The Queens Economic Development Corporation announced the 15 finalists in the 2026 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge during a special ceremony at Flushing Town Hall on March 31.

 

Now in its 20th year, QTIC is a five-month program offered via a partnership with Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.’s Office. After attending four events and receiving training, several dozen borough-based contestants submitted their applications to a panel of judges who then selected three finalists in each of five categories: Community, Consumer Tech, Enterprise Tech, Food, and Sustainability.

 

The panel, which consists of local entrepreneurship and industry experts, will now choose one winner in each division after a Final Pitch activity at New York Hall of Science on April 28. Each winner will receive a grant valued at as much as $20,000 as they grow their businesses. The finalists follow. (Major program and grant support was provided by Resorts World New York City.)

 

Community: Anna Savittieri and the Sunnyside Literacy Lab; Magdala Noel (Queens Village) and the bilingual pediatric Hand in Hand Speech Therapy LLC; and Michael Cruz and Leigh Lotock, who have the Astoria Farmers Market.

 

Consumer Tech: Ahad Ali (Forest Hills) and AI-powered bookkeeping company Tabby; Erich Molina (Richmond Hill) and Cmpo, an app that helps organize adult recreational leagues; and Yaroslav Kharkov (Long Island City) and SpotLink LLC, an app for navigating parking regulations.

 

Enterprise Tech: Rohan Ramnarain and Kevin Guillermo (Oakland Gardens) who have the pay-by-bank checkout service for independent pharmacies Pharmachute; Echo Wu (Kew Gardens) and the AI system for engineering ThunderGraph; and Daniel Khalighinejad and Hesam Shams (Long Island City), who have the real estate feasibility platform Dwellci AI.

 

Food: Laura Dadap (Woodside) and the Filipino hot sauce Djablo; Thau Bui (Woodside) and Vân Vân, a Vietnamese ingredients provider, and Rathan Yogi (Long Island City) and fruit-and-nut purveyor Sivaro Snacks.

 

Sustainability: Kelly Tigera (Long Island City) and Orbit Exchange LLC, a marketplace for reclaimed construction materials; Veena Jayadeva (Jackson Heights) and the Southeast Asian clothing rental company Kareena’s Closet; and Dan Connors (Whitestone) and Sustainable Buildings Data, LLC, a green technology platform.

 

More than 350 individuals enrolled in this year’s QTIC. They received technical assistance, business training, and face-to-face consultations while also attending monthly networking events

 

“Congratulations to this year’s finalists and best of luck as you pursue your entrepreneurial business dreams,” stated QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann. “I’d like to remind those who didn’t advance that they can try again next year. I’d also like to thank all of the entrants for participating, the expert judges for volunteering their time, Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.’s Office, lead QTIC sponsor Resorts World New York City, and Silicon Valley Bank, which sponsored the ceremony on March 31. And for those who didn’t make it to the finals last week, I look forward to seeing them apply again next year!”

 

Formally known as the Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, QTIC is now in its 20th year. Since its inception, the program has distributed more than $900,000 worth of investments to early-stage Queens companies.

 

Founded in 1977, QEDC’s mission is to create and retain jobs through programming that grows our neighborhoods, assists small businesses, and promotes tourism and business development.