News

This week’s Commute to Class by Patrick Linehan ’21 talks avoiding burnout with Kelsey Davis, founder of CLLCTVE

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The next episode featuring Kelsey Davis ’19 (Newhouse) G’20 (Whitman), founder of CLLCTVE, has dropped in the new podcast series called “The Commute to Class.” Weekly episodes released on Sundays feature 12-15 minute interviews between LaunchPad Global Fellow, Patrick Linehan ’21 (Newhouse), and a LaunchPad alumni who has gone on to create successful ventures. Linehan sat down with Davis in this episode to chat about burning out, mitigating risk and defining success.

The first four episodes are now available and feature Linda Dickerson Hartsock, executive director of the LaunchPad, Dylan Kim ’18 (Whitman), co-founder of Brevité, Julia Haber ’18 (Newhouse), founder of WAYV and Home From College, and Davis.  The podcast series has received attention, acclaim and listeners from across campus and beyond. 

The entire “Commute to Class” podscast series is available on https://anchor.fm/blackstone-launchpad, Apple, or wherever podcasts are distributed.

Short film by Zain Elwakil ’21 profiles Outlaws Dance Troupe

Enjoy the next Creative Film Spotlight on the renowned dance troupe, The Outlaws, filmed and produced by the talented Zain Elwakil ‘21 (School of Architecture). It is the next in a short film series featuring performing artists speaking about their journey, and what is at the heart, mind and soul of creatives. 

Elwakil is founder of the Zuluecho Initiative, a platform for ambitious, creative discussion and empowering self-belief.  He is an extremely talented architect, artist, musician, designer and digital creative who combines his passions to inspire others.  He is also an Orange Ambassador for the LaunchPad this year, a role generously funded by Todd B. Rubin ’04, School of Architecture, who is Minister of Evolution and President of the Republic of Tea. In that role, he has been the LaunchPad’s digital storyteller, crafting beautiful work that captures the essence of creative entrepreneurship.

Outlaws Dance Troupe is Syracuse University’s exclusively Hip-Hop dance team. Challenged with how to perform for audiences when live performance is no longer an option due to COVID-19, Outlaws has been hard at work growing their digital platforms, showing that they can do more than just perform on stage. Featured in this film is their debut Instagram Performance of “Wetty”, with more performances lined up before the end of the semester. Check out their Instagram account here to stay up to date on this incredibly talented team. 

Here’s the Outlaws Dance Troupe’s Creative Film Spotlight by Elwakil on YouTube:

Here is the link to the film on the LaunchPad website: https://launchpad.syr.edu/outlaws-dance-troupe/

Lift off: Learn how to raise your seed round on March 18

In celebration of Women’s History Month, please join us for this session with women who are writing their own history on March 18 at 12:30 p.m.  “Lift Off: Raising Your Seed Round,” is a conversation with Tiffany Dufu, Founder of The Cru, and Jenny Fielding, Managing Director of Tech Stars NYC and Founder and General Partner of The Fund.  The event kicks off with introductory remarks by NYS Lieutenant Governor, Kathy Hochul. The virtual event is the first in a series of conversations between women founders and funders.  It is open to all.

Presented by NY Ventures and NYSTAR, the series aims to amplify women’s voices, explore the current challenges that women founders face, and addresses diversity as a key to startup growth:   

  • Women founders historically have received less than 3% of all investment capital; for women of color, that number drops to less than 1%. 
  • The pandemic has led to nearly 2.5 million working women leaving the workforce (compared to 1.8 million men). 
  • Diverse founders create better financial outcomes—up to 30% more —for venture-backed startups. 
  • Women’s full participation in the workforce could increase global GDP by $28 trillion. 

Register here:  https://esd.ny.gov/built-by-women-series

Learn how to growth hack your tech startup on March 18

Want insight on how to grow?  Join our partner, the CNY Biotech Accelerator at Upstate Medical University, for “Marketing & Sales Models for Scalable Growth” with Launch Team president Michele Nichols on Thursday, March 18, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.  

Learn proven and practical strategies for building an effective sales engine. In a fast changing and high growth industry with significant barriers to entry, learn breakthrough strategies to reach and capture customers while building the engine for growth.  The how-to-session will include product launch, new market entry, buyer personas, inbound and outbound sales, content marketing, social media, account penetration and growth.

