Annual contest of the Morris County Economic Development Corporation provides teen entrepreneurs with funding and community support to launch business ideas
FLORHAM PARK, NJ, UNITED STATES, January 21, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Children more comfortable with health care environments, people better informed about their daily health biometrics, and less costly and more efficient home or business moves may be coming to for Morris County, NJ, in the future.
This based on the winning ideas of the 2025 PitchNJ competition for burgeoning student entrepreneurs. PitchNJ each year offers teen entrepreneurs from throughout Morris County, NJ, and beyond the opportunity to showcase their business ideas in competition for seed grants provided by local businesses. This year’s winners were:
• 1st Place: Duncan Felch, Francesca Piccolo and Gabriella Goodman from Morris County School of Technology – Teddy Bear Clinic, a program designed to help children feel more comfortable around health care professionals by allowing them to bring stuffed animals for friendly “check-ups” by local firefighters, police officers, EMTs and other health care providers.
• 2nd Place: Anirudh Venkatesan from Morris Hills High School – True Move, a business designed to make the moving process for homeowners and businesses smoother and more efficient, including using AI to create a bidding process among qualified movers and allow homeowners and businesses to track their moves real time.
• 3rd Place: Tramaine Cooper and Levi Salsberg from Morris County School of Technology – Rhythm, a 24/7 wellness wristband that monitors key biometrics regarding sleep, daily activities and recovery, providing users with recommendations.
The winning teams received $1,000, $500 and $250 grants, respectively, to help develop their entrepreneurial ideas. This year’s grants were provided by Morris County businesses NOMADICS, Saiber LLC and SDL Advisors.
PitchNJ contestants must be students and entries are evaluated based on such criteria as problem and solution statements, competitive analysis, marketing and financial plans, feasibility and verbal presentation. The premise of PitchNJ is to provide teen entrepreneurs with the funding and community support they need to launch these business ideas.
This year a panel of judges of local business professionals selected seven finalists from dozens of applicants to make live presentations touting their ideas. The judges were Nicholas Dambrosio, CEO and founder of NOMADICS; Jennifer Musser, author and founder of JLM & Associates Consulting; Lois Manzella-Marchitto, founder of Fitness Knocking; Scott Shaw, director career and technical education at Morris County Vocational School District; and Bethany Friedman, an associate at Saiber LLC. The judges were selected based on their entrepreneurial experience and fit as mentors for students.
“These young ladies and men give me loads of hope for the future,” Manzella-Marchitto said. “They were innovative, intelligent and excellent speakers.”
Added Dambrosio, “The young professionals did a great job. We’re very proud.”
PitchNJ was started as a collaborative effort between Business Bootcamp, a program stemming from the Morris County School of Technology (MCST) designed to provide students with exposure to business environments and professions, and the Morris County (NJ) Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC), a division of the Morris County (NJ) Chamber of Commerce. Business bootcamp this year was represented by Devsi Patel and Aarvi Patel, both students at MCST. Fairleigh Dickinson University each year serves as host.
“The Morris County EDC is proud to support and encourage the growth of entrepreneurship in Morris County,” said Meghan Hunscher, chamber president. “In addition to PitchNJ, the MCEDC hosts a monthly Entrepreneur Roundtable. The MCEDC also values the work that the NJSBDC and FDU Rothman Institute for the business community. We look forward to partnering with the County College of Morris on the Center for Entrepreneurship, set to open in 2026.”
About the Morris County (NJ) EDC
The Morris County Economic Development Corporation is as division of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce, a 501c(6) business association, and a partnership of business, government and private sector businesses and nonprofits dedicated to growing the economy of Morris County, NJ, through programs and services that result in business attraction, reaction, retention and expansion. Website: www.morriscountyedc.org. The MCEDC serves Morris County, NJ, a county consisting of 39 municipalities with more than 500,000 residents. Morris County consistently ranks in the top counties in the country.
About the Morris County (NJ) Chamber of Commerce
The Morris County Chamber of Commerce has more than 700 member organizations that range from entrepreneurs and small businesses to large corporations and Fortune 500 companies. The chamber’s mission is to collaboratively advance the interests of its members to champion a thriving business and community environment. The chamber’s many events, meetings and seminars provide a platform for its members to connect, collaborate, learn and succeed. The chamber is dedicated to the advancement of Morris County’s businesses and community by providing services, information and advocacy to support the success of its member organizations. They are headquartered in Florham Park.
Colette Moran
Morris County Chamber of Commerce
+1 973-210-6083
chamberworks@morrischamber.org
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