NJ X VENTURE SUMMIT AT 23 ORCHARD IN MONTGOMERY
By Rikki Massand | Posted January 22, 2026
Hundreds of entrepreneurs, business leaders, and angel investors gathered recently at the new hub of innovation and collaboration at 23 Orchard Road, the former J &J offices in Skillman.
Alex Alexandrov started a high performance driving company, Burnout Motorsport, which produces and hosts education and corporate events at race tracks throughout the United States. burnoutmotorsport.com
Photo by Rikki Massand
Targeted dialogues and presentations on emerging trends in AI, global marketing, data science and biotech supported a platform for people to present their products, share dreams and strategies for development and network with rooms full of potential investors and collaborators.
South Brunswick resident Farooq Zama (right) started CureValue after he experienced world-class heath care available for a fraction of the cost outside the U.S.
Photo by Rikki Massand
South Brunswick resident Farooq is the founder of CureValue, a digital marketplace that helps Americans access safe medical care abroad, often at a fraction of U.S. costs.
He delivered a pitch during the NJ X Venture Summit and raised eyebrows with the attention his firm is getting from both investors and potential customers – hitting daily website traffic of 6,000 unique visitors.
CureValue noted that 40% of American adults skip or delay medical treatment because of cost, and the average hospital costs in the U.S. is $13,600 compared to $3,000 in other developed countries.
Zama said each year, two million travel abroad for medical services and the number is expected to double by 2030. According to Patients Without Borders, in 2023 1.8 million Americans traveled outside the U.S. for medical care. By going abroad for medical procedures, he noted that ‘medical tourists’ average savings between 30% and 70%. That market is underserved since there’s no website focused on making or facilitating itineraries such as Expedia, AirBnB, or Priceline to present all the costs and features.
“CureValue is building the infrastructure for global healthcare access, using AI personalization (on its website/app) with verified facilities and transparent pricing.
“We have an algorithm that has a unique ranking system, looking specifically at the American mindset – do people need a visa? Are the countries/ facilities easy to travel to? And are they English-speaking or not? We use that huge amount of data, scaling it with AI – using the analytics of our users – to make the personalized experience better. We also provide the user with a medical service’s U.S. cost for a side-by-side comparison,” Zama shared.
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Montgomery resident Mahender Gorrai, the franchisee of Venture X office/coworking space locations at 23 Orchard in Skilllman was a sponsor of the event. He said the Summit was strategically well-placed because the VC community understands there is money and potential for angel investments outside of major cities.
Jim Barood leads Innovation+, a curated global community of 10,000+ entrepreneurs and innovators. He serves as an advisor to startups, growth companies and higher ed institutions as well as TechAid, Tech Council Venture Fund and JumpStart Angel Network. In addition, he developed and oversees executive education programs focusing on AI. In Skillman, he presented a morning talk on “Why the Greatest Innovators are A**HOLES.”
“This event is a great way to bring the entrepreneurship community together. People are learning about resources, government support and seeking investments. All those things are coming together in the Summit and it’s good to meet the new faces, entrants and entrepreneurs,” he said.
Alexa La Barbiera started Pastamalfi Inc, a company that sells high-protein pasta meals.
Photo by Rikki Massand
Bergen County resident and attorney Alexa LaBarbiera thrilled the investor audience as she showcased her company – Pastamalfi – with “protein-rich, collagen-powered pasta” plus sauces and dietary options.
The personal touch in her pitch included a weight loss transformation and early days in her career where pasta was a hearty part of her food budget.
Two blue pasta boxes she brought to the NJ X Venture Summit were Basil Cream pasta, and Cacio de Pepe with pecorino, parmesan and pepper. The pasta is made using hard durum wheat semolina imported from Italy, and it contains 30 grams of protein and 340 calories per serving. LaBarbiera set up her table with a microwave for heating bite-size samples of her pasta.
Pastamalfi started a supplier relationship and is on shelves at ShopRites in northern New Jersey, with plans to expand soon.
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A two-hour drive down to Montgomery from Westchester County, NY, didn’t stop Alex Alexandrov, chief enabling officer for Burnout Motorsport, from attending the event, and showing up in style. He presented an innovative booth with neon pink and baby blue, complete with a car racing backdrop and motorcycle helmet.
The Summit allowed Alexandrov a chance to connect with angel investors and entrepreneurs and gain business leads. “We’re pursuing seed funding towards developing our fleet, funding our B-to-B sales and corporate events which we launched about two months ago.
