Warrior Startup Challenge

East Stroudsburg University proudly hosted its inaugural Warrior Startup Challenge, an exciting student business competition that showcased the entrepreneurial spirit across campus. The challenge began in November 2024 with 29 students submitting two-minute video pitches in Round 1, and 15 students advancing to Round 2, where they prepared a Business Venture Profile to refine their business model. Round 3 culminated in the top three finalists pitching their refined business ideas live on April 18, 2025.

Kevin Gardner, a senior majoring in Business Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a native of East Stroudsburg, Pa., earned first place and the $10,000 top prize for his business, Ceiba Café. Designed as a holistic, hemp-focused café, Ceiba Café offers made-to-order infused beverages and federally legal, dispensary-grade products using organic, locally sourced ingredients. The café is tailored to support the nearly 129 million Americans managing chronic illness by creating an educational, stigma-free environment where customers can explore alternative wellness options. The café’s biophilic design and wellness-focused events, such as yoga sessions and “Paint n Puff” nights, enhance the customer experience, while a personalized retail model ensures transparency and informed product choices. Kevin’s venture blends plant-based health, hospitality, and social impact, positioning Ceiba Café as a destination for wellness in the Pocono Mountains Region.

Favor Toby, a junior majoring in Business Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a native of Folcroft, Pa., earned second place and a $5,000 award for her company, Agape’s Beauty. Built on her personal hair care journey, Agape’s Beauty addresses a significant gap in the global beauty industry by offering science-backed, porosity-specific hair care products designed to improve moisture retention, reduce breakage, and support healthy hair growth. Unlike conventional brands that focus on curl type or ethnicity, Favor’s business uses porosity as the guiding factor in product formulation, offering customized shampoo, conditioner, oils, and masks for low, medium, and high porosity hair. With a mission rooted in education and empowerment, the brand includes a Porosity Quiz, personalized guides, and sustainable practices to meet the needs of beauty-conscious, eco-aware consumers. Favor’s venture aims to redefine textured hair care by promoting customized, transparent solutions that deliver real results.

Aziyah Norman, a freshman majoring in Business Management with a concentration in Entrepreneurship and a native of Philadelphia, Pa., earned third place and a $2,500 prize for her apparel brand, Mazuri Diviney. Inspired by her lived experience as a sickle cell warrior, Aziyah created Mazuri Diviney to provide stylish, comfortable, and practical clothing that supports individuals undergoing medical treatments. The brand’s signature product, The Warrior Access Sweatshirt, features button closures for seamless access to IV ports and injection sites, while The Warrior Beanie offers warmth and symbolic strength. Together, these products promote dignity during care and serve as a visible statement of resilience. A portion of all proceeds supports sickle cell research, with the brand leveraging storytelling, pop-up events, and social media to build a supportive, advocacy-driven community. Aziyah’s vision is to redefine apparel as a platform for healing, identity, and awareness.

These visionary students were supported by faculty and staff mentors and judged by a panel of industry experts.

The judges were Kate Croll, executive producer, Pocono TV Network; Stelios Melekos ’24, founder and CEO of Stack Tackle, LLC, and the 2023 winner of the State System Startup Challenge; Candice Richards, regional manager of the Pennsylvania State Employees Credit Union; Phil Williams, founder and CEO of Game Face Grooming; and Reanna Tong, staff accountant, Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.