The American Heart Association’s EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator is looking for a diverse pool of social entrepreneurs and organizations who are driving change through health justice in their communities.  The 2021 application cycle is now open through July 16.   

Syracuse University student Russell Fearon ’20 G ’21, College of Engineering and Computer Science, received a $50,000 grant through the program in 2020, plus an additional $5,000 for receiving the most fan votes in the program. He used that to help commercialization efforts for SugEx, a wearable device for diabetes management he developed at Syracuse with his co-founder Ricardo Sanchez ’21 VPA School of Design.  Fearon and Sanchez created the concept and initial prototype through the Invent@SU program and continued to work on it through the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University.

This same opportunity is now open for other Syracuse innovators and Russell is happy to share how the program impacted his business and to encourage similar entrepreneurs to apply this year.

The EmPOWERED to Serve Business Accelerator is for community-based social entrepreneurs and nonprofits working to solve issues related to the social determinants of health across the country. Participants selected for the program will have a chance to receive up to $65,000 in grant funding. Previous participants have introduced innovative approaches to bridging gaps in access to healthcare, healthy food, stable housing, and STEM education. Small business owners and organizations from historically underrepresented communities are especially encouraged to apply for a chance to participate in the eight-week accelerator.

For more information and to apply, visit https://www.empoweredtoserve.org/en/capital-access-grant-funding/business-accelerator-program/2020-business-accelerator. 

Topics for this year’s accelerator program applications include, but are not limited to, food access, employment and affordable housing.

The 2021 program is an eight-week program. Please allow at least eight to 10 hours a week for individual work sessions and virtual group activities.

Timeline

• Application window is open through July 16
• Application reviews July  17 through August 5
• Candidates announced August 6
• Training August 6 – October 8
• Fan voting October 4  through October 21
• Finale event Thursday,  October 21

You know Upstate Capital as the amazing group of people who organize and run the annual New York Business Plan Competition, bringing together the most talented student startups from across the state.  But did you know that Upstate Capital is the leader connecting people in the venture, growth, private equity and M&A ecosystems?  

We’re pleased to help promote their new website to help ventures maximize these connections.

The website showcases the Upstate New York investment ecosystem and focuses on the user experience – whether for investors looking for deal flow, or for professional service providers to grow their network, or for startups and SMEs to access capital. 

Test drive the new site here:  https://upstatecapital.org/

Want even more access?  Becoming a member unlocks features on the site that include:

• Specifically designed paths for both the Venture + Growth and Private Equity + M&A sectors.
• The ability to connect to other people in the Upstate Capital network.
• Easily accessible full event recaps and recordings.
• Being featured in our online Member Directory.

New hybrid online and in-person events start next week.  Consider becoming a member to see all that you can do with Upstate Capital today.

Interested in learning more about pre-incubation, regional funding opportunities, lobbying for startups, soft landings, and more?  Marc Alessi, Executive Director of the Business Incubator Association of NYS (BIANYS) will be discussing, Thursday, July 8, 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET at a free and virtual meetup hosted by LaunchPad partner CNYBAC.  All are welcome.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://upstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0oc-2hqTwqGdK6_4Lzzy4GLLVVX0w0cV9L

Marc will discuss programs supported by BIANYS, such as:

Pre-Incubation Program:  BIANYS works with entrepreneurs who are in the beginning stages of starting a company to help vet their idea or service and draws on expertise from the incubation community across NYS to determine if there is product/market fit and to provide mentorship on the next steps of the company’s business model.

Regional Pitch Program:  BIANYS will work with each regional Hot Spot in identifying companies looking to raise capital and support those companies in a regional and statewide pitch process. On Regional Pitch Day, local investors will be joined by investors from other regions in viewing the company pitches. The top five from each region will be invited to pitch to the NYC-based venture community at BIANYS’ annual meeting in NYC in December.

