Berks' Best 2025 business winner Ariyan Patel: blending entrepreneurship and service in pursuit of meaningful impact
Though still in Wyomissing High School, Ariyan Patel is already redefining what it means to be a business leader.
Ariyan, the winner in the Berks' Best 2025 business category, has demonstrated an extraordinary ability to turn vision into action, blending entrepreneurship and public service.
Ariyan is the co-founder and CEO of The Pathlight Project LLC, a tech startup developing an AI-powered, wearable navigation device for the blind. The inspiration came from a friend; the impact could reach millions. Pathlight's proprietary light-guidance system has already outperformed traditional mobility tools in testing, and earned over $15,500 in startup funding from Penn State, the National Society of High School Scholars and Iowa University's Jacobson Institute. Ariyan filed a provisional patent and is working with mentors from Cornell, MIT and Exelon to bring the product to market.
His entrepreneurial drive doesn't stop there. As founder of Lambu LLC, Ariyan is creating stylish, affordable clothing for tall teens, solving a fashion problem he personally experienced. From fabric sourcing in Portugal to ethical production planning in India, he oversees every aspect of development, blending business acumen with global awareness.
What sets Ariyan apart isn't just his ability to launch startups — it's his commitment to service. As the first high school student to serve as a legislative intern with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, he supported policy work on Medicare drug pricing and maternal health. Closer to home, he's a driving force in youth service as an executive with the Youth Volunteer Corps' International Board.
In school, Ariyan wears many hats: student council member, Model UN head delegate and STEAM Club hardware manager. Through the latter, he helped secure $30,000 for school STEM resources and led the construction of blind-accessible supercomputers. His leadership helped break stereotypes around eSports, advocating for its cognitive and social benefits with school officials and the community.
For Ariyan, business is not just a field of study — it's a philosophy of action.
'Business isn't merely about profit margins,' he wrote in his application. 'It's a powerful vehicle to channel creativity, empathy, and strategy toward solving systemic social challenges.'
Ariyan's innovative spirit is inspired by his uncle, a health care executive. He has been recognized internationally as both a Yale Young Global Scholar and one of the Top 25 Emerging Innovators out of 34 nominating countries.
Pathlight Project exemplifies his commitment to bridging innovation with social impact. Equally dedicated to grassroots leadership, he helps oversee $20,000 in grant funding through VoiceUp Berks to combat homelessness, substance abuse and food insecurity—initiatives engaging 2,400 youths across the county.
Meanwhile, as part of the executive committee for the Youth Volunteer Corps, he has helped mobilize more than 20,000 volunteers across North America and Africa, uniting diverse communities worldwide through high-impact service leadership projects.
He plans to study electrical engineering and economics, with an eye on launching future ventures and eventually running for Congress — but not before raising enough capital through his startups that he can afford to turn down campaign contributions from sources that don't align with his values.
Whether he's pioneering life-changing technology, advocating for policy reform or orchestrating large-scale service initiatives, Ariyan is already proving that age is no obstacle to creating meaningful, lasting change. He remains steadfast in his commitment to creating bold, solutions-focused opportunities that uplift communities around the globe.
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