Which HBS-founded startup will be crowned the winner? Come and find out on March 5th! 

5 HBS Alumni finalists will pitch their companies live in front of a panel of prominent judges, competing for a chance to compete on the global stage, over $15,000 in cash prizes, in-kind prizes and more!

This annual event marks the finale of the year’s regional competition. Winners will be announced at the end of the night.

The winner of this competition will advance to the global finale, hosted by HBS via virtual classroom. 

Presenting Companies:
Guideli – Daniel Jayeoba (MBA 2023), Co-Founder & CEO
AI powered guide for immigration and visa applications.

Harken Sweets – Katie Lefkowitz (MBA 2016), Founder & CEO
Indulgence, reimagined. Harken reimagines joy-inspiring, iconic treats, infusing them with superfoods that nourish and satiate. It’s not a “bar”…it’s a functional candy bar. Thank goodness we can finally eat those again.

JUNO – Sam Bokher (MBA 2022), CEO
JUNO helps people without design or coding skills to craft effective application UI. JUNO combines an intuitive drag&drop interface, a rich template library, and generative AI tools to streamline the creative process from concept to developer handoff.

Onsite Kids – Carmi Medoff (MBA 2020), Founder & CEO
Reimagining child care at work.

Ultra High Materials – Jonathan Cool (MBA 1985), CEO
Ultra High Materials has created and is commercializing novel cements to make concrete with the lowest carbon footprint and superior technical performance, that are economically viable and more environmentally responsible than conventional concrete.

Judges Announced:
Gosia Karas (MBA ’17) – Investment Director, SoftBank Investment Advisors
Technology investor with experience in growth equity, venture capital and private equity. Deployed ~$1B in equity to date. Currently with Softbank, previously with Onex and Bain&Co. Harvard MBA. PhD in Finance. Wall Street Journal’s Woman to Watch in Venture Capital 2021, Venture Capital Journal’s Rising Star 2022, Insider’s Rising Star VC 2022. Read more

Vanessa Liu (AB ’96, J.D. ’03) – Entrepreneur, Board Director, Investor, Executive, Harvard Alumni Assoc. Past President
I’m a business builder, digital media entrepreneur and technology innovator. I’ve been building, launching and re-launching businesses over a span of 20+ years. The businesses I’ve built are leaders in their verticals. Read more

Alexandre Medicis – Co-Founder and Partner, 4×4 Capital
Alex is a Co-Founder and Partner of 4×4 Capital. Before that, he spent more than 13 years at AB InBev (ABI). Alex is the Executive Chairman of 1440 Foods (previously WSNS) and Board Member of Yelloh! (former Schwans Home Delivery). Prior to founding 4×4 Capital, Alex was the Business Unit President and Head of Sales for the two largest ABI Business Units in the World: the US and Brazil. He was also BU President for Hispanic LatAm and CEO of Cerveceria Nacional Dominicana. Read more

Samir Parikh (MBA ’02) – Co-Founder and Managing Partner, GiantLeap Capital
Samir brings 25 years of investing experience in private and public markets across growth equity, public equities buyouts and structured credit. Prior to GiantLeap, Samir was a Partner at a hedge fund, and Head of Equities (Real Estate) at Fir Tree Partners, a $10 billion global investment fund that takes a private equity approach to public market investing. Samir invested in equities and credits at the intersection of technology and traditional industries. Read more 

Alicia Sontag (MBA ’01) – Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Prelude Growth Partners
Alicia Sontag is a Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Prelude Growth Partners. Prelude Growth Partners provides capital and value-add support to high potential, fast-growing consumer brands across beauty & personal care, health & wellness, food & beverage, and other consumer categories. Investments include  Sol de Janeiro, Naturium, Banza, Made Good, Westman Atelier, Summer Fridays, 8Greens, dpHUE, Fly By Jing, So Good So You, Bachans, Skin Pharm and Blueland. Read more 

Jeff Wald (MBA ’02) – Writer, Speaker, Entrepreneur
Jeff Wald is a serial entrepreneur, Board Member, Best Selling author, Keynote speaker and investor. His latest company Boomerang Intelligence, an employee lifecycle management platform, was founded in June 2023. Read more

Best of luck to our Regional Finalists!

Another round of applause for all 2024 competitors!

Pricing:
$15 – Member (limit one)
$25 – Alumni Non Members
$40 – General Public

Organizers: HBS Club NY Alumni Startups NVC Leadership Team

Please note that no refunds will be issued.