Lobbying for Startups:  BIANYS has taken a leadership role in organizing the innovation ecosystem around issues affecting the startup community and helping organize advocacy efforts.

Soft Landings International Exchange Program:  An advocate for global entrepreneurship, BIANYS has launched its Soft Landings Program designed to provide international companies with the necessary business, legal and operational resources for establishing New York-based subsidiaries. The BIANYS Soft Landings program will educate, mentor and guide entrepreneurs and company representatives as they develop business plans for expansion.

Learn more at:  www.cnybac.com

It’s summer and the LaunchPad is open for business.  We’re hoping you find time to catch some fun and play around with innovation. If you’re on campus, drop in and feel free to work here.  You’ll find familiar faces and a great space for collaborating.  Summer is great “hang time” at the LaunchPad, but if you’re working from a remote location and can’t drop in, we are also available by phone or video chat.

Our summer newsletters will be less frequent, but will keep you in the loop on programs, people, activities, events and resources.  Keep us up on your summer news too!

Summer is the time to get building.  Here are some fun ways to stay engaged:

1. Kick around ideas with us.  Been noodling an idea around in your head but don’t have anyone to talk to about it?  We’re here for you.  Reach out to LaunchPad@syr.edu for a chat. 
2. Get coaching.  Summer is the time to double down on coaching.  E-mail us at LaunchPad@syr.edu to get coaching.  Our mentor list rapidly expanding through alumni and industry connections who are happy to help provide feedback and guidance.  Learn more about our mentorship program here.
3. Build your roadmap. We have a roadmap process that will get you from idea to launch.  It’s a surefire recipe for success.  Check it out, and access tons of other free resources on our website.  Summer is the time to build that venture that you didn’t have time for during the academic year – and also a great time to make traction on what you’re already started.
4. Work on your pitch.  There are so many exciting competitions coming up this academic year.  Get a head start on them by building your pitch deck or refining the one you have.  Get feedback.  Practice.  It could also be time to try that pitch out on some investors.  We can help get you ready.
5. Catch up on summer reading. The Blackstone Launchpad Innovation and Entrepreneurship Book Collection continues to grow, with many titles available in electronic editions.  This award-winning collection, crowdsourced with the help of faculty, staff and students, is one of the most widely circulated categories of books at SU Libraries. Entrepreneurship starts with exploration, and there is no time like summer to kick back and read.  Here’s a link to the Innovation and Entrepreneurship book collection.
6. Earn some badges.  Blackstone Global Fellow Nick Barba has created an ingenious badge system for LaunchPad ventures.  The badges follow students from idea to commercialization and are a fun and motivational way to track progress developing your business idea. Check out the Badge Book here.  Badges come straight from the LaunchPad’s roadmap, as well as suggestions from members and mentors. 

The 2020 – 2021 academic year was like no other.  It was a creative challenge to keep our amazing community connected and engaged through the pandemic, operating virtually through much of the year.  Thanks to an incredible Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars team effort led by our talented student entrepreneurs who serve as mentors and subject matter experts, we thrived – adding 750 new members to the program this academic year. 

A big shout out to our student team for helping make this year one that was memorable, and also for building a student experience that brought us closer together as a community.  The team launched new initiatives such as a podcast and video series, ramped up our content creation and digital outreach, jumped into seamlessly transition programming and numerous competitions to the virtual space, expanded programming around diversity and inclusion, and poured their hearts, minds and entrepreneurial souls into mentoring.

We’d like to take this opportunity to recognize our 2020 -2021 LaunchPad Global Fellows, Rubin Family Innovation Mentors, Orange Ambassadors, Todd B. Rubin Diversity and Inclusion Scholars, Hunter Brooks Watson Scholar and our Syracuse University Hult Prize Campus Ambassador.  Learn more about team and read their profiles here.

