Stumberg Startups Ready To Shine in 2026

From redistributed medical equipment to meal planning apps, Trinity University’s next wave of Stumberg startups is prepping for a summer of high-stakes growth.

Trinity’s annual Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition gives student entrepreneurs the chance to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges, with real seed funding and prize money on the line. Stumberg just finished its preliminary seed round, with five teams taking $7,000 in funding and moving on to the final in the fall, with a $50,000 grand prize at stake.

These five teams, Gratzi, PassItOn, The Recharge Pod, MEQ For You, and Tasuke Prep, will first have the chance to participate in Trinity’s Summer Incubator, says Carmen Aramanda, director of Trinity’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. That’s 10 weeks these student teams get to spend with free on-campus housing, 40-hr/week salaries (on top of the $7,000 seed fund), and taking part in crucial networking, fundraising, and development opportunities.

“Stumberg is an opportunity for students to build their future without missing a step in completing their degree,” Aramanda says. “The Seed Prize funding makes it possible to complete customer discovery, prepare prototypes, develop marketing, pivot an idea to better align with the market if needed, or reach their goals of entering the market faster than they had initially planned.”

The $7,000 seed fund is an increase from the $5,000 previously offered. The $50,000 grand prize also represents a bump from the $45,000 amount offered in 2025.

While the five teams will be moving on to the Stumberg finals in the fall, Aramanda adds that the incubator is actually open to non-Stumberg participants. “This is shaping up to be the best Incubator program yet.”

Meet the five Stumberg finalists, and hear why they’re excited for the next step of their Stumberg journey.

Gratzi

Kassie Falcon ’27 | Bani Kaur ’28 | Lucy Praxmarer ’28

Gratzi reinforces relationships through highly personalized, corporate gifts, curated by interests, needs, and company goals.

Falcon: “I think we're most excited about rolling out our early adopters and kinda getting our MVP finished and started so we can really get some good traction and feedback and continue to make, or start to make, profits!”

Kaur: “Kind of going off that, I’m excited seeing what the feedback and response are to Gratzi, seeing the different ways we can implement it, and exploring different businesses and ventures that would use Gratzi.”

Luxy Praxmarer ’28: “I would say I’m most excited about the A/B testing of our website and survey.”

PassItOn

Joshua Silvanus ’26 | Natalie Marie Tiglao ’26

PassItOn is a student-only marketplace that helps users buy and resell campus essentials. With transactions limited to a trusted University network, students can reduce waste and recover value from unused items.

Tigalo and Silvanus: “We’re most excited about launching PassItOn at Trinity and seeing our idea become a tangible part of campus life. After months of building and preparing behind the scenes, watching students actively list, buy, and resell items through the platform will be incredibly rewarding. For us, the Final Round represents more than just a pitch. It marks the transition from concept to real-world impact within our very own community.”

The Recharge Pod 

Julie Navarro ’27

The Recharge Pod uses integrated neurotechnology to support mental clarity and full-body relaxation in the workplace. The pod combines multiple recovery modalities into a single guided experience.

Julie Navarro ’27: “I’m super excited to start A/B testing with the three companies and show employers what this technology can do for their employees.”

MEQ For You

Liam Shepperd ’27

MEQ redistributes reusable medical equipment to those struggling with rising medical costs, making well-being more accessible.

Shepperd: “The most exciting next step for MEQ For You going into preparing for the final round is starting our club here on campus and beginning donations at clinics!”

Tasuke Prep

Max Moody-Wood ’27 | Ramsey Winowiak ’28 | Mehmet Berke-Dur ’28

Tasuke Prep is a fully customizable meal-planning app that builds personalized weekly meal plans and grocery carts, aimed at busy families and young professionals. Users can tailor meals, save time, reduce food waste, and lower costs, all while removing the stress of weekly meal prep.

Moody-Wood: “I am most excited about being able to devote 100% of my energy to this idea I am so passionate about. Being able to build and better and finally create a working product is just so cool to me. I am also really excited about connecting with other entrepreneurs to get different insights and more tools to further our idea.”

Berke-Dur: “I am mostly excited about building the app and experimenting with different AI models. I also can't wait to reach out to the connections we've made in the Seed Round that can guide us through these technical processes.”

Winowiak: “Personally, I’m looking forward to fully fleshing out our idea, testing market need, app development, and reaching out to all of the connections we’ve made so far.”