Rhodes College juniors Sandy Mansour and Kai Virani have been selected as finalists in the E-Fest® competition, hosted by the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Since 2017, the competition has awarded more than $1.5M dollars to undergraduate business ventures.
The Rhodes team will present their venture, Helwa Fragrance, alongside top collegiate startups from across the nation April 24–27.
According to founder and psychology major Mansour, Helwa, meaning “pretty” in Arabic, is a luxury fragrance brand that merges fashion and function. The brand’s signature product is a sleek bracelet with a discreet, refillable compartment for rub-on perfume.
“I wanted to make fragrance portable, stylish, and easy to use,” said Mansour, who is a psychology major. “Helwa not only brings a unique concept to the market but also allows me to live out my dream of giving children around the world gifts that bring joy and hope. I wanted to create something that made everything more ‘Helwa’—your scent, your look, and your impact.”
Marketing lead Kai Virani, who is an economics major, has played a key role in shaping the brand’s pitch and preparing for the E-Fest® competition.
The Helwa team has benefited from strong mentorship and interdisciplinary collaboration. Eric Mathews, Rhodes’ Entrepreneur-in-Residence, served as a strategic advisor, connecting the team to resources such as the National Science Foundation Innovation Corps program. Jessica Cowan of Cowan Consulting provided guidance on pitch development and long-term strategy. Dang Nguyen, a senior physics major and student engineer, finalized the product’s design using advanced resin printing and CAD tools through Rhodes’ Engineering for All Club.
“This opportunity reflects the innovative spirit at Rhodes and how collaboration—from business to engineering—can create real-world impact,” said Mansour.
As E-Fest® finalists, Mansour and Virani hope to build momentum for Helwa Fragrance while inspiring fellow Rhodes students to pursue entrepreneurial ventures of their own.