About Us

UPITCHNJ is a consortium representing entrepreneurship education center directors and entrepreneurship faculty at New Jersey’s four-year colleges and universities. Created ten years ago, UPITCHNJ’s main activity is to sponsor an annual statewide collegiate startup competition sponsored by Nokia Bell Labs. Undergraduate students interested in participating in UPitchNJ should contact their university’s entrepreneurship educational program for more details.

What makes UPitchNJ unique is that Nokia Bell Labs executives serve as mentors and judges. Each student team has the opportunity to meet with a Nokia Bell Labs executive for guidance and feedback on their business model ahead of the final competition.

At the competition, the judging panel evaluates the student teams on the innovativeness and originality of their startup ideas. The contest judges looked for creative and innovative thinking about markets, products and services. The 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.

 UPITCHNJ’s aim is to highlight the ingenuity and creativity of today’s college entrepreneurs, whom are increasingly launching businesses from their dorm rooms.  As entrepreneurship educators in New Jersey, we want to provide our entrepreneurship students with a networking forum with other students, mentors and potential investors.

We believe UPITCHNJ helps to 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.