Kelsey Davis ’19 G ’20, founder and CEO of CLLCTVE, a platform connecting college creators and brands targeting Gen-Z consumers, is joining the LaunchPad as an Alumni Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). She was recently named to Forbes 30 Under 30, as well as Adweek’s 2020 list of Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech. 

Davis recently graduated from Techstars Los Angeles where she is now scaling her company after incubating at the LaunchPad while completing her undergraduate degree in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and her master’s degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Whitman School of Management.  Davis peer mentored other student startups as a LaunchPad Rubin Family Innovation Mentor while also participating in the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars Propel program and the LaunchPad Lift program.  Under her leadership, the CLLCTVE team won numerous Syracuse University competitions and is now raising significant seed funding to scale in Los Angeles. 

Prior to forming CLLCTVE, Kelsey produced digital content for brands like Coca Cola, Puma and Land Rover, as well as agencies such as Conde Nast Entertainment and Uniworld Group. Hailing from Atlanta, Davis is often featured as a next-gen leader in Forbes, the New York Times and Adweek who calls her a leading Gen ZEO.

She joins a team of other distinguished alumni who are Alumni EIRs who are providing virtual services. Read about them here.

An EIR is an accomplished executive who helps provides insight to promising portfolio ventures, bringing both subject matter expertise and functional skills to help commercialize an idea.  An EIR helps guide a startup through discovery, market research, value proposition, and investment thesis.  An EIR typically has had a founding role as part of a high-growth company and has experience with new-product development, raising capital, building and managing a team and scaling a company. 

EIRs graciously volunteer their time on a regular basis to the LaunchPad to help coach startups and make connections. LaunchPad members have free access to our Entrepreneurs in Residence.  If you are not a LaunchPad member, join here.

Student startups who would like to meet with an EIR can make an appointment by e-mailing LaunchPad@syr.edu

Applications are being accepted now through January 20 for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) InVenture Prize. The InVenture Prize is a “shark tank” competition between the 15 colleges and universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Undergraduates and recent grads who completed their degrees in the past year are invited to apply by January 20 for Syracuse University’s campus qualifier which will be held virtually on January 29.  The winner of the Syracuse University campus qualifier will receive a $5,000 grand prize sponsored by M&T Bank and move on to participate virtually in a PBS televised ACC event in April.  The finals feature a $30,000 prize package sponsored by the ACC Academic Consortium.

The 2020 campus winner, Matt Shumer, pivoted his idea for Visos after the ACC finals this past spring were cancelled due to the pandemic.  Instead, he formed a new team called Otherside AI, working with fellow Whitman student Miles Feldstein and Syracuse alumnus Jason Kuperberg ’18 through the LaunchPad’s accelerator program.  Shumer and his teammates went on to raise $2.6 million this fall to launch Otherside AI.  Their AI-powered tech platform brings productivity magic to the email inbox, turning simple summaries into beautifully written emails in seconds. The platform enables users to save significant time managing their email correspondence. 

VPA School of Design alumni Quinn King ’20 and Alec Gillinder ‘20, co-founders of MedUX. King and Gillinder won the 2019 campus competition and went on to win the $10,000 second place award in the ACC finals for a medical device they developed through Invent@SU. They then worked with the LaunchPad to commercialize their venture, MedUX, a wearable, portable intravenous delivery solution.  Since graduating in May 2020, their venture has taken off, secured investment and will soon launch commercially. 

The 2018 campus winners, Kayla Simon ’19 and Elizabeth Tarangelo ’19, won for their medical device, In-Spire, a wearable asthma bracelet which they also created in Invent@SU and worked to advance commercially through the LaunchPad.  Simon and Tarangelo used the experience to propel innovation career paths.  Simon, an aerospace engineering major at Syracuse, launched as a propulsion test engineer at Virgin Orbit and is now and integration engineer at Relativity Space, building the world’s first entirely 3D printed rocket. Tarangelo, a bioengineering and biomedical engineering major with a focus on neuroscience, is now a clinical specialist with Brain Lab which develops advanced software-driven medical technology, and powers treatment in many surgical fields, including neurosurgery.