As owner and president of Launch Team, Nichols approaches marketing as part of the larger organization and the pressures and realities of owning a business. She helps companies develop and leverage their IP portfolio, enter new markets, launch new products, and integrate new acquisitions. With an MBA and over 15 years of experience in improving service delivery, her areas of expertise include organizational development and process improvement.

Register in advance for this meeting (after registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting): 

https://upstate.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUtceyprTkiH9JKmJ6dCMnTxEbJ5zOtQArS

Want to join a Syracuse tech and culture learning community?

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You’re invited to become part of a new regional pilot program kicking off March 18.  CenterState CEO is offering a five-day paid experience to help engage ten diverse community members on tech opportunities, training, and provide exposure to the culture and skills needed to build a career in the tech industries. The program will highlight emerging technologies, connect with diverse tech professionals, and help participants become part of the tech economy through programs like Syracuse SURGE and Syracuse Smart City initiatives.

Previous experience working in tech is not necessary, only a desire to learn about how this could open doors to a new career.  The program is looking for applicants with any employment or education level, an interest in learning more about what’s going on locally in the tech field, and a desire to develop new professional skills and connections

Key dates:

March 18, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. — Orientation

March 22 – 26, 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. — Five-Day Workshop

Registration link: https://www.centerstateceo.com/news-events/tech-culture-learning-community

Take a dive into deeptech on March 25

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Interested in deeptech entrepreneurship?  Tune in for the next in the NY CREATES Emerging Technologies Seminar Series, March 25, 11:30 am – 12:30 pm for “So You Wanna Be a Deeptech Entrepreneur?” by Dr. Kevin Chen, Partner, Lam Capital, Lam Research Corporation.  NY CREATES is a group managed by SUNY and New York State. Syracuse University is an affiliated member. This seminar is from a partner at a venture capital firm who is a nationally regarded technology entrepreneurship leader.

As the tech industry continues to flourish, more and more venture investment dollars are expected to flow into so-called deeptech companies – companies that are building businesses that apply innovative scientific and engineering approaches to solve critical problems.

This presentation will include insights and lessons learned from entrepreneurial ventures and venture investing experience as well as recommendations for entrepreneurs who are in the trenches already or thinking about jumping in.

Chen joined Lam Capital mid-2020 bringing over 15 years of entrepreneurial and operating experience in materials-centric deep- and bio-tech companies. Most recently, Kevin was CEO of Crop Enhancement, an agriculture technology company commercializing novel products that replace synthetic pesticides, leading it from Seed through Series B. Prior to that, Kevin held senior roles at Hanergy (EVP of Silicon Valley Product Development Group) and Applied Materials (CMO of Energy and Environmental Solutions and GM of Energy Storage Solutions).

Prior to Applied, he led business development and product management efforts at NanoGram (acquired), AMD/Spansion, and Lumentum.

Chen earned PhD and SM degrees in Materials Science & Engineering from MIT, a BS in Engineering Science from Penn State University, and is a Kauffman Fellows Finalist. He is a director of Crop Enhancement, advisor to various startups, and mentor with the MIT Venture Mentoring Service.

Ethan Tyo ’17 G’21 publishes his first book on plant-based food to promote a sustainable lifestyle

A health entrepreneur, an indigenous human rights advocate and a social media planner.  These are some of the tags that Ethan Tyo received over the past few years that he has been involved in the Syracuse community. But this time, he decided to go with the title of a food storyteller.  

Tyo, with help from some friends, just published his first cookbook, “Fetagetaboutit,” in February.

This is his first project as a Food Studies graduate student at David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics of Syracuse University, which took almost two years for him to finish the adventure. Nevertheless, his interests in food and lifestyle have been with him for a long time.

During his undergraduate time at SU’s School of Information Studies, Tyo realized that he had a strong interest in food since 2015 when he was studying abroad in London. He experienced a huge weight loss there and changed to a plant-based diet as a matter of interest. Eventually, he was exposed to “a whole new world of color” and started exploring the journey with food through a different perspective toward understanding the importance of nutrition and lifestyle, he said.

Back then, Tyo was also active on social media platforms and had worked with several global entrepreneurs and food companies to create content and do content planning. Nevertheless, he was not motivated in these works but really hoped to start his own project someday.

