On. Apr. 23, the Collegiate Entrepreneurs Organization (C.E.O.) Club hosted their semesterly student entrepreneur pop-up shop event. The Murphy Green was packed with crowds of Gaels browsing and supporting these student-run pop-up shops, offering products ranging from partially biodegradable fishing hooks to shoe restoration services.

Nine student entrepreneurs participated as vendors in the pop-up shop event, united by a shared hope of growing their business. “I thought this event was a great way to help my dad’s business and get more people involved,” explains Aidan Rodriguez ’26, who manages the New York City based collectible shop, The Lair, with his dad.

The C.E.O. Club E-board invested a lot of work to realize this event. Coordinating an opportune day for the event to take place, gathering the vendors necessary for the event and setting up the location was a monumental undertaking. Many E-board members credit the student body for showing up and generating the interest necessary to make this a shared success for the C.E.O. Club, the student entrepreneurs, and

Vice President of Marketing Eileen Cordero ’25 emphasizes the importance of vendors in the event’s success. “We made sure vendors are up to par and are informed of what is needed”, Cordero observes, “The entrepreneurs were set up for success, but they are the ones who made the day successful and seized success.”

Many of the vendors also competed in the annual Iona Innovation Challenge (IIC) this year, run by the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Combining the field experience from the C.E.O. Club’s pop-up shop event with the months-long preparation process of workshops, mentorship and milestones of the IIC, two student entrepreneurs in particular were able to produce sizeable results.

Balcacer’s Bouquets, run by Jared Balcacer ’26, won first place and the Fan Favorite superlative, earning a total of $6,000 in cash prizes. On the Hook, run by Ryan Doyle ’27, won second place, earning Doyle a cash prize of $2,500. Balcacer’s and Doyle’s pop-up shops bolstered their brand exposure and confidence in customer engagement, contributing to their performance in the IIC.

Vice President Peter Kirchgaesser ’25 believes this event is a staple of the C.E.O. Club’s on-campus presence, expressing his desire to see this event return in the future. “It’s amazing that everyone got together to highlight student entrepreneurship on campus and have this event on a beautiful day,” says Kirchgaesser.

Thank you to all the student entrepreneurs who made this event possible:

Balcacer’s Bouquets – Jared Balcacer ’26

Birdie Boyz – Michael Arteaga ’27

Jaraenicoleesthetics – Ja’rae Meredith ’27

Jay Restorations – Jaiden Houston ’25

Jez.Cosmetix – Jezebel Agramonte ’27

LuBandoflips – Lucas Quintana ’26

Nailed by Diamond – Diamond Fresella ’26

On the Hook – Ryan Doyle ’27

The Lair – Aidan Rodriguez ’26