Kate Beckman ’17 and G ’18 won the 2018 campus ACC InVenture Prize and advanced to the top five finalists in the conference finals at Georgia Tech.  She created Fresh U, a national online publication geared toward college freshmen, growing it to a staff of 300 contributing writers on more than 100 campuses, and developing media partnerships with companies like Teen Vogue.  Fresh U was acquired after Kate completed her graduate degree at Newhouse, and she is now senior content manager for RippleMatch, an intelligent platform for college recruiting designed to build diverse teams.

The former winners remain active LaunchPad alumni and mentor current Syracuse University student startups.

“I believe that in the modern era, anyone can start a scalable, high-growth company and every metropolitan area should have a thriving startup community,” said M&T Bank Regional President Allen Naples. “By helping Syracuse University host the InVenture Prize Challenge, we’re investing in the exceptional creativity and ingenuity of our students and doubling down on our efforts to build our entrepreneurial community into one that generates jobs and prosperity for generations to come.”

We’re gearing up for competition season at the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries.  Applications open this week, with the first deadline for the ACC InVenture Prize coming up quickly on January 20, 2021.  Bookmark key dates for spring competitions and use the common app, which is now live, to apply here for competitions hosted by the LaunchPad.

Syracuse University Spring Competition Schedule:

• January 4, 2021, Applications open for spring competitions
• January 20, 2021, Applications due for the ACC InVenture Prize campus competition. Apply here.
• January 29, 2021, ACC InVenture Prize campus competition
• March 15, 2021, Applications due for Raymond von Dran (RvD) iPrize (with teams automatically entered into the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, as well as Compete CNY, the regional qualifier for the New York Business Plan Competition, which are both part of this event). Apply here.
• March 19, 2021, Applications due for Panasci Business Plan Competition. Apply through the Whitman School of Management and learn more on the competition website.
• March 26, 2021, RvD iPrize, Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards and Compete CNY (concurrent events)
• April 5, 2021, Applications due for Intelligence ++ Competition. Apply here.
• April 23 – 24, 2021, Panasci Business Plan Competition, Whitman School of Management
• April 16, 2021, Intelligence ++ Competition
• May 7, 2021, New York Business Plan Competition (top winners of the RvD iPrize competition move on to the state event)

About the competitions:

• ACC In Venture Prize:  Sponsored by the LaunchPad on behalf of Syracuse University and open to all undergraduate students or recent graduates within one year of graduation from their undergraduate program.  The prize competition pits top inventors and innovators of the ACC network against each other at a PBS-televised event.  It features a $5,000 grand prize sponsored by M&T Bank for the Syracuse campus competition and a $30,000 prize package for the top ACC Conference winners.
• Raymond von Dran (RvD) iPrize:  Open to all graduate and undergraduate students working on venture ideas for products, services, technologies and social impact ventures.  Sponsored by the iSchool, the competition typically features a prize package of more than $40,000.  The competition is also part of Compete CNY, the regional qualifier for the New York State Business Plan Competition.  
• Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards:  Open to undergraduate and graduate students at Syracuse competing in the iPrize, the competition features a prize package of $10,000 from the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund (Hunter’s Fund) in memory of Hunter Brooks Watson, a Syracuse University iSchool student who passed away in a 2016 distracted driving accident. This competition is concurrent with the RvD iPrize.
• Compete CNY and New York Business Plan Competition:  Contestants in the RvD iPrize are automatically entered into this regional qualifier for the New York Business Competition.  The qualifier runs concurrently with the RvD iPrize. Open to all undergraduate and graduate students at New York State Universities.  Check for details on this year’s competition here.
• Panasci Business Plan Competition:  Sponsored by the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and open to all graduate and undergraduate students, typically with a prize package of more than $40,000.  This is a separate application through the Whitman School, so check for details on the competition website.
• Intelligence ++ Competition: Supported by a generous gift to SU Libraries by Gianfranco Zaccai ’70 H’09 and the Zaccai Foundation for Augmented Intelligence (Intelligence++), this challenge is focused on inclusive entrepreneurship and design. It is open to all undergraduate and graduate students from all disciplines, with a $30,000 prize package. Interdisciplinary teams are encouraged to submit proposals for products, services or technologies that address problems or create new opportunities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families. It is offered through a partnership between the LaunchPad, the Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education (InclusiveU) and the  College of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA). This is a separate application from the common app, so apply for this competition here.

