NEW YORK. [14] April 2025 – The Trailblazers Conference, organized by NGEN, NextGen Entrepreneurship Network, held on April 11 at Lowenstein Sandler LLP, gathered 150 of the brightest undergrad founders and aspiring entrepreneurs from all eight Ivies under one roof. The full-day conference was filled with keynotes and panels featuring executives from IBM, Snap, Walmart, TikTok, and Y Combinator, and capped off with a pitch competition sponsored by BullMont. The $10,000 investment cash prize went to two Wharton seniors, Kyle Zhang and Shrey Kakkar, for their start-up “Procuro”.
The day kicked off with a keynote by David Cuenca, Vice President of Transformation at IBM, who shared his expertise in driving organizational transformation using entrepreneurship and AI strategies. Other keynote speakers include Denise Incandela, Executive Vice President at Walmart Fashion Division, who spoke on fashion as a vehicle for access; and Geoff Ralston, Former President of Y Combinator, who shared about the top traits that successful founders and start-ups have in common. Panelists also include executives from Picus Capital, M31 Capital, 11x, Tastee Tape, TikTok, Snap, Unison Media, Quorus, Lowenstein Sandler LLP and OVO Fund.
“[The conference] is really interesting specifically because Brown actually doesn’t have a business school. So the entrepreneurship factor is definitely new and different for me. It’s been a great experience just being around like-minded people that are also going through the same hardships but also the same happy moments,” said Genie Dickens, a freshman at Brown University who attended the conference to explore more entrepreneurial opportunities.
Geoff Ralston, Former President of Y Combinator, delivering his keynote at the Trailblazers Conference 2025.
“The big thing I got [from the conference] is finding a co-founder. In the past, I’ve seen a lot of people say ‘You should do it on your own because you’re the one who knows your own vision’. But hearing the stories about how a co-founder was really able to support entrepreneurs when they’re down because there’s highs and lows when you’re starting a company, it’s a really big insight I got out of that,” said Nardos Mengesha, a freshman at Dartmouth College studying Economics with a minor in Public Policy, who came to the conference to gain real-world entrepreneurial insights and build meaningful connections.
“I came just to see if the startup world is for me. I have some ideas running around in my head but I wasn’t really sure if they were going to be stable; if the market needs them and what I actually want to do with them. But here, I spoke to so many amazing people and I heard so many great ideas. It made me realize that there’s people out there that share similar interests and I can talk out my ideas and find someone that would want to do something with me,” said Pari Patel, a junior at NYU studying computer science, who joined the conference to explore her place in the startup world and test the viability of her ideas.
The event culminated with the highly anticipated NGEN $10k Pitch Competition, sponsored by BullMont Capital, where promising startups pitched their ventures for a chance to bag the $10,000 cash prize. Among the 5 finalists included start-ups from Harvard, Brown and UPenn, with the Wharton seniors snagging first place for their idea to automate the procurement industry and simplify process flows with their start-up “Procuro”.
Attendees of The Trailblazers Conference 2025, including undergraduate founders and aspiring entrepreneurs from Ivy League universities and beyond.
“This conference represents a unique opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking among some of the most innovative minds in technology and business,” said Harsha Ravindran, Co-Founder of NGEN. “The diverse range of speakers and topics reflects our commitment to fostering meaningful connections and driving innovation across industries.”
Organized annually by the NGEN team, the Trailblazers Conference is proudly supported by their sponsors Mercury, M31 Capital, Lowenstein Sandler LLP, OVO Fund, and BullMont who have shown their commitment to cultivating an impact amongst the student entrepreneurship ecosystem on the East Coast.
About NGEN
The NextGen Entrepreneurship Network (NGEN) is the center of gravity for intercollegiate entrepreneurship, creating a shared ecosystem for students across top universities. NGEN, the NextGen Entrepreneurship Network, is an intercollegiate community for ambitious student innovators. As a 501(c)(3), we organize events for students to connect across campuses, learn from experts, access resources, and collaborate with peers. NGEN empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs at every stage, from inspiration to transformative impact. Our highlight program and the origin of NGEN, our Trailblazers Conferences unlock the value of in-person student entrepreneurship, starting in New York City. Gain insights from leading entrepreneurs and VCs in tech, innovation, and impact while networking with like-minded students and discovering the latest startups from top universities.