“I spent the break between undergrad and grad time trying to think about how I (could) approach the stuff that I was interested in via social media after going through a lot of personal stuff and personal growth,” Tyo said. “And so, I dropped off social media because I really wanted to focus more on, how am I going to approach sharing my work and how I want to shape my career.”

With a strong interest in food and a willingness to promote a healthy lifestyle, Tyo decided to pursue his graduate degree. At Falk College, he said that he can really focus on food systems on a larger scale and see the implications that food has on people. Moreover, he is also eager to dig into the history of food because the food systems have developed and released in such a “fascinating way.”

“I wanted to be someone who creates content that was valuable and something that people would use to help better themselves with,” Tyo said, after working in the field of media for several years. “This cookbook is a way to kind of taking a step toward (solving the puzzle) of ‘I don’t know how to cook, what to eat or even where to start’ when people don’t want to sustain themselves on eating out all the time.”

To Tyo, he perceives this book as a foundational ground for people to be like “Hey, here are some simple recipes and ingredients for plant-based food,” so that people can know where to get them and what to look for in the kitchen.

Divided into different sections, including breakfast, entrees, snacks, and drinks, the book tells the story of Beatmaster Bobby Slay, star chef by day and master DJ by night, as well as his recipes. More notably, besides teaching people how to cook, the book also aims at educating people to eat plant-rich meals and reduce food waste, Tyo said.

And that is about sustainability, something that this cookbook hopes to highlight. It provides readers with tips and tricks not only on grocery shopping and produce storage but also on effectively using food scraps in composting or recipes, the website reads.

Tyo also wants to thank his colleagues for working on this book with him: SU alum Kyle Blaha G’17 brought him a fun, satirical twist to the traditional cookbook with short stories on Bobby’s adventures, meal plans (playlists), and the overall voice of Bobby. The book tries to cover all the essentials that a plant-based kitchen needs to get started.  Each recipe also has a song accompaniment so that people can listen when they are cooking or eating.  Laura Markley — the graphic designer and a current Ph.D. student in the Civil and Environmental Engineering program — also offered minimal-waste guides and tips.

Autographing his book at the LaunchPad at Bird Library

He will be working with the LaunchPad and other campus partners on the rollout of the book.  For Tyo, this cookbook is not the end of his journey with food. It is more like the starting point for him to keep pursuing this career and discovering more about food and, more importantly, the culture and self-identification that lie behind it.

“In my next project, I really want to focus more on my cultural movements and bring them back to this aspect of how I integrate my own cultural understanding and cultural knowledge growth through the work that I do,” Tyo said. 

He has been a mentor to other LaunchPad student entrepreneurs working in the creative space and in the food sector and will be a judge for the upcoming Hult Prize with its theme, “Food for Good.”  His book will be added to the LaunchPad’s innovation and entrepreneurship collection at SU Libraries in both print and digital versions.

By Kaizhao Zero Lin ‘21, LaunchPad Global Fellow

The Commute to Class drops episode three this week with Julia Haber ’18, founder of Home from College

An interview with Julia Haber ’18 (Newhouse) is this week’s installment of a new podcast series called “The Commute to Class.” Weekly episodes released on Sundays, feature 12-15 minute interviews between current LaunchPad Global Fellow, Patrick Linehan ’21 (Newhouse), and a LaunchPad alumni who has gone on to create a successful venture or career path. The podcasts are available on https://anchor.fm/blackstone-launchpad, Apple, or wherever podcasts are distributed.

The first two three episodes feature Linda Dickerson Hartsock, executive director of the LaunchPad, Dylan Kim ’18 (Whitman), co-founder of Brevité and Julia Haber ’18 (Newhouse), founder of WAYV and Home From College.

Upcoming episodes will feature Kelsey Davis ’19 (Newhouse) G’20 (Whitman), founder of CLLCTVE and AJ Damiano ’18 (Whitman), co-founder of PowerSpike, along with other Syracuse alumni who are successful entrepreneurs and innovators.

Syracuse University LaunchPad selected to host Hult Prize Impact Summit

The prestigious Hult Prize Foundation has selected Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries to host the Hult Prize Regional Summit. Hult Prize Impact Summits are hosted in 100 locations around the world, and this year Syracuse is one of only three regional hosts in North America. Winners of the regional campus competitions go on to compete in the global competition at the United Nations.