The LaunchPad team at SU Libraries is available to assist teams interested in competing.  To schedule a meeting to discuss your idea, get matched with a peer mentor, or participate in pitch workshops, please e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu

For the latest news about these competitions and other funding opportunities for your great idea, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, as well as our LinkedIn company page and Instagram.

Photo caption:  Kate Beckman ’17 and G ’18 (Newhouse School of Public Communications) pitching in the finals of the 2018 New York Business Plan Competition where she won top prize in her category.  Kate won the ACC InVenture prize in 2017, advanced to the top five in the 2017 ACC Conference finals, and also won the 2018 RvD iPrize.

Do you have what it takes to pitch at SXSW? Applications are open through January 8 to pitch at SXSW 2021.  Syracuse startups can apply to one of two tracks at the event:  either the SXSW Pitch Competition or the SXSW EDU Launch Competition.  Thanks to a partnership, Syracuse University startups may have access to a waived the application for the SXSW Pitch Competition.

SXSW Pitch is a showcase for innovative and cutting-edge new technology to a panel of industry experts.  The pitch event is open to high-profile media professionals, venture capital investors, and angel investors.  This year’s SXSW Pitch will be part of the SXSW Online digital experience and will feature 40 interactive technology companies from 8 different categories who will virtually pitch and participate in a 5-minute Q&A with three judges.

Due to the pandemic, the SXSW Online 2021 offering will be a digital experience that will feature conference keynotes and sessions, screenings, showcases, networking, and exhibitions from March 16 – March 20, 2021. This year’s SXSW Online will feature top startups in areas such as artificial intelligence, robotics & voice, enterprise & smart data, entertainment, gaming & content, future of work, health, wearables & wellbeing, innovative world technologies, smart cities, transportation & logistics, and social & culture.  Learn more about SXSW Online here.

To be eligible for the SXSW Pitch Competition:

• A company’s product or service must have launched no earlier than March 17, 2019.
• A company’s product or service must not have launched after June 17, 2021.
• Each company may only enter one product or service to SXSW Pitch.
• A company that enters more than one product or service will not be eligible to participate in SXSW Pitch.
• Founders of the company applying must retain some portion of ownership in the company.
• Each applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW family of startup events (SXSW Pitch or SXSW EDU Launch). In contrast, if you have applied for SXSW EDU event and were not accepted to participate, then please feel free to apply to SXSW Pitch.
• The Company must not have raised over ten million dollars in funding from combined funding sources.
• The product or service must fall into one of the SXSW Pitch categories.

In addition to the SWSW Pitch Competition, earlier stage collegiate startups may apply for the SXSW EDU Launch Competition, a separate track that serves as a launchpad for fresh ideas and solutions.  This event celebrates early-stage startups, the design of physical learning environments and student entrepreneurs.  The 2021 Launch Competition will be part of the SXSW EDU Online digital experience from March 9-11.  

The SXSW EDU Launch competition is open to early-stage startup companies in the education market with a deadline of January 8, 2021.

To be eligible for the SXSW EDU Launch Competition:

• Companies must be established with a management team and public-facing website, able to convey a sustainable business model and able to demonstrate user traction, engagement, and adoption metrics.
• Companies who have raised over $5 million in funds from combined funding sources at the time of application are ineligible.
• Each applicant is only eligible to present in one of the SXSW startup events (SXSW Pitch Competition or SXSW EDU Launch Competition).

To take advantage of the special offer of a possible waived application fee for the SXSW Pitch Competition, e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu who can connect you with our university contact to consider a possible application fee waiver.  However, you may also wish to apply directly to the SXSW Pitch Competition and pay the $59 application fee.

There is a $29 fee to apply to the SXSW EDU Launch Competition.  There is no application fee waiver for this event.  Apply here for SXSW EDU Launch Competition.

Also, keep your eyes open for upcoming details about Student Startup Madness (SSM), a nationwide tournament-style competition for college student digital media startups, culminating with national finals at South By Southwest (SXSW) Interactive in March.  Applications for that competition will also be opening soon, and you can sign up for updates on the SSM website. Student Startup Madness was founded by Sean Branagan, Director of the Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship at the Newhouse School at Syracuse University. 

Congratulations to Nikita Chatterjee ’20 and Brianna Howard ’20, co-founders of PAANI, who were selected for an IFundWomen Idea Grant in honor of National Women’s Small Business Month.  IFundWomen awards only six idea stage grants nationally to female entrepreneurs who are working on pre-revenue startups.  The goal of the program is to give entrepreneurs a launchpad to grow brilliant ideas into revenue-generating, successful businesses.

IFundWomen provides a platform for women-led businesses to access capital through online fundraising, access to small business grants, expert coaching, professional creative production, a collaborative entrepreneur community, and access to industry connections critical to launching and growing businesses. Grants are available from generous partners like adidas, Unilever, Visa, Barbara Corcoran & Systane, GingerBread Capital, and more.  The program also supports their portfolio companies with access to capital, coaching, and connections.

The program was started to address the lack of funding options for women entrepreneurs.  “Women are starting businesses 4.8 times faster than the national average, yet struggle to access capital without going into debt,” notes IFundWomen.  “Only 1% of all businesses, regardless of the gender of the founder, will ever raise venture capital. At IFundWomen, we believe that nobody should go into debt funding the early days of a business.”

Chatterjee and Howard also recently completed the prestigious Blackstone & Techstars Fellowship program which provided $5,000 in funding to help achieve milestones on their path to product development. 

Working with local and global mentors, along with water quality experts, PAANI’s mission is to promote culturally appropriate clean water solutions in low-income communities, through practices that are safer and more efficient. 

The team is launching in Southeast Asian, bridging the gap between technology and everyday cultural behaviors of women in the slums of India, through a water filtration system built into the sari cloth, a traditional garment worn by women throughout India. For centuries, women have used the sari to filter their water, but the fabric alone did not capture fine particulates, bacteria and other contaminants. PAANIs multilayered filtration system is a proprietary technology the team expects to patent.

A mock prototype was developed through the Invent@SU program and has undergone further iteration.  It is now being independently tested, with further development is currently underway.  The team has been working with the LaunchPad on its business model for the past two years, since completing the Invent@SU program.

Follow PAANI on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

If you are female founder exploring early-stage funding, learn more about IFundWomen here:  https://ifundwomen.com/

We’re excited to announce that we are now accepting applications through January 29 for Spring Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars LaunchPad Spring ’21 Fellowships.  Student ventures selected for the program will participate in a 15-week mentor-driven program with access to industry experts, successful entrepreneurs, exclusive guest speakers, and investors.  Up to 50 student founders will be selected from across the entire LaunchPad global network and awarded $5,000 in non-dilutive grant funding to support their time working on advancing technology ventures. 

The focus of the Spring Fellowship is technology ventures, which includes ventures that are either:

• Developing new technology to solve existing problems (including hardware, software, SAAS and mobile applications and computing, AI, VR, machine-learning, blockchain and cybersecurity startups)
• Applying current technology to solve new problems or in a new way (including new uses of online platforms and marketplaces, leveraging the IoT, remote/cloud computing, electronic communication and entertainment)

Key dates:

• Applications: NOW through January 29, 2021
• Application review: February 1 to February 12, 2021
• Selected companies announced (publicly): February 22, 2021
• Fellowship Runs: March 1 to April 23, 2021

Application criteria are here:

