Voice-driven Documentation Platform Wins 2026 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge
April 15, 2026
2026 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge Winners (left to right): third place Julia Fontana (Bloom + Bond); second place Kalayna Walker (Alo Bloom); first place Raedan Stephens and Nick Demas (Smartective)
– Photo by Bret Lovetro
BATON ROUGE—Smartective, a documentation platform for field-heavy industries that uses AI to replace paperwork
with voice-driven document completion and automated quality checks, won first place
in the 2026 J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge and received a $25,000 award.
Smartective's co-founders are Raedan Stephens, who is pursuing majors in biological
engineering and computer science, and Nick Demas, who holds a BS Biological Engineering
(2024) and an MBA (2025).
The J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge, hosted by the LSU Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute, is an annual business plan pitch competition open to all on-campus students and recent alumni across the LSU system. The competition provides capital and technical support as these entrepreneurs develop their pitches and plans. In the first round, contestants submit an application and a two-minute pitch video explaining their venture. Semi-finalists prepare an executive business plan. Plans are evaluated, and three finalists are selected to pitch live to a panel of judges for a chance to earn a share of the $50,000 prize pool, made possible by the generosity of the J Terrell Brown family.
Kalayna Walker, a communication studies major, earned second place and $15,000 for her business, Alo Bloom. Through events, access to mentorship and real role-model exposure, Alo Bloom creates a safe and empowering environment where young people with alopecia can thrive emotionally, socially and professionally.
Bloom + Bond, founded by Julia Fontana, a two-time LSU graduate with a BS Management (2024) and an MBA (2025), earned third place and $10,000. The venture is a modern childcare platform connecting vetted nannies with high-intent families.
"The J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge inspires innovation. We are grateful to the Brown family for their generous support," said Russell Crook, dean of the E. J. Ourso College of Business. "This program is a key part of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute's work to nurture LSU entrepreneurs. Notably, this year's winners applied twice before being chosen for the finals. Using feedback and mentoring throughout the process, Raedan and Nick improved their idea and refined their pitch. They demonstrated the grit and perseverance we aim to instill in all of our graduates."
The competition has played a role in launching successful businesses. FarmMind, the 2024 competition winner, took first place and the $100,000 grand prize at the American Farm Bureau Federation's 2026 Ag Innovation Challenge. The AI-powered tool for professional farming and recreational gardening communities also placed seventh in the Rice Business Plan Competition, the world's largest student startup competition. Mallard Bay, an online marketplace for hunting and fishing trips, earned third place in 2021. In 2024, the company announced a $4.6 million funding round.
For more information about the competition, visit lsu.edu/business/venture.
About Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute
The mission of the Stephenson Entrepreneurship Institute is to promote and foster entrepreneurial practices through education, outreach, and research. An integral part of LSU's E. J. Ourso College of Business, the SEI utilizes its various programs and other means to address entrepreneurial challenges and positively impact students, the regional economy, the state of Louisiana, and the nation. A generous donation by LSU alumni Emmet and the late Toni Stephenson made the continued development of the college's entrepreneurship institute possible.