Who
We Are
Built from
Direct Conversation
UNPKD started with a firsthand look at the challenges facing families and entrepreneurs in Northern New Jersey. Having moved to Hackensack from Venezuela at the age of eight, Santiago Bermudez grew up seeing a clear disconnect between the desire to start a business and the resources actually available to do so.
Santiago partnered with Brian Carmona, a financial analyst and Passaic native, to develop a concrete approach to bridging that gap. Together, they spent months on the ground speaking directly with restaurant workers, service providers, and other local entrepreneurs to understand the specific barriers they encountered.
Alongside those conversations, Santiago authored Barriers to Capital, a research report on the structural challenges faced by minority entrepreneurs in Northern New Jersey. Published in June 2025, the paper became the foundation and roadmap for UNPKD's curriculum and community engagement model.
Our Guiding
Principles
As a small organization, we seek to ensure a continuous positive impact on urban communities by promoting our six primary principles at every level of our operations.
Community Input
Every decision begins with our community in mind. We partner with local entrepreneurs from the same neighborhoods we serve, ensuring our curriculum and programming reflect real, lived experience as well as effective business concepts.
Equitable Access
We operate on the conviction that entrepreneurship should be determined by ambition and capability, not by access to established capital networks. UNPKD programming is designed to remove barriers in our region.
Practical Application
Business theory without real-world application has limited value. Our curriculum was built from direct conversation with local business owners to ensure every module translates to real, actionable outcomes in participants' day-to-day operations as citizens and business owners.
Measurable Impact
We are accountable to outcomes. UNPKD tracks and reports on participation, business formation, and community economic activity to ensure our work produces tangible, verifiable results in the communities we serve. Join The Brief to receive monthly updates on events and members.
Long-Term Mobility
Our goal is to strengthen the economic fabric of Northern New Jersey at all levels, create role models for the next generation of local business owners, and create a blueprint for positive economic change in communities across America.
Collaboration
No organization succeeds alone. UNPKD cultivates partnerships with local chambers of commerce, financial institutions, non-profits, and educational institutions to build a durable support network for our participants and serve as advocates for economic opportunity and growth.
Our Team
UNPKD is led by a dedicated group of students and professionals whose personal backgrounds are inseparable from the mission. Each member brings direct, lived experience to the work of expanding entrepreneurial opportunity across Northern New Jersey.
Santiago Bermudez
Santiago founded Entrepreneurship Unpacked in December 2024 alongside Brian Carmona in Hackensack, New Jersey. Having relocated from Venezuela at age eight, he brings a direct, personal understanding of the barriers facing immigrant entrepreneurs. He oversees partner relations, curriculum development, resource creation, and events in Monmouth County.
Brian Carmona, CFA
Born in Passaic, NJ and a first-generation Rutgers University graduate, Brian watched his Puerto Rican immigrant parents navigate the challenges of starting a business and securing financing. A credentialed financial analyst, he now oversees curriculum integrity, financial programming, and regional event strategy for UNPKD.
Christopher Jeong
Christopher joined UNPKD in April 2025 as an event volunteer and was appointed Events Director following the successful management of eight UNPKD events across Bergen, Essex, and Hudson counties. He oversees all event logistics, venue coordination, scheduling, and volunteer operations for the organization.
Joaquin Vega
Joaquin joined UNPKD in July 2025 with a mandate to expand the organization's membership base throughout Northern New Jersey. Since joining, he has recruited more than 50 new UNPKD members and plays a central role in facilitating event attendance, scheduling coordination, and community engagement outreach.
Serving Northern
New Jersey
UNPKD currently operates across seven counties in Northern New Jersey, with programming designed to reach entrepreneurs in both urban centers and suburban communities throughout the region.
| 01 | Bergen County | Active Programming |
| 02 | Hudson County | Active Programming |
| 03 | Passaic County | Active Programming |
| 04 | Essex County | Active Programming |
| 05 | Union County | Active Programming |
| 06 | Middlesex County | Active Programming |
| 07 | Monmouth County | Active Programming |