Endicott College will host its 12th annual Spark Tank on April 15, 2026, bringing together the College’s most ambitious student and recent alumni entrepreneurs for an evening of innovation, competition, and bold ideas. Tickets are free and open to the public.
Hosted by Endicott’s Colin and Erika Angle Center for Entrepreneurship, Spark Tank has grown into the College’s premier showcase of student innovation where founders pitch real ventures, compete for funding, and transform entrepreneurial vision into viable enterprises.
Spark Tank has already helped launch a new generation of Endicott entrepreneurs. Alumni founders such as Elijah Wilson ’25, creator of the ticketing platform TicketTree, and Kara Stingo M’25, founder of The Smart Cookie by Stingo’s Sweets, have used the competition as a springboard to grow their ventures into successful enterprises.
This year’s competition introduces a new theme, “Choose Your Own Adventure,” reflecting the unpredictable and opportunity-filled journey of entrepreneurship. Inspired by exploration, risk-taking, and discovery, the event will challenge participants to chart their own paths as innovators while highlighting the Endicott Experiential Edge, the College’s signature internship program, as well as the College’s expanding culture of creativity and venture creation across disciplines.
For the first time, Spark Tank will take place in the Cleary Lecture Hall in Hempstead Commons, with the space transformed into a fully produced competition environment, complete with professional staging, lighting, and live event production, designed to match the scale and ambition of participating ventures.
“Spark Tank represents the very best of the Endicott Experiential Edge,” said Gina Deschamps, Executive Director of the Angle Center. “Our students are actively building companies, solving real-world problems, and gaining the confidence to pursue ideas that can shape industries and communities. This year’s theme celebrates the courage it takes to step into the unknown and create your own future.”
In addition to $10,000 in funding, the winning venture will also receive a unique international opportunity to spend part of the summer in Cork, Ireland, working with mentors at the Rubicon Centre at Munster Technological University, one of Ireland’s leading startup incubators. During the residency, founders receive guidance from experienced entrepreneurs, investors, and commercialization experts as they further develop and refine their ventures for growth.
Generously sponsored by Cummings Foundation and TD Bank, Spark Tank invites student founders and eligible alumni within five years of graduation to present original ventures before a panel of industry leaders, investors, and entrepreneurial experts. Competitors will vie for funding and mentorship opportunities designed to accelerate business growth beyond the classroom.
This year’s judging panel brings together leaders from venture investing, global mergers and acquisitions, and entrepreneurial mentorship:
- David Fergusson, Executive Managing Director of M&A at Generational Group and a Senior Fellow at the MIT Media Lab, leads the firm’s Technology and Cross-Border M&A practices and brings more than 35 years of experience in business creation, corporate growth acceleration, and global mergers and acquisitions.
- Justin Young is Assistant Vice President of Unum Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Unum Group, where he helps invest in companies shaping the future of family, work, and longevity.
- Carole O’Leary is an implementation and operations leader with more than 15 years of experience guiding organizations through complex enterprise launches and operational transformations. In addition to her industry experience, she serves as a student entrepreneurship mentor at Munster Technological University and the Rubicon Centre in Ireland, where she supports early-stage founders in preparing ventures for commercialization and long-term scalability.
As Spark Tank enters its second decade, the competition continues to evolve alongside Endicott’s institutional commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary collaboration. While rooted in the Gerrish School of Business, participation increasingly spans programs across the College—from science and technology to design and the arts—reinforcing entrepreneurship as a campus-wide mindset rather than a single academic discipline.
The event reflects Endicott’s broader effort to build a sustainable ecosystem for entrepreneurship that connects students, alumni, industry partners, and philanthropic supporters while positioning the College as a regional hub for emerging ventures and experiential learning.
Spark Tank is free and open to the public. Reserve your free ticket now.