Liam Heary

Liam Heary, sophomore in computer science and software engineering, is from Sarasota, Florida. He’s making waves on the Auburn swim team, in the classroom and as an entrepreneur, competing in the 2025 Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition.   

Why Auburn?  

“I came here to swim, because Auburn has a historic swim team. It’s an awesome dynasty. A lot of alumni visit often, including some famous Olympians, adding to the amazing experience. I also came to Auburn because we have a beautiful campus, and I love the great places to study. I like the Brown-Kopel Center — that’s my favorite spot.” 

Why Engineering?  

“I have always had a passion for computers and for learning about technology, whether it’s real-world tech or something theoretical. I wanted to explore a broad area of computer science, rather than locking myself into a specific path. Auburn Engineering has allowed me to pursue my accelerated Master's, participate in high-level internships, and conduct undergraduate research. The course load and connections are awesome. I’m always trying to surround myself with like-minded people, and that’s very easy to do here at Auburn.” 

Tiger Cage Business Idea Competition  

“I found out about Tiger Cage through the Brown-Kopel Center. They have businesses promoting entrepreneurship. When we entered Tiger Cage, we didn’t know what to expect. We did the first round and didn’t have very much confidence because it was our first business pitch ever, and we were going up against teams with well-formed pitches and experience. But we kept meeting with the New Venture Accelerator each week until we were on the right track. The people there were amazing, and they’ve helped us so much.” 

Planet of Snacks   

“It all started with our friend on the swim team. He had a box of snacks from his home in France. You could just see how proud he was of his snacks. We saw the emotional connection to his local food and the lack of access to authentic snacks around the country. We started our business, and we have more than 32 different country explorer snack boxes. With these boxes, our goal is to offer something that’s not offered anywhere else on the market. The market is lacking in variety, and it’s not representative of the international students here from a total of 50 countries. We’re all about connecting cultures through snacks. 

To learn more about Jearu, check out his interview on the award-winning #GINNing Podcast.