February 27, 2025
Neve Palmeri ’27 wins BIG EAST Startup Challenge with idea for SmartSip, a straw to detect drugs added to drinks
Neve Palmeri ’27, a marketing and management double major at Providence College, won the 2025 BIG EAST Startup Challenge, a competition featuring student entrepreneurs from 10 colleges and universities, for her innovative product — SmartSip, a reusable straw that can detect date rape drugs added to drinks.
Palmeri presented a five-minute product pitch and answered questions from a judging panel of experienced entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and BIG EAST alumni via Zoom on February 27. The presentations were evaluated on factors such as market need, feasibility, value proposition, and passion.
Palmeri’s participation in the BIG EAST Startup Challenge followed her win at the second annual Donald Ryan Incubator Elevator Pitch Challenge on campus in November 2024, where she presented the idea for SmartSip. The product would help prevent sexual assaults by changing color when it detects Rohypnol, GHB, or ketamine, three common date-rape drugs, in a drink.
“Winning the BIG EAST competition is a huge step forward for SmartSip and I’m excited for what’s next,” said Palmeri, who will receive $1,500 in prize money to help develop her product. “The challenge was an amazing experience and one that I will never forget. It was a great opportunity to connect with and learn from fellow entrepreneurs.”
It’s the second time Providence College has won the BIG EAST Startup Challenge since its inaugural year in 2019. (The competition was not held in 2020.) In 2021, Owen Delaney ’22, Jacquelyn Ryan ’21, and Faith Linscott ’21 claimed victory for their innovation “UMeal.”
Developing the concept of SmartSip was a journey of research, innovation, and collaboration. Because Palmeri does not have a chemistry background, she worked closely with faculty and advisors to refine the scientific aspects of her product. After winning the campus competition, she approached Jay Pike, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, seeking his expertise on the feasibility of her straw concept.
“I came up with the idea of using silver nanoclusters bound to DNA to bind the drugs,” Pike said. “Research showed that ketamine could bind to these colored silver-DNA nanoclusters and quench their color, which led to the development of a feasible way of producing polymer straws that could potentially detect any date rape drug.”
Pike was impressed by Palmeri’s ability to consume and understand technical chemistry concepts.
“She even investigated the price of the starting material to get an idea of the cost to produce the straw, which is very difficult to predict, but she managed to get a reasonable ballpark estimate,” Pike said.
To support Palmeri’s desire to become an entrepreneur, Kelly Ramirez, director of the Donald Ryan Incubator for Entrepreneurship in the Arts and Sciences, enlisted the help of the incubator’s advisors and alumni to mentor her. Christian Connors ’90, an executive and entrepreneur in the safety and security technology industry, supported Palmeri for the November competition.
Helping her prepare for the BIG EAST StartUp Challenge were John Dawley ’86, a PC trustee and consultant for start-up and mid-tier technology organizations; Eddie Martucci ’04, a life sciences executive and entrepreneur with a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics and biochemistry from Yale University; and Chris McDemus ’91, a corporate deal lawyer and expert on emerging business and venture capital.
“Neve’s approach to building her team is a great example of what is possible when we build bridges between the sciences and business,” said Ramirez. “Neve embodies all the characteristics of a successful entrepreneur. She is hardworking, passionate, driven, and coachable.”
As winner of the BIG EAST StartUp Challenge, Palmeri was recognized at the women’s BIG EAST basketball tournament at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
Palmeri, who is from Hamilton, New Jersey, believes that SmartSip “could put PC’s chemistry department on the map” for its critical role in research and development. “The next step is to confirm the science.” She will use the prize money to develop and pilot test her product at PC, working in collaboration with Pike and chemistry students.
“I couldn’t have done it without the incredible support from PC’s entrepreneurial community,” Palmeri said. “A special thank you to Kelly Ramirez and the amazing PC alumni who guided me throughout this journey. Their mentorship has been invaluable.”
“Neve’s project reflects the best of a liberal arts education: She has seen a genuine need, reached across disciplines to seek the expertise of our amazing chemistry faculty, and crafted an idea with the potential to do real social good,” said Margaret Watkins, Ph.D., dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. “It’s so exciting to see the fruits of the amazing work led by Kelly Ramirez and the Ryan Incubator.”
The Ryan Incubator was established through a gift from the family of Donald Ryan ’69, chairman and CEO of CareCore National LLC in Bluffton, South Carolina, a company he co-founded to provide benefit management services to health care providers. He died in 2011 at age 64.
