On May 9th, the LaunchPad Huntington buzzed with excitement as parents, friends, past and future NESTERs, and members of the New York Tech community gathered for the Spring 2025 NESTS FlyOff Demo Day. The event marked the culmination of a semester of hard work, creativity, and innovation, as eleven student entrepreneurs presented their startups to a panel of expert judges and an engaged audience.

NESTS (Necessary Eleven Steps to Tech Startup) is an experiential learning course designed to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and real-world entrepreneurial practice. Through a blend of lectures, case studies, guest speakers, and hands-on projects, students leave the course equipped with the tools and frameworks to transform innovative ideas into actionable business ventures.

Though launched less than a year ago, NESTS has grown rapidly—from a single startup to nearly 30 student-led ventures across the Long Island and New York City campuses. Gaining admission to the course is highly competitive, with fewer than 40% of applicants accepted. The program draws students from a variety of majors and backgrounds, most of whom are first-time founders.

Seven judges were tasked with evaluating the startups and selecting award recipients. Among the judges were Dr. Babak D. Beheshti, Dean of the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences; Paul Trapani, President of LISTnet; Gus Spathis, founder of Xogito Group; Rhonda Green, Chair of IEEE Long Island; Joseph Ambrosio (B.S. ’94), CEO of Unique Electric Solutions; Tyler Roye, CEO of eGifter; and Wilson Milian, CEO of Milian Consultants.

“An idea is not a company until you make money. Until then, it’s just a hobby.” — Peter Goldsmith, industry relations expert and NESTS lead instructor

Peter Goldsmith kicked off the event emphasizing the importance of entrepreneurship with real-world traction. He also shared exciting updates about New York Tech’s growing entrepreneurial ecosystem, including an upcoming summer startup bootcamp—and introduced a student panel featuring Fall 2024 NESTS FlyOff award recipients Alisha Karim and Jaan Malik, who spoke about their journeys as founders and the transformative impact NESTS had on their growth.

Each student team then took the stage to pitch, showcase their startup, and field questions from the judges:

Egid Metalia – Properhub, an online platform for property management

Nicholas Stewart – VitaPath, a healthcare integration platform

Dilpreet Kaur – MedTrack, a digital health app for medication tracking

Dhara Chandpara – Peace, a financial literacy app for college students

Asweel Mehaboob & Eashan Jindal – DocFi, an AI-driven app to simplify healthcare access

Sri Ram Swaminathan & Vighanesh Gaund – Rontzen, a platform for supplemental instruction management

Alex Miller – Sustainable Buildings Group, offering sustainability management services

Aaron Ishal & John Saitram – FortiFund, an alternative funding platform for underserved entrepreneurs

Following the presentations, judges deliberated and announced the scholarship winners:

1st Place, Alfie Award* ($500 Scholarship): Aaron Ishal & John Saitram – FortiFund

2nd Place ($250 Scholarship): Alex Miller – Sustainable Buildings Group

3rd Place ($150 Scholarship): Egid Metalia – Properhub

Audience Choice Award: Dhara Chandpara – Peace

* The Alfie Award, named in memory of Peter Goldsmith’s father, is a tribute to entrepreneurial spirit and legacy.

“My favorite part of the NESTS course is meeting successful speakers who shared insights from their journeys, and getting constant guidance from mentors. Most importantly, building a company that could truly make a difference. NESTS helped FortiFund grow through mentorship and opportunity.” — Aaron Ishal, B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering

“We’re truly honored to receive the Alfie Award. It reinforced that what we’re building has real potential. We’re grateful for the encouragement from the New York Tech and NESTS community.” — John Saitram, B.S. Electrical and Computer Engineering

“Presenting at the FlyOff was an incredible experience. Pitching MedTrack to a room full of peers, faculty, and professionals was exciting and challenging. The support from the community made it unforgettable.”  — Dilpreet Kaur, B.S. Computer Science

“Through NESTS, I turned Peace from just an idea into something real. Learning to validate, pitch, and understand user needs gave me clarity and confidence. Winning the Audience Choice Award was an amazing moment… it reminded me why I started.” — Dhara Chandpara, M.S. Data Science