Food Delivery Start-Up Wins 2026 Summit Innovation Challenge

Bantam Bites, a food-delivery service that allows students to order from campus dining locations and have food delivered by other students, took first place in the upper-year division of Trinity College’s fourth annual Summit Innovation Challenge.

Jesse Deck ’28, Josh Hartman ’28, and Owen Reilly ’28 developed the service, which Reilly described as “essentially like DoorDash or Grubhub” but built specifically for Trinity. The team received the top prize, including funding and continued mentorship to help further develop their business concept.

The Summit Innovation Challenge, hosted by Trinity’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center and sponsored by the Beba Foundation, is a dynamic pitch competition that invites students to present their ideas to a panel of judges made up of alumni, parents, and industry professionals.

The challenge, according to Danny Briere, Ruane Family Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Center, is meant to celebrate creativity, invention, and entrepreneurial thinking on campus.

The challenge also is the next step for student teams participating in the Tyree Innovation Fellowship, a two-year program for first- and second-year students that uses curated experiences, skill-building activities, and mentorship to help participants develop skills essential for success in college and beyond. Mentors for the Tyree Fellows were alumni and parents Umran Beba P’26, Matt Bomes ’18, Alec Buffamote ’17, Tracy Chadwell ’87, Ted Duff ’92, Teddy Schiff ’01, and Alex Stein ’87.

At the conclusion of the evening, the judges—Korhan Beba, Jennifer Coffey ’92, Betsy Ludwig ’92, P’28, Matthew Shair P’29, N. Louis Shipley ’85, and Casey Tischer ’01—decided on the winners across categories of upper-years and first-years. Through their participation, students received industry feedback and expanded their professional networks.

In the upper-year category, behind Bantam Bites, the Splash Stash by Grace Terrell ’28 took second place, and Awafi, a smart dental clinic app by Fadhil Ahmed ’26, Eleanor J. Burke ’26, and Kamilla Volkova ’26 claimed third. The teams were advised by Entrepreneurship Center Entrepreneur-in-Residence Reid Lewis, Briere, and Schiff, respectively.

In the first-year category, three entries were named winners: Cheri, a feminine hygiene product designed by Gigi Winston ’29 that fits discreetly into a phone wallet; DormDash, a different food-service delivery service created by Antek Nawrocki ’29 and George Webster ’29; and Maison Muñoz, a convertible couture reconfigurable high-fashion dress line created by Victoria Muñoz ’29. The teams were advised by Chadwell, Stein, and Lewis, respectively.

In addition, as part of Trinity’s partnership with Hartford Magnet Trinity College Academy (HMTCA), five HMTCA students from presented four products: Jahleel Cameron and Kaylanie Martinez presented G.A.S., an automatic sensor-driven trash separation system; Anthony Martinez shared MailMate, a postal and package security system; Ajay Patel offered The Season Shifter, a modular outdoor landscaping device; and Vincente Santiago presented Money Scrubber, a furniture solution that helps elderly and disabled individuals remain seated while bathing. These students, advised by HMTCA teacher Vasyl Olesksenko, received iPads for their participation.

Shair said that he was impressed by all participants. “All the pitches were good; it was hard to select winners,” he said. “However, a few stood above the others based on whether they addressed an unaddressed need, the thoughtfulness of the solution, and how compelling and articulate the presentation was.”

Winston’s idea emerged from a struggle she experienced herself. “It was just the problem of always getting my period when I was on the go, and I didn’t have period products in my bag or pocket,” she said. “Being part of this encourages me a lot to keep moving forward with this product. Bringing a new product in is scary, but it feels a lot easier knowing that Trinity is supporting me.”

Reilly credited Trinity’s programming for his interest and growth in innovation and entrepreneurship. “I did this last year, and I actually won last year as well [for Paw Patroller, a smart pet collar], and that was through the “Create, Invent, Innovate” first-year seminar, which was fantastic because it was my pillar for getting into entrepreneurship here,” he said. “I joined the Tyree Fellowship this semester with a new idea, and Danny Briere and our mentor, Reid Lewis, and many other people who’ve been working to grow the Entrepreneurship Center have done an amazing job, and I’ve learned so much from all of them.”

“Create, Invent, Innovate” is among the courses offered in Trinity’s First-Year Seminar Program, which features discussion-rich classes designed to develop critical reading, writing, research, and academic habits of mind as students transition into college learning.

Coffey said that the competition’s participants are “embodying the spirit of entrepreneurialism.” She added, “Trinity students are particularly well-positioned to take part in an event like this because they are being given the support and structure to build confidence in themselves and their ideas.”

Briere reflected on the Summit Innovation Challenge’s mission to challenge students to find a problem they are passionate about and then work toward a meaningful solution. “In most colleges, it is all about starting companies. At Trinity, it’s about building mindsets,” he said. “We are all about building amazingly creative, inventive, innovative, and entrepreneurial students . . . overlaying teaching in innovation and entrepreneurship skills on top of our strong liberal arts Trinity Plus curriculum.”