NESTS: Necessary Eleven Steps to Tech Startups
Turn Your Idea into a Startup
Learn the fundamentals of technology businesses and critical thinking. Work with like-minded, motivated achievers and make the industry connections to help you stand out to current and prospective employers.
NESTS (Necessary Eleven Steps to Tech Startups) is a hybrid, three-credit experiential learning course that bridges the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, empowering students to build successful tech startups. Gain hands-on experience in building a tech startup, with individualized mentorship and the necessary frameworks for your startup ideas to launch
Through a blend of lectures, case studies, guest speaker sessions, and in-person and project-based learning, you’ll learn to navigate the complexities of launching and managing a startup in today’s dynamic business environment. Topics covered include lean startup methodology, product development, patents, fundraising through venture capital and angel investors, customer acquisition, and more.
Pitch Your Startup
NESTS culminates with FlyOff demo day, where students pitch their startups in person to industry judges, competing for tuition scholarships and referrals to startup incubators and other opportunities. Top student qualifiers also earn the right to compete in the annual New York Business Plan Competition for a shot at winning up to $100,000.
Student Testimonials
This is possibly the best course I’ve ever taken in my college career. Without NESTS, I would have never known how to bring my ideas to life. The support and mentorship from the instructors, along with lectures from successful industry professionals, have made starting a startup more approachable. I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence and knowledge to start my own company if it weren’t for this incredible program
Alisha K., Founder of VitaPath
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at first, but now I feel like I am in the right place, in the right hands, on creating my own tech startup! I was able to build connections and learn from everyone in NESTS. I also really appreciate having all these guest speakers coming to speak with us, teaching us valuable lessons along the way.
Meng M., Founder of NoPad
Meet the Instructors
Peter Goldsmith, M.B.A.
Director, Industry Relations
pgolds01@nyit.edu
Peter Goldsmith is the director of the New York Tech Co-op program. He previously worked at CBS Records as director of A&R Operations under Clive Davis and then joined Grumman Data Systems, where he was director of operations from 1975 to 1995. During his tenure, he supported IT programs for NASA and other government sites. In 1995, he led Project Long Island and, in 1997, founded the Long Island Software and Technology Network (LISTnet), where he was elected chairman and president. Under his leadership, LISTnet grew to nearly 800 member companies with 50 corporate sponsors, promoting the region as a Technology Center of Excellence. In 2016, LISTnet established the Digital Ballpark, a co-working space in Plainview.
Goldsmith holds a B.B.A. from CCNY, an M.B.A. with honors from St. John’s University, and is a member of Beta Gamma Sigma. He has served as an adjunct professor at Hofstra University, is on the Board of United Way, and has received several awards, including an Honorary Doctorate from Briarcliffe College and recognitions from the American Heart Association, Touro Law School, and Long Island Business Hall of Fame.
Ryan Ahmed
Co-founder of Niura
rahmed39@nyit.edu
Ryan Ahmed is a co-founder of Niura, a brain-computer interface company developing focus-sensing wireless audio earbuds for high-achieving professionals. Under his leadership, Niura was ranked #34 in the Top 100 Startups of 2024 by FoundersPress and was part of “TechCrunch 200” in 2023. He received the U.S. Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award during the Biden-Harris Administration, First Class Honor Ratings from The National Scholastic Press Association, and a Gold Medal from The Columbia Scholastic Press Association. As CEO of the International Socioeconomics Laboratory for six years, he supported data-driven decision-making for local governments, earning commendation from the CDC, and led the NYC Healthcare Expansion Project in Corona, Queens.
Ahmed has collaborated on research at Harvard, presenting or publishing in journals and conferences like the Harvard Public Health Review, American Neurological Association, and American College of Cardiology. He is also a co-star in “Generation Flex” (2024), produced by Men’s Health Magazine, and his patents have been cited by Amazon Technologies and Xiaomi. He has supported grant funding and mentorship for biomedical technology startups.
Pari Patel
Chief Operating Officer of Niura
ppate347@nyit.edu
Pari Patel is a healthcare innovator and entrepreneur, serving as chief operating officer of Niura, where she has helped the company gain recognition among TechCrunch‘s top 200 emerging startups. Inspired by her father’s epilepsy, she is committed to advancing neurotechnology. At Harvard T.H. Chan School, she has been a strong advocate for public health legislation, working with congressional representatives to pass significant bills, including New York’s Assembly Bill A5610D and Senate Bill S5823C on youth dietary supplement regulation, Maryland’s HB0634/SB0602 against harmful substances for adolescents, and Massachusetts’s S.1525/H.4271 on corporate accountability in public health.
She has testified, rallied support, and met with over 400 lawmakers to drive policy change, earning the U.S. Presidential Volunteer Service Gold Award. Patel has presented her work at the Biomedical Engineering Society and the American College of Cardiology, with her achievements featured in Yahoo Finance and TechCrunch. As the founder of GynoEase, she is dedicated to improving women’s healthcare through innovative design.