Generous donor support makes these leadership development experiences for entrepreneurial students.  We’d also like to give a very special thanks to Todd B. Rubin ’04, the Minister of Evolution (President) for The Republic of Tea, who generously supported many of these roles.  We are looking to build on and expand upon that support for next year’s team.  If you are interested in supporting student entrepreneurs, reach out to Ronald L Thiele, Asst Dean for Advancement, Syracuse University Libraries,

315-560-9419 or rlthiele@syr.edu

LaunchPad Global Fellows

LaunchPad Global Fellows are subject matter experts in various disciplines such as engineering, software and data management, industrial and interaction design and product development, graphic design, web design, UX-UI, all forms of digital media and content development, as well as marketing, sales and finance. These roles were supported through Invest SU funding:

• Claire Howard ’23, Maxwell, economics and international relations
• Emily Pearson ’21, VPA, environmental and interior design
• Patrick Linehan ‘21, Arts and Sciences, newspaper and on-line journalism and policy studies
• Sloane Sexton ’21, VPA, communications design
• Chris Appellpo’21, Newhouse, advertising
• Jack Lyons ’22, Newhouse, Whitman
• Kaizhao Zero Lin ‘21, Newhouse and Maxwell
• Jackson Siporin ’22, VPA, Music Industry

The Rubin Family Innovation Mentors

Rubin Family Innovation Mentors serve as peer advisors to a portfolio of student startups, coaching them on strategy and venture development.  These roles were supported by the Rubin Famil Foundation:

• Patrick Prioletti G’21 iSchool, graduate program, applied data science
• Emma Rothman ’21, Falk College, food studies
• Sam Hollander ’22, Whitman, finance and Newhouse, advertising dual major
• James LePage ’23 Whitman, real estate
• Bruno Luiz G’22, iSchool, graduate program, applied data science

Todd B. Rubin Diversity and Innovation Scholars

Todd B. Rubin Innovation and Diversity Scholars, funded through a generous gift from Todd B. Rubin ’04 School of Architecture, Minister of Evolution and President of the Republic of Tea, work to broaden diversity and inclusion outreach and programming, expand participation in entrepreneurship by underrepresented groups and support the University’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.  They included:

• Tyra Ambroise Jean G ’21, Maxwell, public policy
• Gabriela Holliman-Lopez ’22, VPA, communications and rhetorical studies

Orange Ambassadors

Orange Ambassadors, also funded through a generous gift from Todd B. Rubin, compliment the skills sets of our Global Fellows, supporting outreach and engagement with entrepreneurial students across campus.  This was a special gift to help students who needed additional support this year because of the pandemic.  They included:

• Justin Diaz ’23, College of Engineering and Computer Science, civil engineering
• Alesandra (Sasha) Temerte ’22, Arts and Sciences, economics, writing and rhetoric
• Russell Fearon ’19 and ‘G22, College of Engineering and Computer Science, mechanical engineering
• Jackson Ensley ’22, Whitman, marketing management
• Emma Rothman ’21, Falk College, food studies
• Zain Edeen Elwakil ’21, School of Architecture
• Sam Hollander ’22, Whitman, finance and Newhouse, advertising dual major
• Season Chowdhury ’23, College of Engineering and Computer Science, computer science
• James Rudman ’21, iSchool, information management and technology
• Krishna Pamidi ’21, Whitman, finance

Hunter Brooks Watson Scholar

Hunter Brooks Watson Scholars are supported through a generous gift from the Hunter Watson Memorial Fund.  It is Inspired by Syracuse University’s Remembrance Scholar program and was established as a way to honor the life and entrepreneurial spirit of Hunter Brooks Watson, a Syracuse University student who passed away after injuries suffered in a tragic 2016 distracted driving car accident. The Syracuse University Hunter Brooks Watson Scholar peer mentors students and builds the pipeline of innovative students who exemplify the “spirit of entrepreneurship.”  This year’s Watson Scholar was:

