Tristan Santulli C’25 developed Ski Share, an app designed to make skiing and snowboarding more affordable and accessible
May 2023 – Drew University student Tristan Santulli C‘25 has been named one of six finalists in UPitchNJ 2023, a statewide collegiate startup competition sponsored by Nokia Bell Labs.
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Santulli, an economics major and business and photography double minor, has always had a passion for entrepreneurship and currently runs his own e-commerce business.
“I want to be an entrepreneur because it will provide me time and freedom later in life. I have been dedicated to learning about entrepreneurship by reading books and starting a few of my own ventures. Whenever a business idea comes to me, I write it down in my notes. When it was time to come up with a business idea for this competition, I looked back at all my previous ideas,” said Santulli.
While taking BST 350 – The Work of Innovation, Santulli, an avid skier since the age of six, brought his startup idea Ski Share to life. Ski Share is an app that increases traffic to ski resorts while boosting the surrounding local economies. Its mission is to make skiing and snowboarding more affordable and provide options at various mountains.
“I originally came up with this business a few years ago when I overheard two people talking about a golf membership exchange where people from different clubs could golf with each other and use different courses. I thought the same type of concept could work with skiing, which led to the idea of Ski Share,” said Santulli.
“Tristan developed this idea in his marketing classes,” said Sarah Abramowitz, John H. Evans Professor, Chair of Mathematics and Computer Science, and Chair of Business. “We are fortunate to have instructors like Professor Ann Mills who have the industry experience and connections to successfully mentor our students.”
During the competition, finalists have seven minutes to pitch their ideas, followed by an eight-minute question and answer session with judges from Nokia Bell Labs. They must demonstrate startup feasibility and financial viability, outline the competitive landscape, and prove they have credible market validation.
The UPitchNJ finals will be live-streamed via Facebook Live on the UPitchNJ Facebook page from 1:30-4 p.m. on Wednesday, May 3. The event is free and open to the public.
