Baton Rouge-based Encore CO2 and FarmSmarter.AI, a student team from LSU, won first place in their respective tracks at the inaugural Nexus Technology Cup last week.
Encore CO2, founded by Jordan Losavio, William McGehee and John Flake, earned first place in the open track and was also honored with the Most Innovative Award, securing a combined $45,000.
The company is leading efforts to build a circular carbon economy by transforming captured CO2 into high-value consumer products, including pharmaceuticals, while supporting zero-emission polymer manufacturing through the use of clean energy. Encore is using carbon emissions from a local brewery to produce the world’s first hard seltzer made from CO2.
The company was recently awarded a $275,000 Small Business Innovative Research grant from the National Science Foundation. It also received $200,000 from Future Use of Energy in Louisiana’s, or FUEL’s, Proof-of-Concept Fund in February.
The other top finishers in the open track were:
- Unknown Cyber, a Lafayette-based team comprising UL Lafayette professors Arun Lakhotia, James Hess, Lee Hubbard, Chris Thibodeaux and Evan Vamperine. The AI-driven platform provides genomic threat detection to help secure software supply chains and protect critical infrastructure with real-time, automated defense capabilities.
- MilestoneMate, founded by Shay Claiborne of New Orleans. The company’s digital platform supports early childhood development by helping parents and professionals track growth milestones, generate personalized recommendations and streamline early intervention through a centralized, user-friendly experience.
Winners in the open track were selected from 11 finalists out of more than 80 applicants.
FarmSmarter.AI took home a $15,000 prize in the college track for developing an AI-powered farming assistant that helps agricultural producers identify plants, diagnose issues and make data-driven decisions.
The team is made up of Grant Muslow, Colin Raby, Julius Pallotta and Cole Lacomb and is mentored by Fahimeh Abbasi of LSU’s Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship and Information Systems.
The other top finishers in the college track were:
- APNE, a platform that utilizes artificial intelligence and human review to detect bias and misinformation in news media. Mehrasa Amiri led the project with support from faculty adviser Mahmood Jasim of LSU.
- Dristi, a mobile application developed by Unika Bista and Divya Shah at the University of Louisiana at Monroe under the advisement of Prasanthi Sreekumari. The app uses AI to provide real-time scene descriptions for visually impaired users, increasing accessibility and independence.
Two high school teams were also invited to showcase their innovations on stage and received $2,500 each.
- Hexlio, developed by Benjamin Namikas of Baton Rouge High School, is a productivity app that integrates task management and distraction-elimination tools to help users focus. Lai Cao advised the project.
- Poseidon, a fully custom-built robot designed by Ren Hopkins, Aiden Bass and Brady Afeman of West Monroe High School. The students designed and engineered the robot independently. Faculty advisers Alison and Zachary Lovelady provided support.
