Rowan entrepreneur earns top prize at statewide UPitchNJ competition

Rowan University welcomed student entrepreneurs from across New Jersey for the 11th annual UPitchNJ competition. The May 1 event marked the first time the statewide contest has been hosted on Rowan’s campus and was organized by the Rowan Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship.

Held at Business Hall, the competition brought together 13 universities from across the state, each represented by a top undergraduate team selected to pitch startup ventures addressing real-world challenges. Designed as a celebration of student innovation, UPitchNJ provides founders the opportunity to present ideas and receive expert feedback while competing for funding and recognition.

“UPitchNJ is a great opportunity to showcase the creativity and innovation happening on college campuses across the state,” said Jessica Vattima, director of RCIE. “It’s important to give students platforms like this to network, share their ideas and gain confidence in what they’re building.”

Each team was given five minutes to pitch followed by two minutes of questions from judges. Ventures were evaluated using a scoring rubric that included problem clarity, solution feasibility, market opportunity, team strength and overall pitch performance. Judges then deliberated to determine the winning teams.

The judging panel featured a diverse set of voices. Shawn Hill represented Garden State Venture Partners, a first-year sponsor of the event. Nokia Bell Labs, the contest’s primary sponsor, sent three judges: Kelly Wang, software advisory engineer; Matthew Andrews, modeling and optimization department head; and Harish Viswanathan, head of radio systems research.

Another judge, Clark Smith, senior director of technology innovation products at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, emphasized the importance of investing in student founders.

“Supporting entrepreneurship at the student level is incredibly important,” Smith said, underscoring the Authority’s broader mission to help New Jersey residents build and grow businesses within the state.

The event opened with a keynote address from Thierry Klein, president of Bell Labs Solutions Research at Nokia Bell Labs. Klein highlighted the traits shared by successful innovators, including insight, perseverance, curiosity, teamwork and a commitment to enjoying the journey.

“When you do something the first time, it doesn’t always work immediately,” Klein said, encouraging students to learn from setbacks and continue refining their ideas.

That message resonated with Rowan student Nick Denzer, who ultimately took home the competition’s top prize.

Denzer, a senior marketing and entrepreneurship major and founder of Pharma Connect Navigator, earned first place, receiving $2,000 in prize money and one hour of mentorship from Garden State Venture Partners. His platform is built to use an AI-powered approach to connect biotech and pharmaceutical companies with the right manufacturing partners, to help accelerate the delivery of life-saving treatments to patients.

Denzer also received the Audience Choice Award, voted on by attendees, earning an additional $500 prize.

“This is my first time winning first place, but I’m also honored to be the people’s choice winner,” Denzer said following the competition.

For Denzer, the win marked a significant milestone. He has competed in multiple pitch competitions so far, frequently finishing just shy of first place—including a second-place finish at Rowan’s New Venture Competition in April and another second-place showing among nearly 300 global applicants at the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization Global Pitch Competition in Tampa, Florida.

At UPitchNJ, his persistence paid off.

Moments after accepting his awards—complete with oversized ceremonial checks—Denzer was already hurrying along to go catch a flight. His next pitch competition would be starting in less than 24 hours—more than 2,500 miles away in San Mateo, California.

In addition to Denzer’s first-place finish, the competition recognized other standout ventures. Bobby Browser from students at Rutgers University New Brunswick earned second place and $1,500, while a Seton Hall University student took third place and $1,000 with his project named Emerald Editor. Another emerging venture was recognized for early-stage potential: TrueLine, from a student at Drew University.

Beyond the awards, the event served as a hub for collaboration and networking, with demo tables and informal discussions allowing students to connect with peers, mentors and industry professionals throughout the day.