• Must be a current student OR 2020 graduate (undergraduate level, graduate level) enrolled at LaunchPad network university.
• Must be a lead founder / co-founder of the venture.
• Must have an existing tech venture past the idea stage (venture may be for-profit, not-for-profit, Public Benefit Corporation or B-corporation).
• A tech venture is defined as:  Developing new technology to solve problems (including hardware, software, SAAS and mobile applications and computing; AI, VR, machine-learning, blockchain and cybersecurity startups); Applying current technology to solve problems (including new uses of online platforms and marketplaces, leveraging the IoT, remote/cloud computing, electronic communication and entertainment)
• Must be self-motivated and driven to complete work independently and with minimal oversight.
• Must have availability to dedicate between 3-4 hours per week on the program.
• Must have well-defined, quantifiable (SMART) goals and milestones to be completed within the 8-week period of the fellowship.
• Must be past the idea-stage and ideally have a pitch deck, executive summary, a logo, a website, social media accounts (Ex; LinkedIn and Twitter).
• Must have some traction e.g., early sales, MOUs, funding raised, customer interest, user base, etc. (we will ask for examples in this form).
• Must have demonstrated leadership in both executing on business or program operations and galvanizing support.
• Must have experience working with mentors or advisors, integrating feedback into their venture, and demonstrating coachability.
• Must be able to complete and fulfill all required duties as posed by the Fellowship.

The selection committee is comprised of Future Founders, Techstars and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. The committee will give special consideration to diverse leadership and/or founding teams. 

This is a highly competitive offering, so we encourage you to reach out to the Syracuse LaunchPad to ensure compliance. Note that students who are active LaunchPad members and referred by their Campus Director do not need a letter of recommendation, otherwise you will need to supply a letter of recommendation.

Interested?  Apply here and be sure to let us know you applied by e-mailing us at LaunchPad@syr.edu

For a look at past Fellowships, view the Fall  2020 Lookbook HERE or read the Summer 2020 Fellowship Wrap-Up Blog

About the organizers:

The Blackstone Charitable Foundation’s Entrepreneurship Initiative

The Foundation focuses its efforts in targeted regions of interest to the firm, and works closely with local stakeholders to build programs and make grants to support entrepreneurs. These programs foster networks and provide resources like mentorship, content, and events, to help entrepreneurs grow and scale their businesses.

Techstars

Techstars is the global platform for investment and innovation. Techstars founders connect with other entrepreneurs, experts, mentors, alumni, investors, community leaders, and corporations to grow their companies. Techstars operates three divisions: Techstars Mentorship-Driven Accelerator Programs, Techstars Corporate Innovation Partnerships and Techstars Communities. Techstars accelerator portfolio includes more than 2,200 companies with a market cap of more than $27 Billion.

Techstars operates almost 50 accelerators around the world in places like Boulder, New York City, London, Tel Aviv, and Cape Town. Techstars has both industry agnostic “city” programs, and “vertical” industry programs typically operated in partnership with large corporations. Collectively, the companies that have completed these programs have raised over $9.5 Billion.

Future Founders

Future Founders believes every youth can become an entrepreneur. We were created to foster inclusion in the entrepreneurial community and to seed diverse founders into the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

For 18 to 30-year-olds across the country, Future Founders offers various business accelerators to help them create and scale ventures across all industries. Our methodology focuses on pairing a strong peer community of like-minded entrepreneurs with intensive coaching from seasoned entrepreneurs. We bring together dozens of universities, incubators, community organizations, and businesses to provide a dynamic suite of services for young founders.

We have three main programs: Startup Bootcamp, the Fellowship, and U.Pitch. Startup Bootcamp is a crash course in “Startup 101” designed to help underestimated and underrepresented 18 to 30-year-olds turn their idea, passion, or side hustle into a business. The Fellowship is a prestigious year-long cohort designed to support young entrepreneurs from across the country grow and lead sustainable companies. And U.Pitch is a national elevator pitch competition where collegiate entrepreneurs showcase their business ideas for a chance at glory and a cash prize. Together, these programs offer young entrepreneurs at any stage the opportunity to scale their impact. In fact, founders in our Fellowship program have generated $32.8 million in revenue, raised $34.9 million in capital, and created 543 jobs over the last four years alone. Visit the Future Founders website to learn more today!

