Competition at Arrowhead Center’s Nusenda Fintech Lab awarded top honors to ventures focused on energy audits, AI research tools and advanced manufacturing

Alejandro Najera-Acosta, New Mexico State University

LAS CRUCES - The Nusenda Fintech Lab at New Mexico State University’s Arrowhead Center hosted its Bold Idea Challenge on April 24, 2026, at the Corbett Center Student Union on the NMSU campus. The competition brought together six finalist teams — selected from a 12-student cohort — who pitched their student-led startup ideas before a panel of expert judges. Each team had completed the Hunt Center’s full entrepreneurship pipeline, progressing through the Studio G CEO pathway and the Aggie I-Corps customer discovery program before reaching the competition stage.

The six finalists represented a diverse range of industries and innovations, from energy software and advanced manufacturing to food security and sustainability. Each team arrived at the Bold Idea Challenge having completed more than 20 customer discovery interviews through the Aggie I-Corps program, grounding their pitches in real market insight rather than untested assumptions. The Studio G CEO pathway gave each team the tools to structure their ventures, define their value propositions, and build business models that withstand scrutiny from experienced investors and entrepreneurs.

The competition was evaluated by a panel of three judges bringing a breadth of expertise across entrepreneurship, investment, academia, and industry: Griselda Martínez Cereceres, founder of Ascendo Strategies; Luis Ortiz, assistant professor of Management at NMSU’s College of Business; and Christoph Hüller, assistant professor of Marketing at NMSU’s College of Business.

First place was awarded to Green Audit Pro, an energy audit software platform developed by NMSU students Rashed Abuaamoud and Tamer Abuaamoud. Green Audit Pro automates the multi-week process of building energy audits. The team’s strong technical foundation, clear market validation from 20 customer discovery interviews, and compelling business model earned them the top prize.

Second place was awarded to SCOPE — System for Comprehensive Proposal Enhancement — a UTEP-based venture led by Swapnil Samant, which is building an AI-driven platform to help researchers secure more funding. The team’s participation in the Bold Idea Challenge highlights the Hunt Center’s growing reach across the Borderplex and its commitment to supporting founders on both sides of the regional ecosystem.

Third place was awarded to SmartLPBF, a predictive intelligence platform for defect-free additive manufacturing developed by NMSU student Shraddha Bhandari.

All three placing teams, along with the remaining finalist cohort, received cash prizes recognizing their hard work, community engagement, and entrepreneurial progress throughout the program.

“The I-Corps customer discovery process isn’t easy — it challenges your assumptions and forces you to confront the gap between what you think the market wants and what it actually needs. These teams leaned into that discomfort, got out and talked to real customers, and genuinely listened, even when the feedback was hard to hear. That’s what separates a great idea from a viable business,” said Gianna Sanchez, program coordinator with Aggie I-Corps.

The Bold Idea Challenge is organized through the Nusenda Fintech Lab, a program at NMSU’s Arrowhead Center made possible through the support of Nusenda Credit Union. The Nusenda Fintech Lab serves as a hub for entrepreneurship and innovation programming in southern New Mexico, providing the infrastructure, resources, and funding that make events like the Bold Idea Challenge possible. Nusenda’s investment in the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem reflects a shared commitment to building economic opportunity and supporting the next generation of founders across the Borderplex.

“Events like the Bold Idea Challenge are a testament to what our students can accomplish when they are given the right tools, mentorship, and space to build,” said Carlos Cuesta, director of Studio G. “Every team that competed today has done the hard work of getting out of the building, talking to real customers, and pressure-testing their ideas. That is what the Hunt Center is here to support.”

Alejandro Najera-Acosta can be reached at 575-646-2025 or a_najera@nmsu.edu.