Suresh U. Kumar, president of the entrepreneur network TiE NJ, received the 2025 Dieter Weissenrieder Lifetime Achievement Award by the NJ Business Immigration Coalition held June 24 at the Pines Manor in Edison.
The award is based on achievements by an immigrant over an entire career- including business and entrepreneurship and a positive and lasting contribution to the larger society.
In accepting the award, Kumar said: “The two words that make the 2025 Dieter Weissenrieder Lifetime Achievement Award special for me are ‘Immigrant Entrepreneur’ because these words best define me – next only to the most important affiliation that I share with many of you – that of an American Citizen.”
Kumar is a professor, entrepreneur, start-up mentor, non-profit leader, and author. He was born in Kochi, India, embarked on a career in the United States in 1991. He co-founded his first venture in 1999. Currently, he serves as a professor and director of innovation and entrepreneurship at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Kumar is the founder of AI startup, The New Frontier Firm. His first novel is titled “The Girl in Scarlet Hijab.”
The award is named after another NJIT graduate, Dieter Weissenrieder, founder, and CEO of the Weiss-Aug Group based in East Hanover, which does precision metal stamping, injection molding, value-added assembly solutions and tooling.
The New Jersey Immigrant Entrepreneur Awards put spotlight on the history and academic influence of New Jersey’s immigrant entrepreneurs and their contributions to communities throughout the state. The awards honor immigrants for their achievements in growth, advocacy, innovation, sustainability, and leadership.
The New Jersey Business Immigration Coalition website said the state’s immigrant entrepreneurs were responsible for the invention of the transistor, the modern brassiere, the submarine, Vitamin C, game theory, prong setting for gemstones, the chemical synthesis of penicillin and instant coffee.
Iconic companies such as Welch’s Grape Juice, Ballantine beer, and Colgate-Palmolive were founded by immigrant entrepreneurs who chose New Jersey for their homes and places of business.
