Edison, New Jersey · John P. Stevens High School · Class of 2027
Aditya Herekar
Social entrepreneur, activist for Ukraine, writer, researcher, and TEDx speaker.
Ventures
Three businesses I founded, and still run every week.
Internship
Three internships in finance and development.
Roles where I learned how investors and entrepreneurs think, from people generous with their time.
All internships →-
Financial Analyst Intern (paid) — A sustainability-driven VC firm, Detroit
Jul 2026–present
Seven diligence reports on early-stage climate-tech companies, guiding invest-or-advise decisions; helped draft the thesis for a proposed clean-energy fund.
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Financial Analyst — True Contrarian Investments
Apr–Aug 2025
Researched 50+ stocks and closed-end funds for 20+ investment theses; pitched six contrarian picks that beat the S&P 500 by about 7% over a year.
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Leadership Initiatives — International Program
Sep 2024–Apr 2025
Led a three-person team supporting a Nigerian entrepreneur to set up his business.
Research
A coffee pod that brews and then biodegrades quickly.
It started on a kitchen counter and ended in a Rutgers laboratory.
Read the research →-
Peer-reviewed publication
Future Scholars Journal · DOI 10.61340/fsj.2026.08
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Patent pending
Provisional filed, utility patent pending - 64/119,414
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Rutgers University food science laboratory
With the Rutgers Food Science Lab, researching packaging materials that extend shelf life; co-wrote a commercialization plan submitted to the USDA.
Social Impact
Giving back to the communities that shaped me.
Teaching Ukrainians personal finance, tutoring through a war, and sitting with veterans.
All service work →-
Co-Founder & CEO — Invest2Empower
2023–present
Hybrid financial-literacy bootcamps for 2,000+ Ukrainians in Ukraine and the USA, in English and Ukrainian, with outreach through the ENGin network.
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English tutor — ENGin
50+ hours
Weekly conversational English with three Ukrainian students since 2023 — where my Ukraine work began.
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NJ Veterans Memorial Home
200+ hours
Companionship and activities for 100+ veterans since 2023, including weekly blackjack games.
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TEDx speaker — TEDxJPS
2024–25
One of six speakers chosen from 150 students, and the only JPS speaker published on the TEDx Talks YouTube channel. A talk on Ukraine and why it matters.
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JPS Hawkeye — Editor
Sep 2026–present
Sole Opinion Section editor, leading five writers; eight op-eds on economic and social issues for 2,600 digital readers.
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Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
2024–26
Two Gold Keys, two Silver Keys, and an Honorable Mention for memoir.
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Varsity Public Forum debate
2022–present
National tournaments including TOC, Harvard, Stanford, and Michigan.
Honors
Competitions and recognition along the way.
Media Coverage