Skip to Content
Stillman School of Business

High School Entrepreneurs! You are Invited to Compete for $50,000 in Seton Hall University’s Pirates Pitch Startup Competition

Pirates pitch attendees on stageAre you a high school student who dreams of launching your own business, or are you already an entrepreneur with a venture underway? If so, you are invited to participate in the 11th annual Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students, hosted by the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Stillman School of Business.

This exciting competition will take place from 3 to 6 p.m. ET, Friday, November 21, 2025, and offers over $50,000 in cash prizes and scholarships to Seton Hall University. The competition is open to high school sophomores, juniors and seniors with a 3.0 GPA or higher. To enter, students should submit a business proposal of 350 words or less, describing an innovative product or service they would like to develop — or they can share details about a business they have already started. Participants also have the option to submit a three-minute YouTube video pitch. Registration opened Monday, August 25, 2025, and the deadline to submit applications is Wednesday, October 22, 2025.

This “Shark Tank”-style competition provides students with valuable experience in entrepreneurship, helping them learn how to identify business opportunities and deliver a persuasive pitch. Last year, the Pirates Pitch Competition received submissions from across the U.S. and several foreign countries, and this year promises to be just as competitive.

Participating in startup contests fosters creativity and innovation and also helps students develop public speaking skills, which are essential for all career paths. Whether a student is pitching a business idea, persuading others to support their projects, or interviewing for an internship, this competition teaches effective ways to communicate value.

A panel of judges, consisting of faculty members and successful alumni entrepreneurs, will evaluate all submissions and select 10 finalists. Finalists will deliver a five-minute pitch followed by a five-minute Q&A session with the judges. The event will be held on Seton Hall University’s South Orange campus, and family members, teachers and classmates are invited to attend and vote for their favorite finalist for the Audience Choice Award.

2024 Winners

  • First-Place Winner: Muhammad Haseeb, senior, PCTI STEM Academy, Wayne, NJ — Hydro DeFrost
  • Second-Place Winner: Jeffery Liu, junior, Delbarton School, Morristown, NJ — RemeMore
  • Audience Choice Award: Caroline Kiernan, sophomore, Ridgewood High School, Ridgewood, NJ — Stress Less
  • Honorable Mention: Grace Rhine, senior, Toms River High School, Toms River, NJ — Legally Chic Clothing

Other Finalists Included:

  • Nifemi Adeyemi, senior, Newark Collegiate Academy, Newark, NJ — Irahs_Collection
  • Ryan Kim, junior, Bergen County Technical High School, Teterboro, NJ — Smat Pitch; Vivica Electronics
  • Rishabh Nambiar, senior, John Jay High School, East Fishkill, NY — Research Chat
  • Eve Parrott, junior, Livingston High School, Livingston, NJ — Scolipoly
  • Jacqueline Perez, sophomore, Park Ridge High School, Park Ridge, NJ — Digital Insurance and Car Registration
  • Ayden Pinto, junior, High Technology High School, Lincroft, NJ — Eco-Smart Trash Pickup

Prizes

The top finalist will receive a $2,500 cash award and a $10,000 scholarship to Seton Hall University. The second-place winner will earn a $1,000 cash award and a $6,000 scholarship, while all other finalists will each be awarded a $4,000 scholarship ($1,000 annually). Additionally, there will be a $300 Audience Choice Award presented.

The Pirates Pitch Competition for High School Students helps to develop and showcase entrepreneurial skills that align with the World Economic Forum’s list of top skills needed for success, including complex problem-solving, critical thinking and emotional intelligence. This competition also serves as an introduction to the Stillman School of Business, its Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the nationally ranked Center for Leadership Development within the Buccino Leadership Institute.

The event will be live-streamed by the Digital Media Team. Use this link to access the stream.

Categories: Arts and Culture, Business

NEWS CATEGORIES