Learn more about CenterState CEO’s Surge Learning Community launching in January.  This program will work with young leaders on tech opportunities and tech training, and also expose them to the culture and skills needed to build a career in the tech industries. The purpose of the program is to further the participants’ understanding of the Syracuse Surge initiative, Smart Cities, and what the new tech economy means to them.

Syracuse is a Smart City where innovation meets opportunity. Led by Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh announced the City’s economic strategy for growth, the Syracuse region made two bold declarations this time last year about launching Syracuse Surge:

• In the Syracuse region, growth and opportunity will be inclusive and sustainable
• Syracuse, and all of its major partners across sectors, will be a leader in the new economy of connected, advanced technologies

The Syracuse Surge has resulted in “an unprecedented series of investments in tech infrastructure to position Syracuse as one of America’s ‘smartest’ cities” according to Rob Simpson, president and CEO of CenterState CEO.

This initiative is designed for small businesses, diverse firms, startups and key community stakeholders who are interested in tapping into digital innovation and engaging on strategies to advance tech talent and inclusion in the tech ecosystem.  It engages global tech leaders and celebrated local businesses who are making Syracuse an emerging market for business, technology, and innovation.

Partners in the initiative are:  JP Morgan Chase Advancing Cities, Microsoft, Onondaga County, CenterState CEO, Syracuse University School of Information Studies, and all our local education, business, and philanthropic partners.

Interested in learning more and participating?  E-mail SU alumnus Marcus Webb ’19 and G ’22 who is Economic Inclusion Fellow at CenterState CEO at mwebb@centerstateceo.com

Is your company hiring? Are you a Syracuse University alum who wants to add a little more ORANGE to your office? Are you an alum who would love to work for a company that bleeds Orange? #HireOrange is a new initiative by the SU Office of Career Services to search and share jobs—at all experience levels and across a wide range of industries—within Syracuse University’s alumni network.

These opportunities are exclusive to the SU network and can include anything from internships to positions requiring several years of experience.  Haven’t set up an alumni account yet? Here’s how

To share an opportunity:

IF you a Syracuse University graduate who wants to add more Orange to your office, you can easily post a job.  Be sure to include as much detail as possible about open positions, as well as your contact information so that interested fellow alumni can reach out to you. Positions will post to the #HireOrange job board once they’re approved.

POST A JOB

To search for an opportunity:

Filter your search by location or keyword, or browse all #HireOrange opportunities (log-in required). You’ll be asked to provide a username and password to view the postings. That means only Syracuse University alumni can see them—giving you a competitive advantage.

SEARCH JOBS

To share opportunities for current students:

Interested in sharing internship opportunities with current Syracuse University students? These can be full-time jobs, contract gigs or internships.  Post the position to Handshake, the web-based recruiting system used by Career Services that targets current students.

Let’s work together to create opportunities within the Orange Network!

Interested in learning how you can become part of the I-Corps program, which can help unlock the door to powerful federal funding opportunities?  Register for this free virtual workshop hosted by New York I-Corps Node (UNY I-Corps) on January 26 from 2 – 3 p.m.  UNY I-Corps leverages the expertise of the nation’s top university R&D region with the entrepreneurial knowledge of experienced mentors and faculty.  It serves as a commercialization hub for training in the Northeast, connecting skilled researchers to valuable resources through national and regional I-Corps programming.

Learn how participating in the NSF I-Corps program can give researchers the opportunity to combine their strong technical and scientific knowledge with an entrepreneurial mindset. The goal is to discover new technologies that can be developed for market.

In this information session, Program Director, Shannon Ellis, will share information on the regional and national programs as well as the benefits of participating in both programs. Attendees will also have the opportunity to hear success stories from alumni of national teams.

This information session is open to all researchers who are interested in commercializing research.

The LaunchPad, Syracuse University Innovation Law Center and Syracuse University Office of Tech Transfer plan to jointly offer a spring UNY I-Corps training program for Syracuse researchers and startups.  Registering for this free info session is a great way to get started. Watch for program details for the Syracuse training program later this spring.

