March 19, 2026<\/p>\n
Area high school students brought their business visions to St. John\u2019s University<\/a> on March 16 when The Peter J. Tobin College of Business<\/a> hosted a funding competition, Shark Tank<\/a>-style, awarding a total of $5,000 to three winning teams of entrepreneurs.<\/p>\n Student-entrepreneurs from across New York City\u2019s five boroughs and beyond competed in Tobin\u2019s first-ever High School Pitch Competition<\/a>, an effort to engage them in St. John\u2019s entrepreneurial culture while helping them build connections with other young entrepreneurs and business leaders.<\/p>\n More than 30 teams and 60 students presented ideas ranging from beauty aids to health-care technology, recreation devices, wellness apps, and more. First-place winners\u2014 Juliana Paladino, Emily Scanlon, and Olivia Sullivan of Saint John Vianney High School<\/a> in Holmdel, NJ\u2014earned $2,500 to support SlickBrush<\/a>. This hairbrush includes a mechanism in its handle for storing and dispensing grooming products, including hair gel. The pocket can be removed and cleaned as needed.<\/p>\n The SlickBrush team believes it is tapping into a fashion trend rooted in workplace realities, Olivia said. \u201cA lot of people have jobs that require their hair to be set back\u2014health-care workers, food-service employees, athletes,\u201d Olivia said. \u201cThe slick-back look is not going away.\u201d<\/p>\n Two rounds of competition took place. In the preliminary round, students delivered three-minute \u201celevator pitches\u201d of their business plans to event attendees, who evaluated them for creativity, innovation, market potential, presentation quality, and team passion. The five highest-scoring teams advanced to the final round, where questions from St. John\u2019s expert judges on topics such as financial projections, market analysis, and growth strategies followed.<\/p>\n Interestingly, each team was paired with a St. John\u2019s business student mentor, who helped competitors refine their plans and pitches. Ishaan Vereddigari and Prawah Parthsarthy, both from suburban Philadelphia, PA, worked with St. John\u2019s senior Cara Dunleavy<\/a>, who has participated in several entrepreneurship competitions herself.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was great to collaborate with a mentor like Cara,\u201d said Prawah, who, along with Ishaan, developed Guardian PT, an injury prevention and recovery tool for athletes and coaches. \u201cWe have learned how much fun it is to express our ideas, create something new, and share it with the world,\u201d Prawah added.<\/p>\n The competition was open to any high school entrepreneur or team of high school students (maximum three) from anywhere in the country with a business idea and the eagerness to pitch it before a live audience. \u201cEntrepreneurship begins with an idea and the confidence to pursue it,\u201d said Jason P. Berkowitz, Ph.D.<\/a>, Associate Academic Dean, Tobin College of Business. \u201cBy welcoming high school students to campus to share their ideas, we celebrate their creativity and ambition, while introducing them to the vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem at St. John\u2019s.\u201d<\/p>\n Students came from near and far, including Brady Lowe and Henry Stiglitz, who traveled from Mt. Lebanon High School<\/a> in Pittsburgh, PA, to pitch JumpSense<\/a>, an artificial intelligence-powered coaching tool for track and field athletes, particularly long jumpers.<\/p>\n Brady and Henry took home the third-place prize of $1,000. \u201cWe noticed there was unequal access to coaching and training in track and field in needier school districts; this can help level the playing field,\u201d Henry explained.<\/p>\n Maciek Nowak, Ph.D.<\/a>, Dean, and Joseph H. and Maria C. Schwartz Distinguished Chair at Tobin College, welcomed the visiting students with words of encouragement and a pitch of his own\u2014for St. John\u2019s entrepreneurial culture.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so impressed by the work you have all put into your ideas,\u201d Dean Nowak said. \u201cNothing is stopping you from achieving the things you want. What we have done well here at St. John\u2019s is to bring together the entire University in an entrepreneurial environment.\u201d<\/p>\n According to Dean Nowak, the high school competition is another example of St. John\u2019s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship. The University\u2019s Venture & Innovation Center<\/a> (VIC), which opened in January 2024, helps bring to life potentially transformative product ideas created by members of the St. John\u2019s community, including alumni<\/a>, faculty<\/a>, current students, and external partners.<\/p>\n Through the VIC, students can participate in the yearlong Start-up Incubator Program<\/a> and the Start-up Boot Camp, an eight-week summer program designed to transform student ideas into viable ventures. Students can also compete for start-up prizes at annual events, including Johnny\u2019s Innovation Challenge<\/a> and the James & Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition<\/a>.<\/p>\n The visiting students seemed genuinely impressed with St. John\u2019s entrepreneurial culture.<\/p>\n \u201cWe heard about this from some of our teachers, who thought we would benefit from the experience,\u201d said DJ Daszkowski, who, like the SlickBrush team, traveled the two-plus hours from Saint John Vianney.<\/p>\n DJ and teammates Lucas Cerria and Mateo Formica pitched Cornboardz, a combination boogie board and cornhole game ideal for family beach fun. The trio earned the second-place prize of $1,500.<\/p>\n The Cornboardz team has already received one patent and is expecting another soon. Screws that support the cornhole board can be removed for swimming and reattached for beach sand and backyard use.<\/p>\n \u201cWe combine both of these great beach products into one, so when you are finished riding the waves, you can pop open the board and enjoy a game of cornhole,\u201d DJ added.<\/p>\n