Blackstone LaunchPad announces first Global Media Fellows

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Amanda Chou ’19 and Amos Cohen ’20 have joined the Blackstone LaunchPad team this semester as its first Global Media Fellows.

As Global Fellows, they will assist with developing plans for student outreach, special events that broaden the number students engaging in entrepreneurship across campus.  They will help plan and implement programs that include guest speakers, workshops, founders and funders forums, and idea competitions and pitch fests.  They will work with the Blackstone LaunchPad Student Advisory Committee on special projects, and support cross-campus engagement with the Blackstone global network on network-wide campus challenges.

Even, more important, they will help tell the stories of student entrepreneurs, with a perspective on ventures that are both cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural.  Through the creation of videos, short features, social media, photo essays and other marketing communications, they will help convey ideas and innovations created by dynamic students who are part of the Syracuse University entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Both bring considerable talent and expertise to this role.

Having grown up in Beijing, Chou’s international background has allowed her to volunteer and intern in multicultural and multilingual environments where she has prized meaningful global dialogue. She has presented, with poise, on international healthcare public relations during her internship at the United Daily News Group in Taipei, led Model United Nations conferences regarding climate change and global disarmament held in Beijing.

She now creates written and visual content for Thrive Projects, Inc., a Syracuse University student startup that has a global footprint, giving her experience in the startup world.  As the Chief Marketing Officer at Thrive, she strategizes and implements marketing projects and campaigns that build a base of support for the non-profit organization.  She has increased student engagement with the venture as the President of the RSO Thrive Projects Syracuse.  She works in a leadership role as part of a cross-cultural team to build a powerful professional narrative to advance Thrive’s fundamental mission to provide renewable energy solutions, sustainability education, and leadership and vocational training to vulnerable communities around the world.  She pitched as part of the Thrive team selected to represent Syracuse University at the prestigious Hult Prize competition. The Hult Prize is a crowdsourced platform for social good, named one of the top five ideas changing the world by Time Magazine, aimed at launching disruptive and catalytic social ventures to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges.

Chou is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations at the Newhouse School and political science at the College of Arts and Science.

Amos Cohen, from Tel-Aviv, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has served in leadership military positions with the Israeli Defense Force before starting his academic career at Syracuse University.  His experience has produced a solid skill set rooted in team building, strategic planning and problem solving.  After leaving the military, Cohen took on a management role with several small businesses, and then founded his own venture, Captur.  That experience gave him insight into developing prototypes, strategizing marketing plans and engaging with operations.  Along his startup journey, Cohen decided that pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in entrepreneurship and marketing management would be essential to his next chapter.  He selected Syracuse University as the place to pursue that goal.

Cohen also holds a graphic design certification from Shenkar College, and was a participant in the starTAU Entrepreneurship Club, which is part of the Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center.  Tel Aviv University is the biggest research university in Israel, and StarTAU, Tel Aviv University’s Entrepreneurship Center, serves Israel’s aspiring entrepreneurs, specifically focusing on TAU students and alumni.

Cohen has been an active member of the Blackstone Launchpad since joining the Syracuse community this past fall. He was an integral part of planning the first Global Entrepreneurship Week at Syracuse University — a weeklong celebration with 30 events across campus — and he spoke at a panel on globalism from an international student perspective.

Cohen is also a Renee Crown Honors Program scholar.

Chou and Cohen join Yong Zhang “Lawrence” Lin ’19 and Quentin Rene Marcel Rosso ’19 who were named inaugural Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellows in fall 2016.  Chou and Cohen will be the LaunchPad’s first Media Fellows.

To connect with any of the LaunchPad Global Fellows, e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu