St. John’s University held its annual James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition on April 10, showcasing student innovation in business ideas ranging from AI-powered platforms to culturally inclusive dining concepts.
The event is important as it highlights the university’s commitment to fostering entrepreneurship among students, providing them with a platform to develop and present their business plans before alumni, faculty, and peers.
Nearly 90 submissions were received for this year’s competition, which took place at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business. Roy Weissman, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Management, Entrepreneurship, Consulting, and Operations (MECO) at Tobin and Director of the competition, said: “From close to 90 submissions, every plan is reviewed, scored, and refined through feedback from reviewers and mentors before we arrive at our finalists. Much work has been done to get here.”
University leaders addressed attendees before presentations began. Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., President of St. John’s University—who leads an institution affiliated with the Vincentian Community according to the official website—said: “One thing yet to be proved about AI is creativity and ingenuity. Humans are capable of incredible creativity and innovation. I look forward to hearing those qualities today.”
The judging panel included alumni entrepreneurs and business professionals such as Francilia Wilkins Rahim; Frank Kurre; Michael J. Portegello; Stanley A. Moskowitz; and William D. Reisel.
Ryze Studios won first place with a $5,000 prize for its subscription-based platform that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to make commercial production faster for small businesses—a project developed by Tanaje Ross and Rinvel Rousseau Jr., both undergraduates in technology fields at St John’s University.
Second-place honors went to Nishant Agarwal for The One World Café concept offering authentic South Asian dining combined with late-night study space tailored for international students’ needs on campus.
Third place was awarded to Layla Santana for Crossroads—a mobile app designed to help college students form social connections through group-based matching at shared venues.
Other recognized entries included PediaNova Labs by Parul Suri—a pediatric-focused platform developing therapies for children with neuroblastoma—with Suri saying: “Our goal is to find personalized treatments for kids with neuroblastoma and ultimately save as many lives as we can.”
St John’s University supports multicultural initiatives through its centers dedicated both locally and globally according to the official website. The university operates campuses in Queens and Manhattan along with international sites in Rome, Paris, and Limerick according to the official website. It offers more than 100 undergraduate majors across six schools according to the official website, operating as a Catholic institution focused on liberal arts education according to the official website.
