Annual Business Plan Competition Showcases Student Entrepreneurship

A technology solution designed to make urban parking more efficient, an alternative to fast-food restaurants in Poland, and a lighting company that uses genetically modified bacteria to emit natural light—those were just three of the entrepreneurial ideas St. John’s University students brought to the annual James and Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition, held April 10 at The Peter J. Tobin College of Business.

The competition is one of the primary business-development events on the University calendar. It is underwritten by Mr. Christmas ’70CBA, who served as one of the judges. Roy Weissman, M.B.A., Assistant Professor of the Practice-Management, Entrepreneurship, Consulting and Operations (MECO) Department at Tobin and Director of the competition, introduced five finalists in the Business Plan competition and five winners in the separate Business Pitch competition.

Students submitted more than 100 business plans—which is more than double from 2024, Professor Weissman said.

“We had a significant increase in the number of plans submitted,” Professor Weissman said. “And we had plans from people in different Schools and Colleges, so that is exciting. The starting of the Venture & Innovation Center has created a sense of awareness for entrepreneurship on campus.”     

Joining Mr. Christmas on the five-person judging panel were Christopher P. Long, Ph.D., Professor, Management, Entrepreneurship, Consulting, and Operations (MECO), and Director, Executive-in-Residence Program; Stanley A. Moskowitz ’80MBA, Chairman, Feeasy, LLC, a free national loan comparison platform; William D. Reisel, Ph.D., Professor, MECO; and Thomas Scaturro ’86CBA, President, Bison Wealth, and a member of the University’s Board of Governors.

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 Advisers, delivered an inspirational speech to the St. John’s entrepreneurs. “I was you almost 20 years ago,” Ms. Rahim said. “In 2011, I graduated first as an undergraduate, then with an M.B.A. We were in the middle of one of the worst recessions. I submitted 235 job applications and received zero responses.” 

“I had little money, but I had one idea, one innovative task—that I could be an independent business development consultant,” Ms. Rahim continued. “With one idea, you guys can do the same.”

Ms. Rahim left the stage to applause from a host of St. John’s dignitaries, including Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., University President; Simon G. Møller, Ph.D., Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, University Distinguished Professor, and Provost Endowed Chair; and Maciek Nowak, Ph.D., Dean, and Joseph H. and Maria C. Schwartz Distinguished Chair at Tobin.  

Then began the evaluation of the five student business plans. In addition to parking, an açaí and poke bowl option for Poland, and a fresh look at urban lighting mechanics, St. John’s students presented plans for a clothing chain featuring repurposed wearables and an artificial intelligence-based corporate wellness connections app.

Students were required to submit a business plan by March 5. The five finalists, as voted on by a panel of faculty reviewers, were announced on March 20. Business plans were evaluated on the following criteria:

• Strength of the value proposition

• Clear and sustainable competitive advantage

• Whether the target market is receptive to new entrants

• Whether the market size provides an opportunity for growth

• Potential for sustainable, scalable revenues, and a business model

• Feasible implementation

• Time to market and payoff opportunities for investors

With a top prize of $5,000 and eight total prizes worth a combined $9,500, students were competing for more than recognition. In some cases, the prize money served as initial funding for their proposed businesses.

Submitting the winning business plan for her app ParkX was Mariana Arias Correa, a native of Colombia who is pursuing an M.B.A. at St. John’s. Using real-time data from municipal cameras, Mariana’s app would identify available free and paid parking spaces in major cities, including New York. She envisioned the app after her experiences living—and battling for parking—in Miami, FL, and Washington, DC.

“Parking is an issue in all major cities,” she said. “Hopefully, this can help solve it for people. If cities in the United States love the idea, we can expand into other cities around the world.”

Runner-up, senior Wiktoria Kowalczyk, a member of the Red Storm Women’s Volleyball team, is attempting to fill a dining void in her native Poland, where, she said, young people are moving away from fast food to healthier options. Still, health-conscious restaurants are rare in Poland, she said.

“My generation is pivoting away from heavy, fatty foods; we want something lighter and healthier,” Wiktoria said. “The first time I had a poke bowl here, I said I had to bring it back to Poland.”

Third place went to Shuborno Hassin for BioGlow, which uses genetically engineered bacteria to create light.

The business pitch winners were led by fifth-year Pharmacy student Maimuna Maula, who plans to develop the Medmuna app to simplify information for  prescription drug users.

“There is such misunderstanding in how to take medication,” Maimuna said. “I would like to be a candle in the darkness and help them access their medications more easily.”