On November 11, 2022, Long Island University (LIU) welcomed 145 New York City students for the first-ever Lightning Business Pitch Challenge! VEI hosted 35 teams from across all five boroughs on LIU’s Brooklyn campus to pitch their business ideas to a panel of investors, similar to the Elevator Pitch and National Business Plan Competition. This time, students had only 5 minutes to impress their group of investors, presenting the most essential parts of their business and financial needs to 23 volunteers from HSBC and Broadridge Financial Solutions. This was an amazing event that allowed students to put their presentation skills to test, as they prepare for the NYC Business Plan competition this upcoming February!

We thank the team at LIU Brooklyn, and Graziela Fusaro, Dean of Business at LIU, for making this event possible. We also extend our gratitude to the incredible group of judges – from HSBC and Broadridge Financial Solutions – along with our incredible VEI National staff, especially Paul Presti, New York Metro Regional Director, and Lindsay Dewey, NY Metro Program Coordinator.

Congratulations to the schools that participated in the competition!

The results from each division are as follows:

Southwest Division

1st Place: Care, New Dorp HS | VE Coordinator: Jessica Dragone

2nd Place: Flip’N, Ralph Mckee HS | VE Coordinator: Isai Serrano

3rd Place: NYC Pizza, Port Richmond HS | VE Coordinator: Barry O’Brien

Southeast Division

1st Place: Fort Hamilton HS- Umami, | VE Coordinator: Tom O’Neill

2nd Place: Matariki, Edward R. Murrow HS | VE Coordinator: Lisa Costantino

3rd Place: JobLinc, Abraham Lincoln HS | VE Coordinator: Joseph DeSiena

Central Division

1st Place: Francis Lewis HS- NuApps, | VE Coordinator: Chris Power

2nd Place: Chelsea Pets, HS of Fashion Industries  | VE Coordinator: Mirna Damian

3rd Place: Guardian Insurance, JKO HS | VE Coordinator: Karen McMahon

East Division

1st Place: Rekindle, Academy of Finance and Enterprise | VE Coordinator: James Caracciolo

2nd Place: Bio Pack,Forest Hills HS | VE Coordinator: Robert Suydam

3rd Place: Helping Paw, ArchBishop Molloy HS | VE Coordinator: Joseph Touzin

North Division

1st Place: HS of Fashion Industries- Fly-NY, | VE Coordinator: Vita Vaccaro

2nd Place: Eudora, Academy of Finance and Enterprise | VE Coordinator: James Caracciolo

3rd Place: Paw!nder, In-Tech Academy | VE Coordinator: Marcia Hunter-Innis