UNH Today

A team that developed a system that reduces electricity costs for cold-storage warehouses through predictive pricing and strategic pre-cooling earned the $15,000 grand prize at the 37th Paul J. Holloway Prize Innovation to Market Competition.    

Granite State Systems secured the victory following the final round of the competition on May 6, where six teams of student entrepreneurs from across UNH pitched their business plans to a panel of esteemed alums and industry-leading judges.     

Granite State Systems leverages novel sensor technology and a proprietary algorithm to integrate machine learning into heating, ventilation and air conditioning units to optimize energy consumption by pre-cooling or pre-heating cold storage warehouses during periods of lower electricity prices.  

The team included Brett Schultz ’25, a finance and sustainability dual major; Shea Garland ’27, a finance major; and Rowan Baptista ’27, a mechanical engineering major.  

“I participated in this competition as a freshman and a sophomore, and I did not make it to the final round either year,” Schultz says. “This is my third and final year at UNH, and to make it to the finals and win, I have goosebumps.”  

Named in honor of Paul J. Holloway, an accomplished business leader and successful entrepreneur, the Holloway competition is USNH's premier business plan competition for undergraduate and graduate students across the university system.  

UNH President Elizabeth Chilton said hosting the competition is something that UNH takes pride in.  

“The Holloway Competition is more than a contest. It's a reflection of who we are here at UNH and where we're headed,” Chilton says. “Our commitment to entrepreneurship at UNH has never been stronger, and now with Paul College proudly serving as the new home for the UNH Entrepreneurship Center, the future is bright and full of possibility.”  

Paul College Dean Lucy Gilson said that every team that competes in Holloway has an opportunity to positively impact New Hampshire and beyond. She also noted the interdisciplinary nature of the competition, with all UNH colleges represented at the start of the competition and three represented in the finals.  

“Entrepreneurship is alive and well at UNH,” Gilson says. “Look at how many freshmen we had competing this year and last year, and the number of different colleges and disciplines represented – that is truly what entrepreneurship is. Entrepreneurship does not reside in any one place.”  

The top prize in the Holloway competition continued a trend of growing success for Granite State Systems. Four companies have committed to testing Granite State’s technology, and pilot tests in both a mini fridge and a walk-in freezer demonstrated a 16% reduction in electricity costs and a 12% decrease in overall operating expenses. 

The team also recently secured a grant from the UNH Entrepreneurship Center and will be working on the product full time in the months ahead. 

“We have folks that want to buy it, we just needed capital to make the product and ship it out, and now we have it,” Schultz says. 

Second Place  

Thrival, a self-massage tool focused on deep tissue therapy, earned the $10,000 second-place prize and the $2,000 People’s Choice Award.  

Thrival was co-founded by Dominic Rainville ’25, a finance major and UNH alpine ski team member. Rainville started the company with Cam Smith, a competitive skier from Boston College.  

Third Place    

Aerial Perspectives, LLC, a business that provides drone services and education, earned the $5,000 third-place prize.  

The business was founded by Ryan Guerette ’26, a homeland security and justice studies major, and offers private and commercial services, along with thermal search and rescue, while its educational programs include flying lessons and an overview of drone rules and regulations.  

The three runner-up teams, each earning $1,000, were:    

QuickQuery AI: An AI-powered assistant for local government websites that can help citizens locate the proper forms and create citizen newsletters. The business was founded by Arthur Murphy ’27, a business administration major.   

QuickQuery AI also earned the Embrace New Hampshire Award. The award recognizes ventures, regardless of where they place in the competition, that would significantly impact the New Hampshire community and economy if successfully launched.    

Nuelife: All-natural skin serums crafted with sustainability in mind. It offers a clean, eco-friendly alternative to the synthetic ingredients commonly used by major brands and meets the growing consumer demand for natural, environmentally responsible skincare solutions. Nuelife was founded by Aiden Bondaz ’28, a mechanical engineering major.  

Obscura AI: A privacy tool that protects your digital fingerprint from being used against you. Founded by Shaun Devan, ’28, a computer science and cybersecurity major, and Xander Cogan ’28, a computer science student.