• Emma Rothman ’21, Falk College, food studies

Hult Prize Syracuse University Campus Ambassador

The Syracuse University Hult Prize Campus Ambassador helps organize the campus Hult Prize competition at Syracuse University.  It is part of a global competition that is often referred to as the “Nobel Prize” of student impact entrepreneurship.  The position is supported by funding through Invest SU.  This year’s campus ambassador was:

• Claire Howard ’23, Maxwell, economics and international relations

LaunchPad – Blackstone – Techstars Communications

Thanks to funding from the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, the LaunchPad was able to support a communications team expert this year:

• Kelly Davis ’23, Whitman, marketing

About Todd B. Rubin:

Rubin serves as the Minister of Evolution (President) for The Republic of Tea. Dedicated to preserving a legacy that fosters The Republic of Tea’s “Sip by Sip Rather than Gulp by Gulp” lifestyle, he strives to delight Citizens, Ministers, Embassies and Ambassadors with a focus on innovation, education and providing the finest premium teas and herbs.

Rubin joined The Republic of Tea in 2007 as the Minister of East Commerce and then transitioned to the Minister of Southeast Commerce in 2008. In 2011, he was appointed to Minister of Evolution (Vice President of Sales and Marketing), relocating to the company’s Larkspur, California office. In that role, he successfully spearheaded new teas and new systems that led to significant growth. Utilizing his Syracuse University degree in architecture, he oversaw the feng shui design of the company’s headquarters at The Exchange in Larkspur, California and the company’s production and shipping center in Nashville, Illinois.

In 2016, Rubin was elected to the Specialty Food Association Board of Directors and was distinguished as one of San Francisco Business Times’ 40 Under 40. He was appointed to the Advisory Board for the Specialty Tea Institute and became a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization SF Bay Area Chapter in 2015. The year prior, Rubin was the recipient of Syracuse’s Generation Orange Award for philanthropy and was also honored as one of North Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40. Rubin was elected to the Board for the Ethical Tea Partnership, a nonprofit organization that convenes the tea industry, development partners, NGOs, and governments to improve the lives of tea workers, farmers, and the environment in which they live and work.

His goal in supporting LaunchPad students is to encourage other Syracuse University alumni to consider gifts that enhances the entrepreneurial “Orange Experience.”

About The Republic of Tea:

The Republic of Tea enriches people’s lives through its great-tasting premium teas and herbs, education and innovation, as it emphasizes a “Sip by Sip Rather Than Gulp by Gulp” lifestyle. Founded in 1992, The Republic of Tea sparked a specialty tea revolution. Today the brand delivers an unequaled selection of the highest-quality teas, herbal blends, books and nature-inspired sipware. The Republic of Tea’s collections boast over 300 all-natural premium teas and diverse offerings which include, but are not limited to: organic SuperAdapt Teas, SuperDigest Teas®, Beautifying Botanicals®, SuperGreen Teas, Downton Abbey™ Teas, Biodynamic® Teas, organic Superfruit™ Teas, Be Active® Teas, organic SuperHerb® Teas, U-Matcha™, Single Sips®, teaware and a collection of unsweetened, premium glass-bottled iced teas crafted exclusively for fine restaurants and hotels. Further, The Republic of Tea is mindful of how its actions impact the greater community and actively supports organizations like The Ethical Tea Partnership, Homeward Bound of Marin, and The Women of Tea: Sri Lanka, an initiative by The Republic of Tea focused on improving nutrition, hygiene and financial literacy for the women tea workers living in Sri Lanka. Certifications include Demeter USA Certified Biodynamic, Fair Trade certification, Gluten-Free certification, Non-GMO Project verification, OU Kosher certification, and USDA Organic certification.

For more information, please visit www.REPUBLICofTEA.com 

LaunchPad startup company ModoSuite is hosting the second in a Founders Chat series this summer moderated by its co-founder and CEO Jackson Ensley ’22.  It will be June 29 from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. EST with featured guest Jonathan Sukhia, founder of TopKey and an alum of Y-combinator ’21.  Sign up for the June 17 chat here. The chats are a collaboration with the LaunchPad at SU Libraries.