Syracuse LaunchPad ventures didn’t let a pandemic slow down their good ideas this year.  In fact, it was a banner year for startups in the program – from capturing top prizes in campus and national competitions, to raising more than $17 million in outside investment capital. LaunchPad alumni startups captured the national spotlight on the stage of Shark Tank and gained accolades from Forbes 30 Under 30.  And most importantly, we managed to keep our community connected and energized with a robust line-up of virtual competitions, chats with guest entrepreneurs and experts, technical workshops, ideafests, and Startup Weekends, along with so many great programs offered with our partners at Blackstone & Techstars.

Here’s a glimpse at the year in review, starting with some numbers.

Milestone	December 2020	December 2019
# Cumulative program participants	4550	4073
# Cumulative venture ideas worked on	825	675
# Cumulative legal business incorporations	110	75
$ Cumulative outside equity capital raised by LaunchPad startup ventures	$37.25 million	$20.1 million
$ Cumulative business plan competition winnings by LaunchPad startup ventures	$3.55 million	$3.4 million
*Cumulative since the grand opening in April 2016

Bragging rights:

Josh Aviv, founder of SparkCharge, appeared on Season 12 premiere of Shark Tank and scored a $1 million deal from the Sharks.

Kelsey Davis and the CLLCTVE team were selected for the prestigious Techstars Los Angeles accelerator.  She also won one of the top prizes in the global LaunchPad Propel program sponsored by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and was selected for the LaunchPad Lift program.  She was named a top GenZEO by Adweek this week.

Syracuse University startup ventures were selected for highly competitive Blackstone & Techstars Fellowships

• Sam Hollander, founder of FSCL
• Dave Fox and Nick Barba, co-founders of Smarta
• Nikita Chatterjee and Brianna Howard, co-founders of PAANI
• Daniel McMurray, founder of CommitYouth

Four Syracuse LaunchPad alumni were named to Forbes 30 Under 30:

• AJ Damiano, co-founder, PowerSpike (’18 Whitman School of Management)
• Michael Paris, co-founder Power Spike, (’20 VPA School of Design)
• Kelsey Davis, founder, CLLCTVE (’19 Newhouse and G ’20 Whitman)
• Dylan Kim, founder, Brevitē (’16 Whitman)

The following national media featured stories on Syracuse LaunchPad ventures:

• Newsweek
• Forbes
• Adweek
• Entrepreneur
• Wired
• Fortune
• TechCrunch
• New York Times
• Mashable
• GeekWire
• Business Today
• Blackstone Charitable Foundation Medium
• Techstars Medium

Startup ventures prize winners in 2020:

ACC InVenture Prize:

First place, Matt Shumer (Whitman), founder of Visos

RvD / iPrize:

Consumer Products category:

• $11,000 to FSCL, founded by Sam Hollander (’23 Whitman and Newhouse), for an alternative, affordable and flexible solution to finance higher education
• Technology and Entertainment category:
• $7,500 to Ambassadoor, founded by Bruno Gonzalez Hauger (’21 Newhouse and Whitman), for a mobile platform that allows businesses to connect with and utilize nano-influencers efficiently and effectively
• $4,000 to CLLCTVE, founded by Kelsey Davis (’19 Newhouse and G ’20 Whitman), for a digital platform connecting college creatives and brands
• $2,500 to DreamVybz, founded by Daniel Green (’20 Engineering and Computer Science), for a platform connecting young Black and LatinX leaders and student organizations across campuses to develop leaders of color
• $2,000 to Girl Power, founded by Nancy Wang (’20 Whitman and Newhouse), for a platform to connect female tech professionals with customers to increase gender diversity and empower women
• $2,000 to Itemize, founded by Ryan Taggart (’21 iSchool), for an app to keep track of items for insurance purposes
• Health and Well Being category:
• $6,000 to Visos, founded by Matt Shumer (’22 Whitman), for a Virtual Reality system designed for medical applications
• $3,500 to PAANI, founded by Nikita Chatterjee (’20 Maxwell) and Brianna Howard (’20 Falk), for a water filter system engineered in a traditional sari cloth
• $1,500 to ViV, Nathaniel Kuhl (’20 Computer Science and Engineering), for a personalized step-down program to combat nicotine addiction

Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship:

• $2500 to PAANI, founders Nikita Chatterjee (’20 Maxwell) and Brianna Howard (’20 Falk), for a water filter system engineered in a traditional sari cloth
• $2500 to Code++, Claire Howard (’23 Maxwell), for computer science camps in developing nations
• $2500 for EcoBamboo Living, Justin Diaz (’23 Engineering and Computer Science), for sustainable and affordable bamboo homes to address climate change
• $2500 for CLLCTVE, Kelsey Davis (’19 Newhouse and G’20 Whitman), for a digital platform connecting college creatives and brands

Compete CNY (Regional Qualifier for the NYS Business Plan Competition: 

Technology and Entertainment

• Ambassadoor, Bruno Gonzalez Hauger (’21 Whitman and Newhouse), Syracuse University
• Girl Power, Nancy Wang (’20 Whitman), Syracuse University

Consumer Products and Services

• FSCL, Sam Hollander (’23 Whitman), Syracuse University
• Finger Lakes Drone Services, Luke Didion, LeMoyne College

Energy and the Environment

• EcoBamboo Living, Justin Diaz (’23 Engineering and Computer Science), Syracuse University
• CLOVO, Megan Martis, Colgate University

Health and Well Being

• Visos, Matt Shumer (Whitman), Syracuse University
• PAANI, Nikita Chatterjee (’20 Maxwell) and Brianna Howard (’20 Falk), Syracuse University

Military and First Responders:

• Youth Government Services, Daniel McMurray (’19 and G ’20 Maxwell), Syracuse University

• ‘Cuse Tank
• $5,000 to Ambassadoor Technologies, founded by Bruno Andres Gonzalez Hauger (’21 Whitman and Newhouse)
• $3,000 to EcoBamboo Living, founded by Justin Diaz (’23 Engineering and Computer Science)
• $1,000 to Solace Vision, founded by Shawn Gaetano (’21 iSchool)
• $1,000 to Aphinity, founded by Sardorbek Askarov
• $500 to Jersey Boys Apparel, founded by Benjamin Ford

Impact Prize

• $7,000 to EcoBamboo Living, founded by Justin Diaz (’23 College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• $3,000, to FSCL, founded by Sam Hollander (’22 Whitman and Newhouse)
• $3,000 to You’re Not Alone, founded by Dana Immerso (’20 and G ’21 Arts and Sciences)
• $1,000 to Popcycle, founded by Jackson Ensley (’22 Whitman School of Management)
• $500 to DoNation, founded by Ben Ford (’23 Whitman School of Management)

Intelligence ++ Inclusive Entrepreneurship pitch fest

• $500 for an Adaptive Xbox Controller, designed by Justin Diaz (’23 College of Engineering and Computer Science)
• $500 for an inclusive, immersive multi-sensory installation, designed by James Ruhlman (’22 VPA School of Design)

Hult Prize

• First place–WaxPax Solutions, Erica Morrison ’21 (Whitman and Newhouse), Lidia Menbaeva ’21 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Daniel Hamrahi ’21 (Whitman), 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.
• Second place–Cuapa Monde Conservation, Claire Chevalier ’24 (Whitman) and Sasha Temerte ’23 (College of Arts and Sciences), for a consulting firm that seeks to develop universal standards for sustainable packaging, similar to the organic certification standard for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products, for producers and consumers of all consumer-packaged goods in the U.S. and European Union.
• Third place–Gather, Nolan Kagan ’23 (Whitman) for a community-building web and mobile application to bring people of various ages and cultures around the world together to cook and share favorite recipes and conversation, first in the digital space and then in real life post-pandemic, to address social isolation while building cultural and social literacy among people who not might otherwise meet.

Impressed? There’s more. LaunchPad creatives published books, released albums, produced films that won national and international film festival awards, launched new apps into the iOS and Android market, secured patents for their inventions, and introduced new products into the market.

Four years ago the LaunchPad was a startup. We’re pretty proud that we’ve achieved proof of concept, and even prouder to see our innovators succeeding as they launch and scale.

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