On Friday, the culmination of the 2026 NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge brought together hundreds of guests from across the NYU and NYC startup community for an unforgettable day of innovation, competition, and celebration. NYU’s premier venture competition, this year’s Final Pitch-Off showcased 12 game changing ventures to compete for more than $225K in prize funding and pro bono services.
The day began with a judges orientation and networking lunch, offering this year’s distinguished panel of judges the opportunity to connect ahead of the pitches.
Judges were grouped by track, each panel bringing a wealth of entrepreneurial and industry experience:
DIGITAL TECH TRACK: Anna Barber, Janelle Benjamin, David Rose, and Jay Tapper
NEW VENTURE TRACK: Brian Cohen, Michelle Larivee, Christopher McKelvy, and Rachel Weiss
HEALTHCARE TRACK: Joe Borrello, Sadhana Chitale, Joe Landolina, and Lisha Yang
The excitement mounted as guests filled the pitch rooms. It was standing room only to watch the Finalists deliver 9-minute presentations followed by 20 minutes of intensive Q&A with the judges. Each venture brought bold ideas and polished business cases to the table, aiming to impress not only the judges but also the larger NYU entrepreneurial community.
As judges moved into deliberations, guests and teams transitioned to the evening’s Showcase and Awards Ceremony. Held in Stern’s Patron’s Lobby and auditorium, the event began with opening remarks from NYU Stern Dean Bharat N. Anand, and Cynthia Franklin, Executive Director of the Berkley Center, followed by brief pitches from each Finalist, introduced by emcee Paul Hardart, Director of NYU Stern’s Entertainment, Media & Technology program and Academic Director of the Berkley Center. Guests cast their votes for the Audience Choice Awards while reflecting on the impressive range of ventures on stage.
Before announcing the winners, the Berkley Center team presented the Mentor of the Year Award to members of the community who have gone above and beyond in their work of supporting NYU entrepreneurs. The first award went to Dawn Barber, the co-founder of NY Creative Tech Week, a premier festival for creativity and technology. She was also the co-founder of NY Tech Meetup. The next award went to Kyle Bergman a founder, operator, and advisor with a decade of experience building direct-to-consumer brands and the communities around them. He is the founder and Chief Swoveralls Officer of Swoveralls. The team also took a moment to recognize the impact of their Associate Director Steph Shyu, and her years of work developing programming to help take NYU startups further, faster.
The evening culminated in the presentation of awards across each track, recognizing both the judges’ Grand Prize selections and the audience’s top picks:
GRAND PRIZE WINNER – Systema Med: Julio La Torre, Garman Xu (Tandon ’27)
Systema Med is developing a clinical platform that interprets continuous streams of patient vital data rather than isolated measurements. The system aims to support faster and safer intervention through real-time decision support and automation.
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD – Symptolab: Tamar Zelovich-Hod (CAS ’22), Alon Zelovich
SymptoLab is a digital health platform that helps women with hormone-related conditions track and predict symptom fluctuations over time. It converts daily health inputs into actionable patterns and forecasts that can support more personalized care decisions.
GRAND PRIZE & WINNER – STARDUST: Kevin Johan Wong (CAS ‘10), Huan Nguyen
Stardust turns publisher archives into conversational experiences that can be delivered through direct messaging channels. The product helps brands engage audiences through personalized interactions rather than passive content consumption.
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD – Mobile Defender: Mo Satt (Tandon ‘28), Sarah Krueger, Maitry Dave (Tandon ‘26)
Mobile Defender detects and helps mitigate hidden GPS tracking threats aimed at personal safety and privacy. The product makes professional-grade counter-surveillance capabilities accessible to everyday users.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER: VenueHopper: Stonny Liu (Tandon ‘23), Sharon Melzer (SPS ‘27)
VenueHopper is an AI-powered event planning tool that helps hosts find and book venues faster while comparing key details in one place. The platform reduces the time and effort of outreach by centralizing availability, pricing, and requirements.
GRAND PRIZE WINNER & AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD – ChopChop Eats: Aaron Shen (Tandon ’24), Ice Yu
ChopChop Eats is a marketplace that enables home cooks to list homemade dishes and sell directly to nearby customers. The platform simplifies discovery, ordering, and fulfillment for locally prepared meals.
The 2026 Final Pitch-Off affirmed what the Entrepreneurs Challenge represents at its core: bold ideas, ambitious founders, and a community that champions what’s next. Learn more about the winners and this year’s cohort using our 2026 Team Directory. Interested in learning more about the NYU Entrepreneurs Challenge? Head to our Challenge page to learn more!
