At Adelphi, a Shark Tank-style competition

Adelphi University’s business plan competition this year will be held on March 3, and features $11,000 in prize money to help fund students’ businesses.

The contest’s Shark Tank-style format is part of the experiential learning approach at Adelphi’s Robert B. Willumstad School of Business, offering students a competitive edge to advance their careers.

“Adelphi’s business plan competition has helped to increase entrepreneurship activity, attitude and aspiration among our students and the wider Adelphi community,” Murat Erogul, associate professor of entrepreneurship and organizer of the competition, said in a statement.

“The finalists have been working very hard on their pitches with the potential of also competing in the New York Regional Business Plan competition for Long Island soon after,” Erogul added.

All Adelphi students were eligible to submit a preliminary proposal either individually or in teams. Students have been working on their proposals and presentations since the contest opened in November 2022.

This year’s finalists will introduce their business proposals to a panel of judges.

Monish Churaman, a finance major, and Amita Radakichenane, a biology major, will discuss their SmileLab Printing Technologies. Gloria Gantt, a business administration graduate student, will speak about Better Health Connects. Luke Attride-Stirling, a business administration graduate student, will talk about Zip Bermuda. Ashley Zingale, a business management major with a specialization in information systems, will discuss Money Moving Up.

This year’s judges will review student proposals, provide feedback and determine the winners.

The panel includes co-founders of John’s Crazy Socks Mark and John Cronin; corporate attorney Meyer, Suozzi, English and Klein, Steven Cheng; founder and owner of Precision Enterprises James Reed; founder and owner of PARC Solutions, Pawneet Abramowski, co-founder of OneDeal, Nick Sterlacci; and Adelphi associate professor of marketing and founder of ProfVal, Zachary Johnson.

The competition is made possible by support from alumnus Kevin Mahony, senior vice president of wealth management and financial advisor at UBS Financial Services.