April 21, 2026
A subscription-based platform designed to streamline commercial production for small businesses; an “academic hospitality” concept blending culturally authentic dining with late-night study space; and a mobile app connecting college students through group-based social matching were among the ideas presented at the annual James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition at St. John’s University.
The competition, underwritten by James Christmas ’70CBA, drew nearly 90 submissions from St. John’s students. The April 10 event held at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business brought together alumni, faculty, student entrepreneurs, and their families for a day of pitching and feedback.
Roy Weissman, M.B.A., Assistant Professor of the Practice, Management, Entrepreneurship, Consulting, and Operations (MECO) at Tobin and Director of the competition, thanked faculty reviewers, judges, mentors, University leadership, and Mr. Christmas for their support. “From close to 90 submissions, every plan is reviewed, scored, and refined through feedback from reviewers and mentors before we arrive at our finalists,” Professor Weissman said. “Much work has been done to get here.”
This year’s judging panel included Francilia Wilkins Rahim ’09TCB, ’11MBA, Chief Executive and Founder of R.F. Wilkins Consultants, Inc. and AYO Labs, and a member of the Tobin Dean’s Board of Advisors; Frank Kurre, Managing Director, Protiviti, also a member of the Tobin Board of Advisors; Michael J. Portegello ’86CBA, former Senior Partner, Ernst & Young;; Stanley A. Moskowitz ’80MBA, Chairman, Feeasy, LLC, a free national loan comparison platform; and William D. Reisel, Ph.D., Professor, MECO.
Before the presentations, University leaders reflected on entrepreneurship. Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., University President; Maciek Nowak, Ph.D., Dean of Tobin College; and James Kinsley, Director of the Venture & Innovation Center, all spoke, with Fr. Shanley highlighting creativity amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
“One thing yet to be proved about AI is creativity and ingenuity. Humans are capable of incredible creativity and innovation,” Fr. Shanley said. “I look forward to hearing those qualities today.”
Steven J. Farella ’77SVC, Founder, VFL Investment & Advisory, also shared insights on the entrepreneurial journey, emphasizing that success is not linear. “You can have the greatest idea, but if you do not know your market or how you are getting there, you will be in trouble,” Mr. Farella said. “Even if you do not win today, you can still move your idea forward.”
Then began the evaluation of the five finalists—student business plans that highlighted AI-powered commercial production; academic hospitality with late-night study space; and a group-based student social matching app. Additional ideas included a wearable health platform for early risk detection and a smart pet wellness collar.
Students submitted business plans by March 10, and faculty reviewers announced the five finalists on March 23. Plans were evaluated based on competitive advantage, feasibility, investor potential, market opportunity, scalability, and overall value proposition.
The competition awarded $9,500 in total prizes, including $5,000 to the winner— Ryze Studios, created by sophomore cyber security systems major Tanaje Ross and junior computer science major Rinvel Rousseau Jr. Tanaje and Rinvel’s award-winning subscription-based platform uses AI and automation to make commercial production faster and more affordable for small businesses.
“The idea came from a direct pain point I experienced while running my own brand,” Tanaje said. “We focused on where the market is going and how to be ready for it as the technology matures.”
“I love helping others, and I have seen firsthand how many amazing brands fail to thrive simply because they lack the marketing depth to be seen,” Rinvel said. “I even struggled with marketing for my own personal business and interests.”
Second-place honors went to Nishant Agarwal, a Ph.D. candidate in pharmaceutical sciences from Gujarat, India, whose idea for The One World Café combines authentic South Asian dining; café staples; and late-night study space as part of a culturally inclusive “third space” for students. “There are unmet student needs for accessible late-night study space and culturally familiar dining options on and around campus,” Nishant said. “It is a bridge between ‘home away from home,’ especially for international students.”
Third place went to senior Layla Santana for Crossroads, a mobile app that connects college students through group-based social matching at shared venues. “More than 56 percent of college students say it is difficult to make new friends,” Layla said. “Not from lack of desire, but because they do not have the right tools to do so in a way that does not come off as awkward.”
The prize money will support the students as they continue developing their business ventures.
The competition also recognized five business pitch winners as voted on by St. John’s students, including Parul Suri for PediaNova Labs, a pediatric-focused platform developing therapies for children with neuroblastoma. “Our goal is to find personalized treatments for kids with neuroblastoma and, ultimately, save as many lives as we can,” Parul said.
Other business plans that were recognized included:
Roshni Sharma for the physical wellness space Balance;
Kayla Richards for Loop 10, an app designed to reduce food waste;
Jason Pharsi for SafeDrop, a secure package delivery service, and;
Yousef Hammad for Swiftwash+, a mobile, on-demand car care and cleaning service.