LSU Professor Wins Nexus Louisiana PitchBR Competition

BATON ROUGE — Professor Index, a cutting-edge startup dedicated to revolutionizing higher education, has been announced as the winner of Nexus Louisiana’s PitchBR competition. The event, known for spotlighting Louisiana’s most promising startups, provides a platform for innovative entrepreneurs to present their business ideas to a panel of esteemed judges and industry leaders.

PitchBR provides entrepreneurs an opportunity to enhance their company brand through presentation and public exposure. Participants present their product or technology to a panel of judges for the chance to win $1,000. Professor Index stood out among a competitive field, impressing judges with its innovative approach to enhancing transparency and teaching quality in higher education through AI-driven professor evaluations.
“We are honored and thrilled to have been selected as the winner” said Dr. Nash Mahmoud, CEO of Professor Index and a tenured professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Louisiana State University. “I think PitchBR is a must-do for entrepreneurs in Baton Rouge.”
Professor Index is on a mission to transform the landscape of higher education by providing a user-friendly platform for students to evaluate their professors and overall academic experience. Leveraging advanced technology, the platform offers institutions real-time data on instructional quality, enabling them to make informed decisions that improve academic outcomes and student satisfaction.
The competition also featured pitches from other promising startups, including AnnaBeth Guillory of BeautyFindr and Rodney Shepherd of Blue Tree. BeautyFindr is a pioneering app that connects clients with beauty professionals for a range of services, featuring an SOS urgent request feature for beauty emergencies. Blue Tree aims to revolutionize the collegiate entrepreneurship ecosystem by stimulating economic activity within university campuses, using innovative marketing software designed to connect business owners with peers seeking specific products and services on campus.
The PitchBR judges, included Lori Melancon, President & CEO of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber; Jelani Clark, Founder & CEO of Trendsic Corporation; and Calvin Mills, Jr., management consultant at Nexus Louisiana, praised Professor Index for its potential viability and scalability in the competitive ed-tech space.
Nexus Louisiana is a Baton Rouge-based 501(c)3 nonprofit that provides high-potential, technology-enabled companies with the coaching, capital, and connections they need to accelerate their growth.

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