Rutgers University Student Wins "New Jersey's Top Student Entrepreneur" in EO's Global Student Entrepreneur Awards
illi News/10292077

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. - illiNews -- The Entrepreneur Organization's New Jersey Chapter (EONJ) hosted the local level of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) on January 24, 2025 at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park, NJ. Six of the Garden State's brightest, most innovative young entrepreneurs competed for a chance to win $5,000, as well as business mentoring and other services from the EONJ community. This year's winner is Anjo Therattil, Founder and CEO of LockGuard, a dorm & apartment security system that fits right over the door handle.

LockGuard is smart, inexpensive, and enhances security for college students and renters. Therattil has already built an executive team, launched multiple non-profits, and won NJ's UPitch competition. On February 18, 2025 he will represent New Jersey at the US Nationals GSEA competition in Puerto Vallarta. The winner there will advance to Regionals in Hawaii in April, followed by the Global Finals in South Africa in May.

The additional student entrepreneur finalists were:

• Daniel Colon of Electrix Vintage (FIT), who was last year's winner
• Shaila Saini (Rowan University)
• Mark Schmidt of Reef (Rutgers)
• Aiden Tahmazian of Circlez (Rowan University)
• George Mihaileanu of Calorie Dense Nutrition (Rutgers University)

Second place was taken by Shaila Saini, a Rowan University student and Founder of Lushious Beauty, a sustainable, boutique makeup brand with a mission to empower through representation. Second place prize was $500.

More on illi News

• New Article Reveals Common Pricing Pitfalls in Flooring Projects — And How to Avoid Them
• Airbus Defence and Space and Omnitronics Sign MoU to Advance Interoperability in Critical Communications
• The Son I Knew Too Late: Turning Grief into Guidance
• BCFoods Announces Expansion to New Warehouse Facility in Bolingbrook, Illinois
• Eagle Lasers USA Launches New Website to Empower American Metal Fabricators with Next-Generation Fiber Laser Cutting Solutions

"A record number of students from a wide range of esteemed colleges and universities participated in this year's competition, indicating the vibrancy of NJ's young entrepreneurial community," said Spase Miloseski, EONJ's chair for GSEA. "This year's finalists were all so remarkable, with impressive business ideas and growth plans that inspired everyone in the room. We applaud their ability to balance college life with entrepreneurialism, and we know how important the tools, mentoring, and networking from the GSEA experience will be toward achieving their entrepreneurial goals."

In addition to the cash prize, Therattil now has access to the following invaluable services at no cost, provided by members of the EONJ community: office space (Eastman Companies); logo design and tagline development (The S3 Agency); intellectual property legal services (Myers Wolin); legal counsel on document set up (Olender Feldman); branding workshop (The Zap Group); business process automation consultation (Adsworks); AI marketing strategy development (Lucy); one year of mentoring by an angel investor; and access to exclusive EONJ events.

EONJ offers special thanks to this year's judges for donating their time: Jeffrey Chavkin (Elevated Energy); Anthony Clarke (Aerosphere Power); Jonathan Hakakian (SoundBoard Venture Fund); Zachary Johnson, Ph.D. (ProfVal); John Maguire (International Voyager); Ellen Pietrowitz-Phillips (L-E-M Plastics & Supplies); Tiffany Slowinski (Team Spark Advisors); and Harris Wolin (Myers Wolin):

More on illi News

• White Glove Restoration Sends "Help in Boxes" to Support Communities in Ghana
• The Rise of Reverse Mortgage Confusion: What Older Homeowners Need to Know Before Signing
• NASA Agreements, New Ocean Exploration Applications Added to Partnerships with Defiant Space Corp and Emtel Energy USA for Solar Tech Leader: $ASTI
• Mayor Brandon Johnson Statement on the Ruling in the Lawsuit Against President Trump's National Guard Deployment in Chicago
• Chic and Secure: The Blue Luna Debuts Stylish Keychains with Purpose

GSEA's impact is so uniquely powerful that it was the subject of the National Geographic documentary, Own the Room. Regional GSEA competitions are currently underway around the world. To learn more about the NJ GSEA competition or the NJ Chapter of EO, visit GSEA-NJ.org or email (gsea@eonewjersey.org). To learn more about EONJ, please visit eonewjersey.org.

# # #

About GSEA

The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university. GSEA supports student entrepreneurs by providing them with mentorship, recognition, and connections to take their businesses to the next level of success. This renowned competition was chronicled in the 2021 National Geographic documentary, Own the Room.