students competed for New York’s best business plans. Here’s who won
Teams from the School of Management, Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science reached final round of 2025 New York Business Plan Competition
students took home impressive wins from the 2025 (NYBPC), with a first-prize award in the agricultural technology and food service category and another team placing third in the software and services track.
Teams from the School of Management (SOM) and Thomas J. Watson College of Engineering and Applied Science advanced to the final round on Thursday, April 24, for the statewide intercollegiate entrepreneurship competition, which supports the next generation of entrepreneurs and business leaders.
This year’s competition drew nearly 350 students, advisors and college professionals from more than 60 colleges and universities spanning each of New York state’s 10 regions. Each student who made it to the final round was either from SOM or had been mentored by SOM faculty.
Michael Bronikowski ’24, a Master of Science in Computer Science student, and Luke Riddoch ’24 (now a configuration management engineer at GE Vernova) placed first in the competition’s Food and Agtech track. Their project, BuzzHive, builds artificial intelligence-powered beehives that monitor bee health, optimize pollination and increase honey bee survival rates to help secure the future of the agricultural food ecosystem.
“It was the best NYBPC yet, with the support of more than 20 students there in person cheering on our four teams in the finals,” Bronikowski said. “We’re so thankful to have received this award to support BuzzHive, but more importantly, it’s very special to have had the support of individuals we immensely look up to: Osterhout Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Chou-Yu (Joey) Tsai, Adjunct Professor Angelo Mastrangelo, SOM Dean Shelley Dione and Assistant Dean Linda Reynolds, plus many more. We couldn’t have done this without you, and we can’t wait for what’s to come!”
SOM Master of Business Administration student Sarah Zarember ’24 and her brother Adam Zarember, a business administration major, took home third place in the Software and Services track. Their project, LocalLists, is a tool that quickly price-checks a person’s shopping list across multiple area stores and helps shoppers find the most favorable deals while flagging items unsuitable for allergies or dietary needs.
“It was an unbelievable experience. We are so grateful to have been welcomed into the entrepreneurship community this semester and to have gained an amazing network of peers and mentors,” Sarah Zarember said. “We truly would not have been able to pull anything off without the mentorship of Joey Tsai, who took hours out of his schedule to help us succeed going into this final round.”
Other students who advanced to the final round:
- Justin Chong, a business administration student, designed the collaborative goal-setting app Nudge. Its users can join or create “goal-rooms,” small accountability groups with structured check-ins, sub-goals and set up progress reports. They can also explore “goal-communities” with individual goal-rooms related to fitness, career, education, or personal development, while also gaining insights from “goal-achievers” who have completed similar endeavors.
- Kai Chen, an accounting major, and Jason Moeller, a financial economics major, presented their meal preparation business, SAVOR Meals. The business aims to bring the growing meal preparation market to fellow students by offering customers healthy, convenient and affordable meals.
“I’m so impressed by the incredible resilience these students showed. It wasn’t just about the wins; it was about how they faced setbacks, learned from them and came back even stronger,” said Tsai, who mentored and guided the students who competed. “Watching them turn challenges into growth has been so inspiring. Clearly, they’re building the kind of mindset that will take them far, not just in business, but in life.”
“We could not be prouder of the four teams who made it to the finals this year; a record number for ! Each student who got on that stage is curious, adaptable and committed,” Reynolds added. “Now we must translate this positive momentum into further engaging our alumni and expanding partnerships and resources across campus and the community.”
Tsai also praised the Entrepreneur Connect student organization and Koffman Southern Tier Incubator for supporting the students’ efforts. He added that this competition’s outcome highlights SOM’s commitment to growing its entrepreneurship program.
Upstate Capital has led the New York Business Plan Competition for six years. Its goals are to foster entrepreneurial skills by providing experiential learning opportunities, building personal networks that connect students to New York’s entrepreneurial landscape and enabling them to launch new business ventures.