A dance studio, a gift-buying service, a map-based hiring platform, an artisanal chocolate company, and an E- bike share program were announced as winners of the 2025 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge during a special event at Resorts World New York City in South Ozone Park on Wednesday, May 7.
Each entity will receive $20,000 for business-related expenses.
Offered via a partnership between Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.’s Office and the Queens Economic Development Corporation, QTIC is a five-month instruction-and-funding competition for entrepreneurs in search of money and knowledge to launch and/or grow their startups. Contestants participated in one-on-one consultations and networking events while also taking workshops on such topics as AI, marketing, and financial projections. Then, they submitted applications to judges who selected three finalists in five categories: Community; Consumer Tech; Enterprise Tech; Food & Beverage; and Sustainability. Then, the 15 finalists pitched to a second round of judges in person. Those judges selected one winner from each category.
Here’s more info on the winners, who were chosen from a pool of more than 600 participants.
Community: Move. Make. Bloom. (Michelle Lauren Siegel, Oakland Gardens) is a dance studio that offers professional training adapted for adult bodies, fitness training for conditioning, hands-on attention, and performance opportunities.
Consumer Tech: ChipedIn (Charles Medenilla, Hollis/Kew Gardens) is a gifting platform with such features as personal thank you videos and wish lists so nobody purchases an unwanted item.
Enterprise Tech: WorkOnward (Holly Jooyoung Diamond) is a map-based hiring platform that connects job seekers to small businesses to make the hiring process as simple, affordable and empathetic as possible.
Food & Beverage: Milène Jardine Chocolatier (Milène Jardine, Long Island City) makes truffles and chocolate bars inspired by artisanal sweets from around the world, including Taiwanese Black Plum and Norwegian Cloudberry.
Sustainability: Queens Bike Share (Nabil Khatri, Flushing) which rents electronic, pedal-assist, family and cargo bicycles with helmets, locks, and other accessories like child seats.
Now in its third year, QTIC is a continuation of the Queens StartUP! Business Plan Competition, which QEDC administered annually from 2006 to 2023 until the Borough President’s Office joined and enhanced the programs. The sponsors are Con Edison, Google, Queens Public Library, and Resorts World New York City.
Caption: The 2025 Queens Tech + Innovation Challenge winners Nabil Khatri, Michelle Lauren Siegel, Holly Jooyoung Diamond, Milène Jardine, and Charles Medenilla celebrate at Resorts World New York City in South Ozone Park on May 7. Others in the photo include Resorts World Senior Vice President of Community Development and Public Affairs Michelle Stoddart, Con Edison Corporate Affairs Manager Andres Ledesma, Deputy Borough President Ebony Young, outgoing QEDC Executive Director Seth Bornstein, incoming QEDC Executive Director Ben Guttmann, Queens Borough President’s Office Director of Economic Development Shurn Anderson, and QEDC Director of Technology, Communications, and MiQ Michael Gillen.