Joy Xie, Co-founder of the Clinisynq digital platform designed to improve clinical trial efficiency, will advance to GSEA US Nationals on January 26, 2026.
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. – On November 21, 2025, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization New Jersey Chapter (EONJ) hosted the New Jersey Finals of the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) at the Park Avenue Club in Florham Park, NJ. Seven student entrepreneurs competed for a chance to win $5,000, as well as business mentoring and other services from the EONJ community. This year’s winner was Joy Xie, a second-year medical student at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, who co-founded Clinisynq, a digital platform designed to support clinical trials. Xie will represent the Garden State in the GSEA US Nationals on January 26, 2026.
Xie, who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology from Princeton University with minors in Finance and Global Health, co-founded Clinisynq with three other medical students. This platform aims to improve clinical trial efficiency by supporting medication adherence, enabling real-time adverse event reporting and improving communication between patients and research teams. During her presentation, Xie emphasized that missed doses and unreported events can jeopardize data integrity – delaying and even derailing potential future treatments.
Beyond the cash prize, Xie now can take advantage of the following services, provided at no cost by members of the EONJ community: logo design and tagline development (S3 McMillan), intellectual property legal services (Myers Wolin), office space and conference room (Eastman Companies), podcast sessions (Coco Coworking), communication solutions (VoiceNEXT), and access to lessons from two-year start-up entrepreneur Zach Schofel (Rentwithcosign), mentoring from veteran entrepreneur Lawrence Prager (angel investor), and exclusive EO events.
The additional six student entrepreneur finalists were:
- Daijamonet Cook, Divine Real Estate Assistance & Management/DREAM Inc. (Old Dominion University)
- Erin Devine, Devine Lacrosse Academy (Rutgers University)
- Logan Garriques, New Gen Business Automation (Centenary University)
- James Henhaffer, Thrivvest (Rowan University)
- Cade Padilla, Cadence Creative Studios (Rowan University)
- Braden Twomey, +Pouch (Rowan University)
Second place recognition and a $500 prize went to Cade Padilla. The Rowan University student founded and operates “Cadence Creative Studios,” a full-service production hub in Pitman, NJ that empowers creators and businesses with the tools, team and strategy needed to grow their personal brands and stand out in their industries.
“EO New Jersey has supported GSEA for years because young entrepreneurs are the future of innovation. By giving them access to mentorship, community, and opportunity, we help them turn promising ideas into real, scalable impact,” said Steve Schneider, an EO New Jersey member who is the 2025-26 New Jersey GSEA Chair.
EONJ offers special thanks to this year’s judges for donating their time: Denise Blasevick (S3 McMillan), Jeffrey Chavkin (Elevated Energy), Carl Gould (7 Stages Advisors), Brian Holtz (Drew School), John Maguire (International Voyager), Harris Wolin (Myers Wolin), Brian Reintgen (J&B Merchandise), and Tiffany Slowinski (Team Spark Advisors).
GSEA’s impact is so uniquely powerful that it was the subject of the National Geographic documentary, Own the Room. Regional GSEA competitions are currently underway around the world. To learn more about the NJ GSEA competition or the NJ Chapter of EO, visit GSEA-NJ.org or email (gsea@eonewjersey.org). To learn more about EONJ, please visit eonewjersey.org.
About GSEA
The Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA) is the premier global competition for students who own and operate a business while attending college or university. GSEA supports student entrepreneurs by providing them with mentorship, recognition, and connections to take their businesses to the next level of success. This renowned competition was chronicled in the 2021 National Geographic documentary, Own the Room.
Contact: To learn more about the New Jersey GSEA or the NJ Chapter of EO, please visit GSEA-NJ.org or contact Steve Schneider (gsea@eonewjersey.org).
