The campus field guide
St. John's University
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Inside this ecosystem · 3 linked sources
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.
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.
How we know this: the figures on this page come from the linked sources (last verified 2026-06-23); what those sources do not state is left unknown.
At a glance
Indexed programs
4
All 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
Programs to explore
Compare funding, equity, and timing before you apply.
4 programs indexed
Pitch Competition
$1,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2025-12-15
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Verified
Incubator
Also: Startup Incubator Program
$5,000
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-06-23
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students
- Verification
- Verified
Entrepreneurship Center
$0
funding range
- Last activity
- 2026-06-23
- Participants
- Undergraduate Students, Graduate Students +more
- Verification
- Verified
From students
Be the first student from St. John's University to post a startup.
Post a startupFunding 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.
Karina AI
$1,000
prize won
St. John's University
2025 St. John's JIC winner ($1,000); AI immigrant assimilation app.
KnotHashtags
1st place
placement
St. John's University
St. John's JIC winner; Hult Summer Bootcamp 2025 participant.
PulmoHealth
St. John's University · Johnny's Innovation Challenge
Inhaled medical therapy device. Johnny's Innovation Challenge winner (November 2025, $1,000) at St. John's University.
uFinLit
St. John's University
Financial literacy app by Alexandra Cicala '27; secured funding December 2025.
Virture
1st place
placement
St. John's University
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.
Research gaps & things to verify
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.
More about this ecosystem
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)
Global Entrepreneurship Development Program Official Page
St. John's University
St. John's University
Global Entrepreneurship Development Program Official Page
Single capture of the Global Entrepreneurship Development Program page under CCPS Innovation and Entrepreneurship section.
Read on St. John's University
Johnny's Innovation Challenge Official Page and News Coverage
St. John's University
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
Venture & Innovation Center Official Pages
St. John's University
St. John's University
Venture & Innovation Center Official Pages
Three captures: VIC main page (services, team, Startup Incubator, BootCamp, Christmas BPC), Innovation & Entrepreneurship ecosystem overview (all programs, clubs, competitions, facilities), and VIC IP/Tech Transfer page (disclosure process, Technology Transfer Manager).
Read on St. John's University
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