SABCVA Organises Startup Pitch Competition in Virginia

• The South Asian Business Council of Virginia (SABCVA) held a Startup Pitch Competition on March 29, 2026
• The event brought together entrepreneurs, investors, policymakers, and business leaders

A Startup Pitch Competition organized by the South Asian Business Council of Virginia (SABCVA) took place on March 29, 2026, in the Hyatt Regency Dulles. Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and policymakers attended the event along with other businessmen.

In all, five entrepreneurs made their pitch in front of judges and spectators including members of government, chief executives, and others.

As per SABCVA, the list of some of the notable personalities who graced the occasion include Suhas Subramanyam, Kannan Srinivasan, Atoosa Reaser, and Henry Eickelberg, showing the level of enthusiasm towards entrepreneurship and business development in the region.

In the end, the competition results were revealed. Titilope Olotu from PADI stood first, while Manvender Singh (WAKAO App) and Naina Zaman (NanTech) won second and third positions respectively. Other contestants like Mydeen Yussouf (Qynmic.AI) and Swapna (Orion Data Engine) also impressed the judges.

The judging team consisted of Mel Ghani, Stevie Jones, Ranbir Bhutani, Kumail Khas, and Sandra McCutcheon. The judging of the pitch competition was conducted under the moderation of Juan Pablo Segura who used to be the Secretary of Commerce and Trade for Virginia State. All of the judges recognized SABCVA for their efforts in giving entrepreneurs an opportunity to showcase themselves.

The members of the SABCVA board informed that the pitch competition is part of the bigger strategy of linking entrepreneurs with possible investors. Some of the future initiatives mentioned included AI and cyber-security internships, hackathons, entrepreneur programs for women, college leadership program, and business funding workshops.