The 10th annual UPitchNJ, an innovative statewide collegiate business model competition showcasing the Garden State’s top young talent, will be held Friday May 2 at Rutgers University in New Brunswick from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The competition is sponsored by Nokia Bell Labs and hosted by the entrepreneurship education programs at participating colleges and universities. While the event is free and open to all students, faculty, alumni, friends, and the public, advance registration is required. UPitchNJ will be held in the 4th Floor Lecture Hall, Alexander Library, 169 College Ave., New Brunswick, N.J.
Thirteen colleges and universities are participating in the 2025 competition: Centenary University, Drew University, Fairleigh Dickinson University, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Monmouth University, Montclair State University, Princeton University, Ramapo College of New Jersey, Rowan University, Rutgers University/New Brunswick, Rutgers University/Newark, Saint Peter’s University and Seton Hall University.
Thirteen student teams, representing each of the participating universities, will pitch their startups to a panel of judges as they compete for cash prizes. The judges are: Thierry E. Klein, President Bell Labs Solutions Research, Kelly Wang, Research Scientist in 3D modeling, Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, Lars Andersson, Head of Applied Analytics & Algorithms Research, Nokia Bell Labs Solution Research, Manzoor Ahmed Khan, Head of Autonomous Systems Research Department, Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research and Judith Sheft, Executive Director of the NJ Commission of Science, Innovation and Technology.
Student teams will be judged on the innovation and originality of their startup idea and the quality of their oral presentations. The contest judges will also be looking for creative and innovative thinking about markets, products and services. The student teams will be evaluated on their perceived ability to execute the idea and turn it into a viable, profitable business and/or venture with significant social value.
To help the undergraduate entrepreneurship students prepare for the competition, Nokia Bell Labs paired many of the student startup teams with a Nokia Bell Labs esteemed researcher to serve as a mentor to the team.
Thierry E. Klein, President of Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research, said: “Nokia Bell Labs is proud to partner with UPitchNJ, a leading entrepreneurship competition in New Jersey, to empower student start-ups. As Nokia’s award-winning industrial research lab, we are dedicated to solving problems and addressing human needs through the power of human intellect. By collaborating with UPitchNJ and university students, we foster a culture of innovation and develop technologies that tackle global challenges. This partnership fuels innovation and transforms the way we live. We are pleased to join UPitchNJ in celebrating their 10th anniversary, a milestone that resonates deeply with us as Bell Labs celebrates its own centennial this year.”
“We are extremely grateful to Nokia Bell Labs for this extraordinary and innovative collaboration,” said Susan Scherreik, co-chair of UPitchNJ and director of the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Seton Hall University. “UPitchNJ showcases the best and brightest young entrepreneurs from all over the Garden State. Thanks to the coaching the teams are receiving from New Jersey’s top corporate research scientists at Nokia Bell Labs, our collegiate entrepreneurship students can take their startups to new heights.”
The joint effort between Nokia Bell Labs and the entrepreneurship programs at the state’s colleges and universities will benefit New Jersey in myriad ways. When companies in New Jersey seek to expand or move to the Garden State, a prime consideration is New Jersey’s highly educated workforce, especially employees who are innovative self-starters. With assistance from Nokia Bell Labs, these student entrepreneurs will be even better prepared for their careers, Scherreik noted.
UPitchNJ is grateful to Rutgers University for hosting this year’s competition, which celebrates a special milestone. “We are incredibly proud to host the 10th anniversary of the statewide pitch competition at Rutgers University, especially since we had the honor of hosting the first competition in 2015. This milestone reflects our longstanding commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. We are excited to see the next generation of New Jersey’s top student innovators showcase their talent, creativity, and bold ideas,” said Lori Dars, Associate Director of Economic Development and Innovation, Rutgers University – New Brunswick.
Stephanie Landers, UPitchNJ co-chair and Assistant Director of the Keller Center, Princeton University, added: “Princeton University is honored to be a founding member and supporter of UPitchNJ for the past decade. UPitchNJ is special in that the event brings together innovative student founders from across New Jersey and gives them the space to connect, share ideas, find inspiration, and build their professional networks. I look forward to seeing what impactful new ideas will be presented this year. Best of luck to all the students.”
The competition aims to highlight the ingenuity and creativity of today’s college entrepreneurs, who are increasingly launching businesses from their dorm rooms. As entrepreneurship educators in New Jersey, we want to provide our entrepreneurial students with a networking forum with other students, mentors and potential investors.
We believe this competition will help brand New Jersey – home to Nokia Bell Labs and Thomas Edison – as the innovative state that it is, plus encourage young entrepreneurs to develop their businesses here, leading to economic growth and job creation.
FOR MORE INFO:
Press Contact: Susan Scherreik, co-chair, UPitchNJ, and director, Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Seton Hall University, at Susan.Scherreik-Hynes@shu.edu.
(On social media: #UPitchNJ)