R:3 River, Road, Rail Pitch Competition Winner Announced

July 1, 2025 |By Kelly Hite

NEW ORLEANS – Mira Intel, a startup developing data monitoring solutions, captured first place and a $5,000 prize at the R3: River, Road, Rail Pitch Competition, held June 20 at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. The event was a highlight of the Louisiana International Trade Conference, hosted by the World Trade Center New

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NEW ORLEANS - Mira Intel, a startup developing data monitoring solutions, captured first place and a $5,000 prize at the R3: River, Road, Rail Pitch Competition, held June 20 at the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans. The event was a highlight of the Louisiana International Trade Conference, hosted by the World Trade Center New Orleans and StartupNOLA.

Second place and $1,000 went to Da t aHaul, an AI-driven trucking company, while GlowSense, focusing on sensor-based technologies, claimed third place with a $500 award.

“The R3 Pitch Competition underscored Louisiana’s growing role as a hub for innovation in the transportation and logistics industry,” said Harrison Crabtree, Director, World Trade Center of New Orleans. “This competition wasn’t just about pitches; it was about peering into the future of the transportation and logistics sector and the startups that will drive growth.”

The R3 competition was created to identify and showcase idea-stage and early-stage startups in Louisiana that are developing technology-enabled solutions for the transportation and logistics industries. The competition focused on innovations in areas such as supply chain optimization, sustainable shipping technologies, port and terminal operations, and improvements in logistics and transportation for roads, rails, and waterways. Safety and compliance solutions were also key areas of interest.

“The R3 Competition was the first ever pitch competition focused on transportation and logistics,” said Evie Poitevent Sanders, Director of Innovation & Entrepreneurship at GNO, Inc. and coordinator of the event. “We wanted to broaden it beyond ports and see who’s out there working on roads and rail, as well.”

Each of the four finalist teams had five minutes to pitch and three minutes for Q&A, judged on criteria including innovation and originality, market demand, feasibility and scalability, and the quality of their pitch deck and presentation. Each finalist also presented financial forecasts to demonstrate potential revenue, costs, and business growth.

R:3 River, Road, Rail Finalists

The finalists included:

MiraIntel – Focused on data monitoring systems for logistics and transportation operations.
DataHaul – An AI trucking company aiming to improve routing, fleet management, and logistics.
GlowSense – Developing technology related to sensors, monitoring, or smart infrastructure.
Intermodal Renewables – Innovating solar panels for intermodal shipping containers, integrating renewable energy into logistics.

“The panel was a good mix of companies working on very different aspects of ports, roads, and rail in the region,” said Poitevent Sanders.

R:3 River, Road, Rail Panelists

Judges for the competition were:

Blake Stanfill, Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the New Orleans Startup Fund;
Josh Fleig, Chief Innovation Officer at Louisiana Economic Development (LED);
Adam Matasar, Partner in the Corporate Practice Group at Jones Walker LLP;
Ted Knight, Senior Advisor for Commercial Operations, Port of South Louisiana; and
Kristi App, Chief Operations Officer at J.W. Allen & Co., Inc. and outgoing chair of the World Trade Center New Orleans Board.

The pitch competition also featured discussions on energy, trade policies, port development, and other topics, culminating in the awards ceremony. Organizers view R3 as a key initiative to foster innovation and economic growth within Louisiana’s trade and logistics industries by giving emerging entrepreneurs a platform to connect with industry leaders and investors.

The Louisiana International Trade Conference is regarded as the state’s premier event for discussions on trade and logistics and is sponsored annually by the World Trade Center New Orleans and the Port of South Louisiana.