TopKey helps find managers to take care of vacation rental properties on Airbnb, Vrbo and other listing sites.  It is a platform that connects owners with professional, vetted property managers to help care for vacation homes with competitive pricing, and seamless communication.

ModoSuite is building the future of marketplaces and offering start-ups exclusive first access to its beta template, which is a fully working marketplace that a company can have up and running in an afternoon.  Apply to become part of the beta here.

ModoSuite is led by Jackson Ensley and Paul Hultgren.

Ensley is a LaunchPad Global Fellow and a Whitman senior who is obsessed with building communities. His previous venture Popcycle was an online marketplace for student-owned clothing brands.  Popcycle built and launched an MVP in September of 2020 and did thousands of dollars in sales during the first week. Now, Jackson is dedicated to helping other founders get their marketplace MVPs up and running fast, with the mission of making marketplaces easy to build. 

Co-founder and CTO Paul Hultgren is an entirely self-taught programmer from the Bay Area who is also obsessed with building.  He has been developing websites for more than four years  and has deep experience building fully custom e-commerce websites.  He is a seasoned AWS user and programs in TypeScript and Elixir. Contact the team here.

LaunchPad startup company ModoSuite is hosting a series of fireside chats this summer hosted by its co-founder and CEO Jackson Ensley ’22.  The first kicks off Thursday, June 17, from 7 to 8 p.m. EST with featured guest Jeremy Yamaguchi, founder of Lawn Love, a rapidly scaling landscaping, home and lawn care on-line marketplace and an alum of Y-combinator ’14.  The business has been featured in Inc., TechCrunch and Fast Company for taking a high-tech approach to a traditionally low-tech sector and revolutionizing the lawn care industry.  Sign up for the June 17 chat here. The chats are a collaboration with the LaunchPad at SU Libraries.

ModoSuite is building the future of marketplaces and offering start-ups exclusive first access to its beta template, which is a fully working marketplace that a company can have up and running in an afternoon.  Apply to become part of the beta here.

ModoSuite is led by Jackson Ensley and Paul Hultgren.

Ensley is a LaunchPad Global Fellow and a Whitman senior who is obsessed with building communities. His previous venture Popcycle was an online marketplace for student-owned clothing brands.  Popcycle built and launched an MVP in September of 2020 and did thousands of dollars in sales during the first week. Now, Jackson is dedicated to helping other founders get their marketplace MVPs up and running fast, with the mission of making marketplaces easy to build. 

Co-founder and CTO Paul Hultgren is an entirely self-taught programmer from the Bay Area who is also obsessed with building.  He has been developing websites for more than four years  and has deep experience building fully custom e-commerce websites.  He is a seasoned AWS user and programs in TypeScript and Elixir. Contact the team here.

The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars has inducted 29 new graduate and undergraduate members of the Syracuse University Class of 2021 to its Founders Circle.  The annual distinction honors students who launched ventures during their Syracuse University careers and also contributed to building the LaunchPad community at SU Libraries.  Founders Circle members serve as alumni role models for future student entrepreneurs and the award exemplifies their passion for innovation and entrepreneurship.

The Founders Circle Class of 2021 include:

