Four Finalists Will Compete for a $100,000 Investment Prize at BREW’s High Stakes Pitch Competition

(Baton Rouge, La., April 25, 2023) — Four Louisiana startups — JurisDeed, Thrivvy, DAWn Audio and Ceres — have been named finalists for Nexus Louisiana’s upcoming High Stakes Pitch Competition. They emerged from a field of 50-plus applicants and 11 semifinalists.

Nexus Louisiana has raised a $100,000 investment commitment from members of the Red Stick Angel Network to be awarded to the High Stakes Pitch winner. In addition to the top prize, the competition also: 

The High Stakes Pitch Competition will take place May 5, the final day of Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week (BREW), on the venue’s main stage. Pitches will consist of 10-minute presentations, with 10 minutes for Q&A. During the Q&A, each judge should be able to ask one question. Afterward, the judges will be escorted to a private room to deliberate and select the winner.

"The High Stakes Pitch Competition is an invaluable opportunity for startups in Louisiana to showcase their innovative ideas and gain access to resources that will help them grow and scale. It's a great way to highlight the amazing potential that Louisiana startups have while investing in these creative minds and building our state’s future," said Na'Tisha Natt, director of community engagement at NexusLA.

The four finalists are local, high-potential startups that the selection committee identified as highly investable.

JurisDeed is an online property intelligence platform dynamically connecting real estate's historical records with ‌current legal interest-holders. The company empowers real estate professionals, local government and other stakeholders with the critical ownership data needed to enable transactions of distressed real estate and unlock otherwise trapped opportunities for wealth creation and community prosperity.

Thrivvy is a disruptive software company revolutionizing the online grocery industry. The company has an innovative price-comparison app that helps shoppers find the best deals on their everyday essentials with the click of a button, saving them both time and money. On the other side of the market, retailers and brands will have access to deep insights on what other competitors are charging for the same consumer packaged goods and how that influences consumer purchasing habits. They can use this data to make informed decisions about pricing, promotions and product placement, leading to increased sales and improved customer loyalty.

Digital music collaboration today forces artists to email audio files back and forth when collaborating because of incompatibilities in the tools they use, called digital audio workstations (DAWs). DAWn Audio bridges compatibility between these tools, building a "DAW-network" that provides artists the creative freedom to co-create live, from anywhere in the world, across their preferred DAW.

Makers of the first cereal with 20 grams of plant protein, Ceres is a Louisiana-founded sustainable snack company. Created by childhood friends Rich Simmerman and Branson Morgan, Ceres aims to create nourishing experiences for people and the planet through delicious and sustainable nutrition. Ceres was named “Top Physical Consumer Product” at the 2022 AWS University Startup Competition and is showing the world that the future of plant protein is brewing on the bayou.

The winner of the 2022 High Stakes Pitch Competition, ParkZen, will be on tap during the multiday BREW event to help the hundreds of anticipated attendees find parking in Downtown Baton Rouge.

For more information about BREW, to view the entire session lineup or to purchase tickets, visit www.celebratebrew.com.

Nexus Louisiana’s mission is to accelerate the growth of high-potential companies by providing them with coaching, capital and connections. Our programs leverage regional collaboration to foster mentorship, investment and opportunity for local entrepreneurs to grow their ideas and transform the technology industry in Louisiana. For more information, please visit https://nexusla.org.