04/14/2026
🚀 10 years. 150+ teams. $22,500 awarded. One incredible community!
Last Thursday, the Fordham Foundry hosted the 10th Annual Pitch Challenge, bringing together 10 final teams and 200+ attendees for our most competitive year yet.
From budding ideas to scaling ventures, this community continues to prove what student and alumni founders are capable of. 🔥
🏆 This year’s winners:
First Place: Sheila Zhang @ Focus+.
A thoughtfully designed patented pencil grip supporting children with autism, ADHD, and motor challenges to write more comfortably.
Second Place: Carl Hendrick Louis @ Santa’s Secret Workshop.
An immersive holiday experience combining live theater and professional photography into a personalized family adventure.
Third Place: Sydni Lette-Daffeh @ Read Our Lips.
A beauty brand creating vegan makeup intentionally designed for Black and Brown communities.
Social Impact & People’s Choice Award: Olga Baez, MSEd @ Kids Building Wealth.
A nonprofit empowering young students with financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills to break cycles of poverty.
Jesuit Track Award: Mona Miraftab, Aaron Brown, & Natalie Costa @ Ketsu.
A digital companion helping children confidently manage type 1 diabetes.
Special thanks to our incredible judges Veronica Daigle, Max Peara, Jack Sousa, Chris Lowney, Wendy Bolger, Tim Gamory, Leigh Anne Statuto, Fernando Montejo, & Christina Hanson for joining us!
To every founder who took the stage, thank you for showing what conviction, creativity, and ex*****on look like. Ten years in, and the momentum has never been stronger! 🚀
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