Nexus Louisiana Announces Judges for the 2025 Technology Cup

The panel of judges hail from leading tech giants including Amazon, Block and MIT.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Nexus Louisiana is proud to announce its lineup of judges for the inaugural 2025 Nexus Technology Cup, a statewide competition spotlighting Louisiana’s top tech talent. These industry leaders bring decades of experience in cutting-edge technology, entrepreneurship and education, and will play a crucial role in evaluating and inspiring the next generation of tech pioneers.

The judges will be instrumental in assessing the competing teams, highlighting the event’s focus on builders and innovators. As Karl Reid, Ph.D., former Vice President at MIT and a leading advocate for increasing diversity in engineering and higher education, explains, "Creating space to unleash bright minds and creative ideas is essential for economic growth and opportunity. I am honored to serve as a judge for this inaugural event that recognizes and catalyzes the most innovative tech talent that Louisiana has to offer, and I'm excited to contribute in this small way." Co-founder of the NSF-funded Engineering PLUS Alliance, Reid has held executive roles at Northeastern University and NSBE, and is an accomplished author committed to expanding access and opportunity for underrepresented groups.

Also included on the judges' roster are:

Angie Jones, Global Vice President of Developer Relations at Block, Inc., home to Cash App, Square, and Tidal. Jones is an award-winning educator and international keynote speaker with 27 patents in areas including virtual worlds, collaboration software, and social networking.

Jason Varghese, Tech Leader and Cloud/Apps Architect for Amazon.With over 17 years of experience architecting high-performance, scalable software systems, Varghese is known for building top-tier teams and delivering reliable solutions.

Dianna Liu, Founder and President of ARIX Technologies, Inc., specializing in cost-effective robotic inspection solutions for pipeline safety. A former ExxonMobil engineer with degrees from Duke University and Yale MBA, Liu is shaping the future of industrial safety and efficiency.

Padma Vatsavai, Founder and CEO of Vinformatix, LLC, a Baton Rouge-based firm creating innovative software for medical, research, and public sector applications. Vatsavai has 25 years of leadership and technical expertise in STEM.

"As a Louisiana native who had to leave the state to pursue a career in tech, it means the world to me to see programs like the Nexus Technology Cup putting our state on the tech map," said Jones. "I count it not only an honor, but an absolute privilege to serve as a judge for this event. I'm excited to see what innovative solutions the teams come up with"

The Nexus Technology Cup, taking place June 17-19 at The Water Campus, will feature 21 Louisiana teams competing for a total of $100,000 in cash prizes. Out of 74 applications, 44 teams advanced to the semi-finals, with 21 finalists selected to compete in the live demonstrations.

"For our inaugural event, it was critical to demonstrate Louisiana's ability to attract national industry experts to coach our best and brightest," said Nexus Louisiana President and CEO Tony Zanders."We also wanted the experience for our finalists to be impactful both personally and professionally. To do so we recruited a panel of judges that reflected the diversity of our finalists. While growing as an entrepreneur is important, seeing people you can relate to who have done it is even more important."

On Wednesday, June 18, college teams from Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana at Monroe, Grambling State University, and University of Louisiana at Lafayette will take the stage. High school teams from Baton Rouge Magnet High School and West Monroe High School will have the opportunity to present what they've built. On Thursday June 19, 11 tech founders from Baton Rouge, Lafayette, LaPlace, and New Orleans will demo their hardware and software products, with the Most Innovative Award announced to close the event.

For more information, visit nexusla.org/technologycup or email hello@nexusla.org.