More than 60 New Jersey middle and high school students took part in the recent NYLA “Entrepreneurathon 2026,” a one-day startup competition designed to give younger students hands-on experience in entrepreneurship, innovation and business development.
New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) hosted the event, which was organized by the National Young Leaders Association (NYLA), a student-led organization focused on expanding access to entrepreneurship education before college.
NYLA CEO Samaya Shah, a rising senior at The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, launched the organization after founding and directing two other international student leadership platforms.
Shah noted that many students — particularly those from underserved communities — had limited opportunities to explore entrepreneurship before college. Since founding NYLA, Shah has helped build a network of workshops, competitions, mentorship opportunities and community partnerships aimed at making entrepreneurship education more accessible.
Entrepreneurathon included students from The Pingry School, Montclair Kimberley Academy, Wardlaw+Hartridge School, Chatham High School, Egg Harbor Township High School and others. NYLA also partnered with organizations serving historically underrepresented communities, including Link Community Charter School and the Boys & Girls Club of Newark, whose students attended the event through sponsored participation.
Students were placed into teams and challenged to develop a startup concept from scratch over the course of a single day. The program included opening remarks from NJIT Provost John Pelesko, a keynote address from Nuts.com CEO Jeff Braverman, guided startup-building workshops, team pitch preparation sessions, and a judged startup competition.
The event also connected participants with NJIT’s own entrepreneurship ecosystem. Jordan-River Samuel (Class of 2027), who is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Management, delivered a demonstration startup pitch and later served as a judge for the final competition.
Samuel is co-founder of Tapyoca, a startup focused on helping independent musicians connect with audiences through NFC technology. His venture has been supported through NJIT’s entrepreneurship programs, including National Science Foundation Innovation Corps Regional Training for STEM researchers.
For NJIT, the event reflected the university’s role as a regional hub for entrepreneurship, applied learning and innovation — not only for its own students, but also for young people and community partners across New Jersey.
“At NJIT and the Martin Tuchman School of Management, entrepreneurship education is not only about creating businesses; it is about building the mindset to identify problems, create value, and turn ideas into action,” said Oya Tukel, dean of NJIT’s Martin Tuchman School of Management. “Entrepreneurathon gives younger students an early opportunity to experience that process and see themselves as part of New Jersey’s innovation ecosystem.”
Shah, NYLA’s founder, said the event was created to make entrepreneurship more accessible to students who may not otherwise encounter those opportunities before college.
“Entrepreneurathon was created to give students a chance to learn by doing — to build, collaborate, problem-solve, and gain confidence in their ability to turn ideas into action,” she said. “Seeing more than 60 students from across New Jersey come together to create something from scratch was incredibly inspiring.”
Seventeen teams competed in the final pitch competition. The grand prize went to Palate, a mobile application concept developed by Veer Kansal, Sanvi Chheda and Suhani Grover, a trio of high school students at the Wardlaw+Hartridge School in Edison. Their app would help people with food allergies and dietary restrictions identify safe dining options by filtering restaurants and menu items based on allergies, dietary preferences and nutritional needs.
