HBS Alumni New Venture Competition: Northeast U.S./New York Region Homepage
The Northeast U.S./New York Region includes New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. Visit HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship to learn about the annual competition's alumni track and regions.
NY Winner Named 2024 Global Runner Up & Crowd Favorite
Katie Lefkowitz (MBA ’16), Founder, Harken Sweets
We are pleased to announce that our very own Katie Lefkowitz (MBA 2016), Founder of Harken Sweets, was named the Runner Up and Crowd Favorite at the 2024 HBS Alumni New Venture Competition Global Finale!
Folks are craving healthier nutrition options. Harken Sweets delivers with its high fiber component and natural sugar through dates.
Katie, who was previously named the winner of NY/Northeast U.S. Region, competed on the global stage against seven other regional winners.
Congratulations to Katie on a job well done!
Photos – 2024 NY Regional Competition (Photos by Julia Discenza Photography)
Are you an innovator or early stage entrepreneur?
You’re invited to participate in the annual HBS Alumni New Venture Competition (NVC), brought to you by the HBS Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, HBS Alumni Clubs and the HBS Club of New York.
Open to for-profit companies, competing in the NVC Northeast Regionals is your chance to showcase your company to a large group of investors and advisors, advance to the NVC semifinals and global finals at HBS, and win over $100,000 in cash prizes.
Key Info
The Northeast U.S./New York regional competition accepts applications from ventures in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Virginia, and West Virginia. We welcome applications from the above states as long as you are able to travel to NYC for the regional events.
Key Dates & Resources
Key Dates:
- Tue, Mar. 5 – Region Finals – Finalist Pitch Round (in-person in NYC)
- Sun. Mar. 3 – Deadline for Regional Finalists to Submit Final Decks to NY Team
- Sun, Mar. 10 – Deadline to Submit Regional Winners to HBS
- Tue, Mar. 19 – Final Global Judging Process (virtual, at HBS)
- Thu, Mar. 21 – HBS Alumni NVC Global Finale (virtual for alumni, from HBS)
Video Resources for Entrepreneurs:
Sponsors & Prizes
Northeast U.S./New York Regional Winners receive in-kind prizes from our Sponsors:
*Details of prizes may change year to year
CFGI
Pro bono Accounting and Finance Advisory Services
Katsky Korins
Pro-Bono Legal Services
HBS Alumni Angels NY
Skip the line to pitch your business to HBS Alumni Angels of Greater New York
Polsinelli
Pro-Bono Legal Services
SohoWorks
Soho Works, co-working by Soho House, is more than just a workspace; it’s a hub for creativity, collaboration, and productivity. Whether you’re developing your next big idea, meeting clients, or just need a change of scenery, Soho Works provides you with the environment to do so.
Looking forward to seeing you at Soho Works soon!
Hear From Past Winners
ILANA SPRINGER '22, 2023 Global & Regional Winner
“The HBS Alumni New Venture Competition was an enriching experience for all of us here at M7 Health. Not only did we receive thoughtful and actionable feedback from the judges during each phase of the competition, but we met several investors and advisors who have become invaluable supporters of M7. Since winning the aNVC in March, we secured our first customer, launched our platform in multiple hospitals, grew our team from 2 to 6 people, and raised additional capital.”
Anna Auerbach '10, 2017 Regional Winner
“HBS has always been a leader in entrepreneurship, and after hearing fellow classmates experience with NVC, I was excited to participate as soon as Werk’s business was officially launched. I appreciated how founder-friendly it was. So many other comparable models make it onerous for the founder to participate – but this was both easy and fun.”
Stephanie Sarka '90, 2016 Regional Winner
“NVC was a great opportunity to gain exposure and receive feedback on 1Atelier. We met quite a few investors through the competition. The ‘NVC Winner’ title makes our business credible and legitimate, especially to other HBS alumni. Overall, it was an incredible experience.”
Melissa Fensterstock '12, 2014 Regional Winner
“Our advisor–whom we met through the NVC-NY mentorship program–has been an amazing resource, eventually becoming one of our board members. The exposure was great for our business, Aromaflage. Being plugged into the network has been the gift that keeps on giving.”
Past N.Y./Northeast Region Winners & Finalists
- 2023
- 2022
- Favarr, Anil Taneja, ’20
- Oceancycle – Robert Goodwin ’07
- IDYLL – John Vielot ’21
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2021
- Steep’d Cocktails Inc., Chloe Aucoin, ’20, Alison Nathanson, ’20
- Quoll Intelligence, Benjamin Cohen ’17
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2020
- gablex.ai, Alex Sambvani ’17
- Smarty, Denzil Eden ’18
- Special Mention Ventoux Partnerships/Public Prep, Ian Rowe ’93
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2019
- Blueland, Gina Pak ’15 (went on to win Global Finals & appear on Shark Tank!)
- PeopleJoy, Emeka Oguh ’11
- Augean Robotics, Charles Andersen ’14
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2018
- Magma Trading, George Hessler ’85 (Runner Up at the Global Finals)
- Mindprint Learning, Nancy Weinstein ’00
- FitSkin,Inc., Sergio Rattner ’01
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2017
- Werk, Anna Auerbach ’10
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2016
- 1 Atelier, Stephanie Sarka ’90
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2015
- BollyX Fitness, Minal Mehta ’11 (which went on to win the $25,000 national award for Most Innovative)
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2014
- Aromaflage, Melissa Fensterstock ‘12
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2013
- Bookalokal (now SixPlus), Evelyne White ‘10
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2012
- EnergyGridIQ, Reena Russell ‘03
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2011
- PhytoTEK, Sahil A. Patel ‘05
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2010
- TwoChop, Mo Lam ‘05
