Braud) – a real-time data collection system that monitors players’ head impacts to help football organizations detect concussions early, protect athletes, reduce liability, and advance medical research
- Nature's Blend (Rex Bolls, Nickol Komsuprom) – a portable smoothie stand offering real-fruit smoothies for students with dietary restrictions, filling university dining’s mid-price market gap with high margins, low startup costs, and strong scalability across campuses
“I couldn’t be prouder of this year’s competitors,” said George. “Not only were their ideas innovative, but their spirit of collaboration across academic disciplines was inspiring. Each team member played to their individual strengths to find success — from finance majors to biomedical engineers. This collaboration, some of which was formed during last year’s Backed by Business event, is a hallmark of the Center’s mission.”
Notably, three Top Dog finalists were previous winners of Top Pup, a first-year student pitch competition in the College of Business designed to provide early exposure to entrepreneurship and startup methodology. Other competitors developed their ideas through George’s “Crafting a Business Pitch” course and Professor of Biomedical Engineering Dr. Patrick O’Neal’s “Medical Technology Innovation and Commercialization” class.
Under the guidance of Professor of Accounting Dr. Andrea Drake, members of the Institute of Management Accountants assisted teams with developing pricing strategies, projecting revenues and expenses, and preparing detailed income statements.
Judges for Top Dog included:
- Sean Cangelosi, ’00, ’02, franchisee, Smoothie King
- India Carroll, ’81, executive in residence, College of Business, Louisiana Tech
- Michael Leachman, ’02, partner and patent attorney, Jones Walker LLP
- Sarah Lowder, ’09, owner and founder, Lowder Baking Company
- Liz Maxwell, chief of staff, Idea Village
Winners were awarded $10,000 in prize money thanks to the generosity of Jones Walker LLP and BRF’s Entrepreneurial Accelerator Program.
Housed in the College of Business, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation fosters an entrepreneurial culture at Louisiana Tech by equipping students with the skills, experiences, and networks they need to innovate, create value, and lead in any career field.
The Center connects students, faculty, alumni, and partners through programs that spark creativity and transform ideas into impact. From pitch competitions to cross-campus collaborations, the Center serves as the hub for entrepreneurship and innovation at Tech.