“Dad, this curry paste expired 10 years ago.”
Max Moody-Wood ’28 and Ramsey Winowiak ’28 have both had to confront their parents about pantry waste. It’s not a conversation they want anyone else’s family having, either.
So the two Trinity University students, best friends since sixth grade, have built an app called SofraWise to take the stress out of family meal planning. Users can lock in multiple dietary restrictions, taste preferences, and budgetary constraints and then watch as the software creates a simple shopping list in seconds.
The startup just took home the $50,000 grand prize at Trinity University’s Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition, an annual multi-stage pitch contest now in its 11th year. Brushing off gold foil from the twin confetti cannons that went off during their award announcement, Moody-Wood says he wants to make meals less of a mess, too.
As of 2026, the Louis H. Stumberg Venture Competition has awarded $729,000 to student ventures and seen 72 startups launch since 2014. A special thank you to sponsors Frost Bank and the 80I20 Foundation for their partnership and support of the 2026 Stumberg Venture Competition, and their investment in student innovation.
Some startups begin with quick classroom conversations or by spitballing ideas with friends and entrepreneurship professors. Stumberg has seen whiteboard ideas transform into ventures ranging from digital pill bottles to automated door openers and projected motorcycle turn signals.
The Journey
After its preliminary round of pitches in Spring 2026, SofraWise was one of four finalists to advance to the Summer Incubator phase of the contest. This group included competitors The Recharge Pod, a stress-relief chamber for employees from Julie Navarro ’27; MEQ For You, a medical equipment re-distribution nonprofit from Liam Shepperd ’27; and Gratzi, a personalized luxury corporate gifting company from Kassie Falcon ’27, Bani Kaur ’28, and Lucy Praxmarer ’28.
After crash courses in business, tough-love consulting talks with seasoned mentors and industry connections, and the chance to work for their own business during the Summer Incubator, the SofraWise duo made a critical discovery.
“We were able to do some market research, and there was this conversation that we had with a single mom that just really opened our eyes,” Winowiak says. “We didn’t have a name to put to the problem we were trying to solve, but she described this issue of ‘decision fatigue.’ That’s what families were dealing with in terms of meal planning.”
Moody-Wood and Winowiak started formatting their questions to potential users experiencing ‘decision fatigue’ specifically and watched as the consumer base started engaging like never before.
The Final
At the final round, the startups made their final, streamlined pitches. Facing a bright, warm spotlight on Trinity’s Ruth Taylor Theater stage, the Moody-Wood and Winowiak made a simple argument to a panel of judges that included established entrepreneurs, Trinity trustees, and CEOs.
American families throw away, on average, about $3,000 of unused food each year, wasting about 150 hours of shopping for and packing items that will never see a plate. SofraWise users can cut each hour of meal planning into about 10 minutes.
“That’s money back, and time back with your family,” Winowiak says.
April Ancira ’02, a Trinity trustee and local auto group executive, was not sold on the concept after the preliminary round. But SofraWise’s final pitch, she says, hit closer to home.
“My daughter has made me order chicken nuggets one week, only to become a vegetarian the next. I will order what feels like 10 pounds of bread for my kids, and they won’t want to eat it,” Ancira mused. “We’ve all been going through the pantry and tossing food, while there are people out there going hungry. This pitch resonated with everyone in the room.”
After winning the $50,000 prize, SofraWise is diving headfirst into new legal, software, and research objectives. They’ve even got their eyes on potential partners in Kroger and Instacart.
But first, the duo says they’re looking forward to a good meal.
“I’ve always loved homemade enchiladas and burgers,” Moody-Wood says, while Winowiak has always hankered for his mom’s chili.
Soon, SofraWise might help other families look forward to what’s in the pantry, too.