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���ӰԺ proudly hosted the inaugural DiMaria Emerging Entrepreneurs Challenge on April 14, 2026, in the Health Professions Hub, bringing together student innovators, local business leaders, and community mentors for an evening of creativity, collaboration, and entrepreneurial spirit.

The competition, sponsored by local entrepreneur, leadership coach, and mentor Frank DiMaria, highlights the university’s growing commitment to fostering entrepreneurship across disciplines. DiMaria is a Buffalo-based entrepreneur and business owner. He current owns and operate Frank’s Basement Systems, Frank’s Mr. Plumber, as well as DiMaria Leadership & Consulting.

DiMaria, who also co-leads a spring 2026 entrepreneurship course at D’Youville, envisioned the challenge as a platform for students to transform ideas into actionable ventures.

“This competition is about more than business ideas—it’s about building confidence, resilience, and the mindset to create something meaningful,” said DiMaria. “These students are already thinking like entrepreneurs, and that’s incredibly exciting to see.”

Five students from a variety of D’Youville academic programs presented original business concepts, including:

• Morgan Belscher (Psychology) – LMHC Private Practice, focused on grief counseling after miscarriage and postpartum depression
• Gurvir Kaur (Nursing) – DosePal, a subscription-based medication dosing app
• Kristen Kyaw (Mental Health Counseling) – Heritage Kaphe, an Afro-Caribbean and Asian-inspired bakery
• Summer Sega (Occupational Therapy) – TogetherOne Preschool, an integrated early childhood program
• Kwame Anim-Somuah (Business) – Veltíosi Performance, a subscription-based soccer development, training, and performance tracking app

A distinguished panel of judges evaluated the student business pitches and ideas, including:

• Alexis Agnello, Group Manager, WNY Commercial Banking & Senior Vice President, M&T Bank
• Drew Cerza, D’Youville Class of 1984 and Founder of the National Buffalo Wing Festival
• Bridget Scott, Director of the New Era Cap Foundation
• Janna Willoughby-Lohr, Owner of Papercraft Miracles and award-winning entrepreneur

After thoughtful deliberation, the judges named Kwame Anim-Somuah as the inaugural competition winner for his venture, Veltíosi Performance, recognizing its strong market potential and clear vision for impact in athlete training, development, and performance.

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Reflecting on winning the challenge, Anim-Somuah stated, “It felt pretty surreal and all the work I put into the pitch pay off. I plan on finishing a beta of the app in the next coming months and publishing by the end of the year.”

Anim-Somuah also noted his gratitude to D’Youville’s Business Department and the entrepreneurship course led by Julianna Woite and Frank DiMaria, “This entrepreneurial class is preparing me for a career in business by teaching me how to think critically, solve real problems, and turn ideas into actual opportunities. It’s helped me understand how to build, evaluate, and pitch a business in a practical way. My life has changed by shifting my mindset to now see challenges as opportunities and feel more confident in creating something of my own instead of just following a traditional path.”

The DiMaria Emerging Entrepreneurs Challenge was coordinated by Julianna Woite, Director of D’Youville’s Institute for Teaching Innovation, who emphasized the importance of experiential learning.

“Opportunities like this allow students to apply what they learn in real, meaningful ways,” said Woite. “It’s inspiring to see students from different disciplines step into entrepreneurship and support one another’s ideas.”

The evening concluded with remarks from D’Youville President Lorrie Clemo, who praised the participants and organizers.

“Our students continue to demonstrate that innovation knows no boundaries,” said Clemo. “This competition reflects the spirit of D’Youville—where academic excellence meets real-world impact. We are proud to support the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

The DiMaria Emerging Entrepreneurs Competition is expected to become an annual event, further strengthening ties between D’Youville and the Western New York business community while empowering students to pursue their entrepreneurial ambitions.