Student startups in food, tech and education split prize allocation after a year of building, refining and pitching their businesses before a panel of judges experienced entrepreneurship and venture capital.
May 12, 2025
By Alexandria Salinas
At the conclusion of this year's Institute for Entrepreneurship CREATE program final pitches, eight student-created ventures emerged as funding recipients—dividing $50,000 to help bring their business ideas to life.
CREATE, a cross-campus accelerator program run by the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation and led by associate director Paul Evans concluded this year’s program at the end of the spring semester. CREATE powered by the Shaddock Seed Fund invited student teams from across TCU to develop and refine their business ventures throughout the school year and then make final pitches before a panel of judges. Ten teams pitched in April, and eight received funding.
Among the winning teams was Bakame AI, a mobile, offline English learning platform designed by first-year student Happy Herman, majoring in economics in the AddRan College of Liberal Arts and finance in the Neeley School of Business. The tool was built for students in Rwanda and uses artificial intelligence to increase access to English education and promote academic advancement.
“I started a nonprofit to help kids on the streets of Kigali go to school,” Herman said, when explaining the origins of Bakame AI, which received $8,000 from CREATE.
Two additional teams walked away with a prize allocation of $8,000. One included junior Beckett Kitaen and George Zhou, the creators of Buffs, Bold Snax product meant to replace empty calories with beef-based protein puffs.
The other team was Accelerating Success, a digital education platform for science teachers developed by Rocco Williams, a PhD student in the College of Education.
The energy of the final pitches in Shaddock Auditorium was matched by the diversity of ventures. They included Intrapic, a lab automation startup led by Ibrahim Bozkurt, Ali Gasimli and Ugur Topkiran in the College of Science & Engineering, and Frankie’s Tacos, a pop-up taco concept built by Frankie Napolitano, first-year finance student and a member of the John V. Roach Honors College. Both teams received $6,000.
“Where I think I separate from a typical food truck is that I care about selling a product I would actually want to eat,” Napolitano said. “I’m not revolutionizing anything—I’m just taking care of my product.”
Three other ventures — ARÈ Vegan Beauty by Amaris Arellano ($5,000); Towel Rescue ($5,000), by Luana Araco Dominguez and Gabby Fasulo; and Elevate UR Bar by Hannah Nenadic ($4,000) — also walked away with prize allocations.
After pitches wrapped, Evans congratulated the participants and reflected on how much the students developed and elevated their business knowledge as they progressed through CREATE.
“You guys should be proud of yourselves—I certainly am. The pitches this year just blew me away,” Evans said.
The culmination of the one-year CREATE process was focused clearly on progress and enhanced entrepreneurial concepts. Each venture represented a ripened idea built by a student bold enough to test it and a community willing to invest in it.
| Business | Student | College/School | Prize Allocation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elevate UR Bar | Hannah Nenadic | College of Communication | $ 4,000 |
| ARÈ Vegan | Amaris Arellano | College of Fine Arts | $ 5,000 |
| Towel Rescue | Luana Araco Dominguez, and Gabby Fasulo | College of Science & Engineering and Neeley School of Business | $ 5,000 |
| Frankie's Tacos | Frankie Napolitano | Neeley School of Business and John V. Roach Honors College | $ 6,000 |
| Intrapic | Ibrahim Bozkurt, Ali Gasimli, and Ugur Topkiran | College of Science & Engineering | $ 6,000 |
| Accelerating Success | Rocco Williams | College of Education | $ 8,000 |
| Bakame AI | Happy Herman | College of Liberal Arts | $ 8,000 |
| Bold Snax (Buffs) | Beckett Kitaen, and George Zhou | Neeley School of Business | $ 8,000 |
