Shark Tank — Vassar Edition
2026 New Ventures Pitch Competition
Hosted by the
Vassar Innovation and Entrepreneurship Program
Competition cash prizes are generously funded by Ellen Rudnick '72.
The annual New Ventures Pitch Competition brings together Vassar’s most innovative and entrepreneurial students to showcase their ideas, ventures, and solutions to real-world challenges. This signature event celebrates creativity, problem-solving, and change-making at the intersection of the liberal arts and entrepreneurship.
$10,000
Awarded to Date
20
Ventures Pitched To Date
Past Winners
2025 New Ventures
1st Place
Veris
Niranjan Baskaran ’27 with Tanish Pradhan Wong Ah Sui ’26
Veris is a revolutionary, end-to-end, AI-powered platform for collaborative math research, automating complex computations to save time.
2nd Place — ElevateEd by Jordan van der Meulen ’25
3rd Place — Disc Data by Vishnu Lakshman ’27
2024 New Ideas
1st Place
More Than Fencing
David Sagardi Diaz ’28
More Than Fencing is an adaptive physical program that utilizes fencing to help women recover from breast cancer.
2024 New Ventures
1st Place
OutCast
Lissus Murataj ’27
Outcast provides accessible fishing gear that lasts longer and is easier to use, eliminating tangled and permanently damaged rods, and making fishing a better experience for all.
2nd Place — Cher Studios by Cher Mei ’26
3rd Place — LunchBox by Tanish Pradhan Wong Ah Sui ’26