Twenty student teams are vying this week at ‘Cuse Tank, the second annual “Shark Tank” style competition this Friday, October 18 from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in Bird Library as a kick off to Family Weekend. The event is co-sponsored by the Blackstone LaunchPad and Syracuse University Libraries, and all are invited to watch the pitches and show support for the teams.
A distinguished panel of judges who are SU parents and successful entrepreneurs from a wide variety of industry sectors will narrow down the field of 20 teams to the “Top Ten” who will pitch for $10,000 in prizes.
The event is the kick-off to SU Family Weekend, and an opportunity for families who are visiting from around the country, and around the world, to experience the entrepreneurial spirit of SU innovators.
“I continue to be impressed with the quality and creativity of the many SU students who make use of the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library,” said David Seaman, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian, and interim iSchool Dean. “I am very grateful to the parents who are giving their time to be part of this exciting competition.”
Contestants come from across campus, and are working on diverse ideas. In alphabetical order, they are:
Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, Room 114
| Venture idea | Idea champion | Home college or school | Brief description |
| Attend Pro | Caleb Obiagwu | Engineering and Com. Science | Improving maintenance work-flow |
| Bluerem | Noel Chang | Maxwell | Bluetooth medical diagnostic technology |
| CLLCTVE | Kelsey Davis | Whitman | Digital platform for brands and creatives |
| EcoBamboo Living | Justin Diaz | Engineering and Com. Science | Sustainable bamboo construction company |
| Fiat Finance | Sam Hollander | Whitman | ISA platform solution to student debt |
| Modern Solutions | David Fox | College of Law | Smart home technology installation service |
| PAANI | Nikita Chatterjee | Arts and Sciences | Clean water solutions for global health |
| Visos | Matt Shumer | Whitman | Enterprise-first VR toolset |
Bird Library – Room 606
| Venture idea | Idea champion | Home college or school | Brief description |
| F.E.I Technology LLC | Yuhang Zhang | Whitman | Asian food lunchbox service |
| Gather | Nolan Kagan | Whitman | Building community over home cooked meals |
| HAUS | Gokul Beed | VPA | IoT home appliance company |
| Iced | Rachel Kaiser | Whitman | Tech sports apparel |
| Porta-Splint | Maxwell Boise | iSchool | Lightweight, compact, portable splint |
| Thinc-hub | Patrick Prioletti | iSchool | Platform to build innovation ecosystems |
Bird Library – Room 608
| Venture idea | Idea champion | Home college or school | Brief description |
| Film Junction | Nicole D’Souza | Arts and Sciences | Streaming service for independent films |
| Free-Swing Power | Clinton Graham | Engineering and Com. Science | Portable mobile device to produce electricity |
| LFG | Josh Berenson | Whitman | Fan content digital media platform |
| Mobile Crapper | Spencer Krimsky | Newhouse | Portable environmentally-friendly toilet |
| TeaBreaf | Nick Barba | Whitman | Weekly friend news briefing |
| UniRide | David Kestin | Whitman | Mobile transit aggregation platform |
The order of pitches will be selected at the event. Pitches are open, and all are invited to watch. The agenda is:
- 8:00 a.m., Check in at the LaunchPad and briefing for judges and teams
- 8:30 a.m., Pitches start in Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Room 114), and Bird 606 and 608
- 9:30 a.m., Wild card round pitches end and judges deliberate
- 9:45 a.m., Wild card judges pick the winners of rooms 606 and 608 who advance to the main stage, and pitch with the “elite eight” who were preselected by judges
- 11:00 a.m., Awards announced and reception, Peter Graham Scholarly Commons
- 11:30 a.m., Program close
Photo: LFG team, with founder Josh Berenson, left