<p><span class="p-body">On Monday, April 21, 2025, the NYU SPS <a href="/content/sps-nyu/about/academic-divisions-and-departments/jonathan-m-tisch-center-of-hospitality.html" target="_blank">Tisch Center of Hospitality’s</a> <a href="/content/sps-nyu/experience/how-youll-learn/the-hospitality-innovation-hub.html" target="_blank">HI HUB Incubator</a> concluded its 2025 Fall Cohort with the signature “Pitch Your Passion &amp; Seal the Deal” event. Held in person at Google HQ and virtually via Google Meet, this hybrid pitch contest brought together aspiring entrepreneurs, changemakers, and industry leaders for an exciting afternoon of making connections and inspiring presentations.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Four entrepreneurial teams took the spotlight, each given 8 minutes to pitch their startup to a panel of esteemed judges. The pitches were structured around key investor-focused questions, addressing challenges, solutions, business models, markets, and team strengths.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">After thoughtful deliberation, judges scored each pitch based on four categories: Business Model, Product &amp; Originality, Market, and Team. During a networking break, both in-person and virtual attendees connected while final scores were tallied.</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">In the end, Rural Tourism Network emerged as the winner, receiving the $20,000 grand prize!&nbsp; Led by Briana Konecke, RTN creates a network for small towns and businesses, encouraging sustainable tourism, cultural preservation, and economic resilience across rural communities. Briana stood on stage as an individual entrepreneur and sold her company as a “DMO’s own version of Salesforce.”</span></p> <p><span class="p-body">Konecke’s commitment to community impact, clear business model, and powerful storytelling earned them top marks and enthusiastic support from the audience.</span></p>