Builder’s Bullpen Showcases Student Entrepreneurs

The panel of alumni judges included Gay Gaddis, who founded Austin advertising agency T3; Hall Martin, founder and CEO of TEN Capital Network; and Justin Fenchel, co-founder and CEO at BeatBox Beverages. After the pitch competition, the group held a panel discussion during which they talked about their experiences founding successful brands and the different ways they leveraged connections made during their time at UT.

The three other student-led pitches featured innovations in a variety of industries. Biology senior Ivy Fan presented her company, Spice-A-Bowl, which makes perfectly portioned spice cards to cook international cuisines at home. McCombs School of Business undergraduates Shariq Hafizi, Hazyk Obaid and Shrey Parekh pitched their company, Equitle, an AI-native platform that helps search funds and acquisition entrepreneurs find and acquire businesses more efficiently. Co-founder Stephen Herrera, an MBA candidate at McCombs, and interns Zahra Shaikhali and Eddie Zhou, both College of Natural Sciences undergrads, showcased Pinpoint Irrigation, a robotic, digitally mapped sprinkler system that cuts water use and installation costs by turning outdated irrigation into precise, data-driven infrastructure.

The Student Government's establishment of Builder's Bullpen is a testament to the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at UT. With over 150 students, alumni and Austin business professionals in attendance, the event provided students with the opportunity not only to pitch their ventures, but also to grow their networks and become inspired by one another.