• Aanya Singh. Newhouse & Whitman
• Bruno Andres Gonzalez Hauger, Newhouse & Whitman
• Cassianne Cavallaro, VPA Illustration
• Daniel Green, iSchool
• Emma Rothman, Food Studies, Falk
• Erica Morrison, Newhouse & Whitman
• Erica Jules, VPA Industrial and Interaction Design
• Ethan Clearfield, VPA Museum Studies
• Ethan Tyo, Food Studies, Falk
• Gokul Beeda, VPA Industrial and Interaction Design
• James Rudman, iSchool
• Jules Moskowitz, Newhouse
• Kyra Thomas, Engineering and Computer Science
• Madison Worden, VPA Industrial and Interaction Design
• Max Freund, Newhouse & Whitman
• Patrick Prioletti, graduate program in Applied Data Science, iSchool
• Patrick Linehan, Newhouse
• Raul Guardans, VPA Acting
• Ricardo Sanchez, VPA Industrial and Interaction Design
• Russell Fearon, graduate program in Engineering and Computer Science
• Ryan Ondocin, graduate program in Applied Data Science, iSchool
• Sam Chazen, Whitman
• Sam Hollander, Newhouse & Whitman
• Sardor Askarov, Whitman
• Shawn Gaetano, iSchool
• Sloane Sexton, VPA Communications Design
• Vaishnavi Subhedar, graduate program in Engineering and Computer Science
• Zain Elwakil, Architecture
• Zero Lin, Newhouse & Maxwell

The Founders Circle was started by Quentin Rosso ’18 Whitman who is co-founder of Gamercraft.  Rosso was named Student Entrepreneur of the Year in 2018 by the Whitman School of Management, founded four ventures as a member of the Syracuse University LaunchPad, and also created the Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellows program.  He went on to co-found Gamercraft with another LaunchPad Founders Circle member Jose Javier “JJ” Garcia-Rovira ’19 Whitman.  Both Rosso and Garcia-Rovira continue to mentor LaunchPad student startups and have been frequent speakers at Syracuse University LaunchPad events.

See the complete list of Founders Circle alumni members here:  https://launchpad.syr.edu/about/founders-circle/

Nearly 5,000 students have participated in the Syracuse University LaunchPad program over the past five years.  They have launched more than 125 companies, raised more than $43 million in outside investment and won more than $3.5 million in business competitions.  Four were named to Forbes 30 Under 30 This Year.  They have had stories about them in Adweek, Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes, GeekWire, Mashable, New York Times, Newsweek, TechCrunch, Venture Beat and WIRED.

They have launched their own companies in sectors like food, fashion, health, fitness, e-commerce, clean tech, medtech, media and entertainment, gaming, advanced tech like VR/AR and AI, blockchain, data analytics and the Internet of Things. And as they’ve grown, they have hired SU interns and SU graduates as full time employees.  This past year, in a pandemic, they raised more than $7 million in venture funding, which was no small feat.

Besides launching ventures, they’ve been hired by some of the leading innovation companies in the world like Virgin Orbit, Tesla, Amazon, Google, Deloitte Innovation, Netflix, Relativity Space and Millenium Space Systems, Johnson & Johnson medical innovation, Brain Lab at Memorial Sloan Ketting, and more.

The Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library is Syracuse University’s innovation hub, connecting the University’s resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students and alumni across disciplines who are interested in venture creation and taking ideas for products, services or technologies from concept to commercialization. The program prepares participants to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world, and to launch lives and careers, as well as successful startup ventures. 

Syracuse University student startups Selim Dangoor ‘23, founder of MUNCH Jerky, and Sandhya Iyer ’20, CEO of Geek Girl Careers, have been selected for the Summer 2021 cohort of the Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship.  Both are active members of the LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries. The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and partners will support 55 student entrepreneurs from across the global network with $250,000 in grant funding and eight weeks of entrepreneurial resources, mentoring, and support through the summer program.

Over the program participating student founders will receive a $5,000 grant to support their time working on advancing their entrepreneurial ventures, as well as other resources and support, including weekly workshops, community-building activities, and mentorship from experienced entrepreneurs and executives in the LaunchPad network. The program also includes intensive LaunchPad campus director coaching sessions. Students will also have the opportunity to join the LaunchPad-supported Startup Grind Student Program and participate in the Techstars Empower Collective.

