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St. John's University

Queens, NY·University

St. John's University is a private Catholic Vincentian institution in Queens, New York City, founded in 1870. Its entrepreneurship ecosystem is centered on the Venture & Innovation Center (VIC), established in 2024, which houses a structured Startup Incubator Program and manages the university's IP disclosure process. The ecosystem connects three sequential programs (Johnny's Innovation Challenge → James & Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition → VIC Startup BootCamp), supported by student clubs, academic minors, global programs, and multiple external competition pathways.

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Pitch competitionsIncubatorCash prizes

At a glance

Indexed programs

4

4 currently active

Top direct funding

$1,000

Johnny's Innovation Challenge

Equity

No equity on indexed programs

Program mix

4

Venture Education · Pitch Competition · Incubator

Research verdict

Include. St. John's has assembled a coherent, multi-stage entrepreneurship pathway centered on the Venture & Innovation Center with a structured year-long incubator (JIC → Christmas BPC → BootCamp), active student clubs, and meaningful external competition connections (Hult Prize, European Innovation Academy, Big East Startup Challenge). The ecosystem is strong on programming and student engagement but limited on capital deployment — no venture fund, proof-of-concept fund, or angel network is publicly documented, and prize money is modest ($1K-$5K range). meaningful support with weaker capital, scope, and outcome evidence compared to NY schools.

Programs to explore

Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.

4 programs indexed

Funding and Equity

St. John's offers modest non-dilutive cash prizes through its competitions: three $1,000 awards at JIC and up to $5,000 at the Christmas BPC. The VIC provides summer stipends for BootCamp participants. No equity-based accelerator, venture fund, or proof-of-concept fund is publicly documented. The VIC references Discovery and Proof-of-Concept innovation management programs with potential funding, but amounts are not disclosed.

Recent Activity

  • April 2025: Annual James & Eileen Christmas Business Plan Competition held.
  • July 2025: Local students earn $500K via Y Combinator for EMT tech platform, supported by VIC.
  • October 2025: St. John's hosts NY Business Plan Competition regional event at Manhattan campus.
  • November 2025: Second annual Johnny's Innovation Challenge (41+ students, 18 teams).
  • December 2025: Alexandra Cicala (junior) secures funding for uFinLit app.
  • March 2026: Global Entrepreneurship Development Program applications close for 2026 cohort.
  • Summer 2026: VIC Startup BootCamp planned (8-week, apply by April).
  • Ongoing: Active student clubs (Entrepreneurship Alliance), VIC social media, and regular event calendar.

Known startups and winners

Competition winners and notable student ventures from our research.

See every startup

Karina AI

$1,000

prize won

St. John's University

1st placeCompetition winner

2025 St. John's JIC winner ($1,000); AI immigrant assimilation app.

KnotHashtags

1st place

placement

St. John's University

Competition winner

St. John's JIC winner; Hult Summer Bootcamp 2025 participant.

PulmoHealth

St. John's University · Johnny's Innovation Challenge

Student venture

Inhaled medical therapy device. Johnny's Innovation Challenge winner (November 2025, $1,000) at St. John's University.

uFinLit

St. John's University

Student venture

Financial literacy app by Alexandra Cicala '27; secured funding December 2025.

Virture

1st place

placement

St. John's University

Competition winner

2025 St. John's JIC winner; advanced to Hult Prize nationals.

Historical winners (research notes)
  • Virture — JIC winner (Feb 2025), advanced to Hult Prize nationals.
  • PulmoHealth — JIC winner (Nov 2025), $1,000, inhaled medical therapy device.
  • Karina AI (Karina Galimova, Lukas Perez) — JIC winner (Nov 2025), $1,000, AI immigrant assimilation app.
  • KnotHashtags (Uday Kumar) — JIC winner, Hult Summer Bootcamp 2025.
  • uFinLit (Alexandra Cicala '27) — Financial literacy app, secured funding Dec 2025.

Missing Information

  • Discovery and PoC program funding amounts and deployment history.
  • VIC operating budget, staff size, and facilities footprint.
  • Startup Incubator Program completion rates and venture outcomes.
  • Christmas BPC historical winners and total prize distribution.
  • VIC BootCamp cohort sizes and startup formation after program.
  • Patent, licensing, and spin-out data from VIC IP process.
  • Alumni angel network or formal investor connections.

St. John's University

News & articles

3 news articles and official sources documenting entrepreneurship programs, winners, and activity at St. John's University.

3 sources

Official sources(3)

Official Program PagePrimary Official

Johnny's Innovation Challenge Official Page and News Coverage

St. John's University

Observed 2026-06-23
St. John's University logo

St. John's University

Johnny's Innovation Challenge Official Page and News Coverage

Three captures: JIC official competition page (prizes, schedule, judges, workstations), March 2025 news article on first-ever JIC (59 students, 20 teams, Virture winner), and December 2025 news article on second annual JIC (41+ students, 18 teams, PulmoHealth and Karina AI winners).

Read on St. John's University

UndergradVC summary

This profile lists 4 programs for St. John's University. Some details may be outdated until a director verifies them.

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