The competition, being held virtually this year due to COVID-19, will take place on April 9, 2021.

The LaunchPad coordinates the annual Hult Prize competition at Syracuse Unviersity.

“This is an incredible honor and testament to Syracuse University’s commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship in a global community,” said David Seaman, Dean of Syracuse University Libraries and University Librarian. “We’re thrilled to provide a world-wide stage that demonstrates the caliber of our campus ecosystem and all that Syracuse University has to offer.”

The Syracuse University campus director of the Summit is Claire Howard ’23 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Policy), a Global Fellow at the Syracuse LaunchPad.

The day-long event will include an inspirational speaker, Professor Emeritus from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs Catherine Bertini.  Bertini is an accomplished leader in international organization reform, a powerful advocate for women and girls, the 2003 World Food Prize Laureate, and recent co-chair working under the United Nations. A distinguished panel of judges and other distinguished speakers will be featured throughout the day.

Those interested in viewing the speakers or the competition virtually can email launchpad@syr.edu for registration information. 

The Hult Prize Foundation transforms how young people envision their own possibilities as impact leaders of change in the world around.  This year’s Hult Prize 2021 Challenge is centered around the theme “Food for Good.” The goal is to create jobs, stimulate economies, reimagine supply chains, and improve outcomes for 10 million people by 2030. Syracuse University’s LaunchPad will host 40 global teams, made up of 120 students. The winner of the university team of students selected as Hult Prize Laureate at the annual Awards Ceremony and Gala hosted by the United Nations will receive a $1 million seed capital grant.

This year’s winner of the Hult Prize campus competition who will be going on to the global regionals is WaxPax Solutions, Erica Morrison ’21 (Whitman School of Management and Newhouse School of Public Communications), Lidia Menbaeva ’21 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Daniel Hamrahi ’21 (Whitman School of Management), for a multi-purpose biodegradable packaging solution made from a proprietary blend of beeswax and cellulose that will help eliminate landfill waste in the food supply chain.

Former Syracuse LaunchPad LaunchPad alumni who have competed in the Hult Prize Regionals include:

Russell Fearon ’20 G’21 and Ricardo Sanchez ’21 head to ACC InVenture Prize finals, to be broadcast on PBS

Left to right: James Rudman, Russell Fearon, Ricardo Sanchez and Zain Elwakil

Russell Fearon ’20 G’21 (Engineering and Computer Science) and Ricardo Sanchez ’21 (Visual and Performing Arts – School of Design) are heading to the 2021 ACC InVenture Prize conference finals.  The team recently won the Syracuse campus edition to select the top campus innovators, generously sponsored by a $5,000 grand prize from M&T Bank.  This week they worked with LaunchPad film crew Zain Elwakil ’21 (Architecture) and James Rudman ’21 (iSchool) to produce their video pitch for the ACC Conference finals to be televised by PBS.  Their invention, SugEx, is a smart watch and mobile app to monitor glucose levels and improve the “sugar experience” for Type 1 and 2 diabetes and those with pre-diabetes. 

The SugEx team developed their initial prototype in the Invent@SU program and then worked with the LaunchPad on a commercialization roadmap. 

Fearon is now finishing his master’s degree in bioengineering and biomedical engineering after receiving his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Syracuse University.  He is also an Orange Ambassador at the LaunchPad, encouraging STEM majors to think about entrepreneurship.  Co-founder and CTO Ricardo Sanchez is a fifth year Industrial and Interaction Design student.  He is also a participant in the new Intelligence ++ inclusive entrepreneurship program, which is a collaboration between VPA, InclusiveU and the LaunchPad.

The ACC InVenture Prize competition is coordinated by the LaunchPad at SU Libraries.  It is the nations’ largest undergraduate student innovation competition. 

In addition to Syracuse University, the 15 participating ACC Conference colleges are: Boston College, Clemson University, Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, North Carolina State, University of Notre Dame, University of Louisville, University of Miami, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, University of Pittsburgh, University of Virginia, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University and Wake Forest University. 

This year’s finals are being virtually hosted by NC State University.

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Learn more about the ACC InVenture Prize here.