“We’re excited to welcome another cohort of bright entrepreneurs to the LaunchPad Fellowship,” said Blackstone Charitable Foundation executive director Amy Stursberg. “In spite of the many challenges of the past year, this diverse set of students has taken impressive strides towards bringing their ideas to life. We look forward to supporting their innovation and drive this summer, and can’t wait to see the companies and careers they develop in the future.”

Dangoor, studying public relations in the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and finance in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, became fascinated with the creation of flavorful jerky during the pandemic.  He used his passion for food entrepreneurship to create artisanal beef jerky with high quality cuts of tender flank steak.  This past academic year he worked with the LaunchPad, competed in business plan competitions, winning the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award from judges who loved his energy and passion. He also made important business connections and learned USDA and Department of Health regulations, connected with commercial kitchens, and built a network of entrepreneurial agri-business producers as advisors.  He incubated in the LaunchPad to his love of premium, high-protein artisanal jerky to life as a commercial venture, and to build a roadmap to launch into the marketplace and scale.  He is also the recipient of a recent Innovation Fund Award from the LaunchPad.

Sandhya Iyer, a graduate from S.I. Newhouse School of Communications in Public Relations and from the Martin J. Whitman School of Management in Marketing, hopes to empower young women to find a career they love in a tech field.  As CEO of Geek Girl Careers, she is helping young women find careers in tech that align with their passions and personalities.  Geek Girl Careers is committed to increasing representation in tech by broadening the pathways in tech fields. Women make up nearly half the American workforce but hold only 26% of computing-related jobs. The problem starts as early as middle school, but only becomes more apparent in high school and college is especially apparent in college — in 2020, women made up only 18% of undergraduate students who earned a degree in computer science.  Geek Girl Careers helps young women discover careers in tech that align with their existing passions and skills and connects them with other Geek Girls and mentors. Iyer is a regular speaker at Syracuse University LaunchPad events and mentors other campus female tech founders.

The LaunchPad Fellowship program originally begun in response to intern, job, and entrepreneurial opportunities lost by college students at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and has now grown into a signature program of the Blackstone LaunchPad network. These Fellowship helps students learn by doing, growing and strengthening entrepreneurial skills like leadership, problem-solving, and communication as they complete customer discovery interviews, launch initial marketing and sales efforts, add talent to their teams, and seek additional funding and support.

The program is funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and coordinated through the Blackstone LaunchPad network and Future Founders.

About the Blackstone LaunchPad network

The Blackstone LaunchPad network builds next-generation companies and careers. We work with higher-ed institutions to deliver proven startup resources, facilitate access to a global network of mentors and advisors, and offer unique virtual and physical convening opportunities so thousands of diverse college students can go further, faster. Students learn by doing, gaining knowledge and critical skills to help them succeed as a founder or contributor to the innovation economy. LaunchPad’s ever-expanding network encompasses campuses with predominantly underrepresented populations. For more information, see www.blackstonelaunchpad.org

About the Blackstone Charitable Foundation

The Blackstone Charitable Foundation was founded at the time of Blackstone’s IPO in 2007 with substantial commitments from the Firm’s employees. Influenced by the enterprising heritage of the firm and its founders, The Blackstone Charitable Foundation is directing its resources and applying the intellectual capital of the firm to foster entrepreneurship in areas nationwide and globally. Through its investment expertise across several asset classes and geographies, Blackstone has a unique perspective on the global economy and a heightened understanding of how entrepreneurial activity is often the crucial catalyst in the growth of successful businesses, industries, and communities. For more information, see http://www.blackstone.com/foundation.

About Future Founders

Future Founders is a non-profit organization that helps 18 to 30-year-old entrepreneurs create and scale ventures across all industries. The organization’s multiple accelerator programs are offered free of charge, and focus on pairing a strong peer community of like-minded founders with intensive coaching from seasoned entrepreneurs. Over the last four years alone, Future Founders has helped hundreds of companies collectively generate over $33 million in revenue, raise $36 million in capital, and create 543 jobs. For more information visit www.futurefounders.com.