NYBPC

Meet the graduates of the Bengal Entrepreneurship Program! BEP is generously funded by Bank of America to make opportunities happen for our university entrepreneurs. Lorinda J., Founder of Aurora Treasures, LLC! Lorinda launched Aurora Treasures LLC to share her culture through food, art, and storytelling. Her business focuses on sustainability and community, offering meaningful experiences inspired by her Seneca Nation heritage. A commuter from Gowanda, NY, Lorinda joined the Bengal Entrepreneurship Program in Fall 2024 after receiving an email invitation. Looking to make her time on campus more productive, she quickly found a welcoming space to grow her business and connect with like-minded students. Lorinda made her mark on the entrepreneurial community this past year. She placed second in the Fall 2024 Bengal Entrepreneurship Competition, then went on to compete in the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC )in Spring 2025, where she placed first in the regional Software & Services track, advancing to the virtual state round! A devoted student, Lorinda was awarded the 2025 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, for outstanding achievements in academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, and the arts. Lorinda is one of three students at Buffalo State University to be honored with this award in 2025. Lorinda shared, "The most valuable assistance I received through the Bengal Entrepreneurship Program was the advising and guidance on various aspects of running a business. The program helped me understand the different sections of business ownership and gave me practical tools I could apply right away.” Lorinda graduated this May with a degree in Hospitality Administration. Her post-grad plans include hosting Planting The Seed, a community event she curated in West Virginia, and continuing her work at Cornelia at the AKG Buffalo, all while growing Aurora Treasures, LLC. We’re so proud of you, Lorinda! #studententrepreneur #graduate2025

🌟 Super proud to share that Homii won 3rd Place in the Learn, Work & Live track at the 2025 NYBPC Finals held at RPI! It was an incredible experience to be among 350+ student entrepreneurs across 65 colleges and universities in New York each driven to build something meaningful. From ideation to pitch day, this journey was made richer thanks to the incredible people around us: 💡 My team – Shreeya Sachdev Dr. Aayush Shrivastava Colin Lease Kunal Shah – for bringing your A-game every step of the way. 🎓 Prof. Roberto D. Colangelo, MA and Rebecca Crocker – for your invaluable guidance and mentorship. 📚 The University of Rochester - Simon Business School community including professors who reviewed our deck and offered critical insights. 🧠 Our final round judges – Eleni Soler, M.Ed., MBA, ACC, Shobhit Mittal, Mark Poskanzer , Flossie Hall & @chadwilliams – for the thoughtful questions and feedback. Grateful to Upstate Capital Association of New York for organizing this platform that empowers student-led innovation across the state. Onwards and upwards! #NYBPC #StartupJourney #Homii #RoommateMatching #AIforGood #StudentInnovation #SimonMBA #UniversityOfRochester #Entrepreneurship #ProductDesign #TechForStudents

My first-ever visits to the New York State capital region were truly incredible! 🎖️ Last Thursday, Adam Zarember and I represented LocalLists at the NYBPC Finals in Troy, NY. We are ecstatic to report that we placed 3rd in the Services/Software track, placing amongst the top 18 out of more than 370 participating teams. The capital and mentorship we've gained from this experience are going to be critical in growing our startup. Special shoutouts to our fellow Binghamton competitors Michael Bronikowski and Luke Riddoch from BuzzHive, Kai Chen and Jason Moeller from SAVOR Meals, and Justin Chong from Nudge for being amazing and to our incredible mentors Chou-Yu (Joey) Tsai and Nicholas Zwierlein for your invaluable guidance. A gigantic thank you as well to the Binghamton University Entrepreneurship & Innovation dept and the Koffman Southern Tier Incubator for making Adam and I feel so supported. I loved getting to represent the Binghamton University School of Management with such a talented, ambitious group of students. On Tuesday, it was back to Albany for the The State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Student Excellence (CASE) Award Ceremony, which I'm thrilled to have been a recipient of this year! This is the highest academic award offered in the SUNY system, received by less than 0.05% of enrolled undergraduate students. I am elated to have been recognized in this way and have spent the day with my truly gifted and amazing Binghamton peers. I am in awe of you and all you do for our Binghamton community. This Jersey girl is SO proud to be a SUNY student. I'm so grateful that this has been my week and for all of the amazing people I've got to spend this period of recognition with! 💖

On April 24th, I traveled to Troy Ny to pitch XII XXI for the New York State Business Plan Competition! I always tell myself whether you win a place or not it’s always gonna take you to the next step 💡 Being a young entrepreneur is very hard, but it also is a blessing and being able to win third place is something that I am so proud of and I couldn’t have done it without the support around me Thank You to the judges, my mentors, the Buffalo State SBDC and especially Olivia 🥳 Buffalo State University Olivia Harbol Shelby Schneider Ps. @_xll_.xxl is the 1st since 2020 to win a 1st, 2nd or 3rd place 🥉

I am honoured and excited to share that KnotHastags won 2nd Place in the Software & Services track at the 2025 New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) State Finals! Competing among over 370 teams from 58+ colleges and universities across New York State, this achievement reflects our team's dedication to empowering artisans by bridging technology and tradition through blockchain innovation. KnotHastags is committed to creating fair access and global visibility for artisans, and this recognition fuels our mission even further. A heartfelt thank you to the incredible judges for the Software & Services track: Jason Bartz Peter Rothberg Tiphaine Martin, ME.g. Ph.D. Amandeep Midha And to our distinguished judges during the regional round whose feedback guided us to the State Finals: Semona Saitskiy Anuj Tyagi Kurt Schulze Your valuable insights, encouragement, and mentorship have been instrumental in our growth and success. Special thanks to Shelby Schneider, President & CEO of the Upstate Capital Association of New York, and Bailey Burke for organising such a world-class platform that celebrates innovation, entrepreneurship, and student leadership. NYBPC is more than a competition—it’s a launchpad for future changemakers. My Teammates(Prasoon Saha , Matthew Siegel) (Best Team) I would also like to express my heartfelt gratitude to my mentors and supporters who have been pivotal throughout this journey: Prof. James Kinsley, Dean Hank Watkins, Dean Maciek Nowak, Prof Paul L. Walker, Ph.D., Amber Steiger, Radhika Jha, RITIKA KUMARI, my family members, all my interns, and the artisans who believed in our vision from the beginning. Your constant support drives everything we do. This competition reinforced my core belief: Opportunities are not just given—they are crafted through resilience, learning, and faith in your mission. Stay curious. Stay committed. Trust the process. This is just the beginning — excited for what lies ahead! #NYBPC #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #ArtisanEmpowerment #BlockchainForGood #StudentEntrepreneurs #KnotHashtags #Gratitude #StartupJourney #StJohnsUniversity #NYBPC2025 #UpstateCapital #Leadership #OpportunityThroughInnovation