Whitman School of Management major Jack Adler ’23 launches his next 3 Dollar Challenge this week to support college student wellness and suicide prevention, with all donations doubled up to $75,000.   Watch the launch video here, learn more about the 3 Dollar Challenge and give to the initiative here.  Adler will also be competing this week in the LaunchPad’s Impact Prize competition, pitching his unique fundraising platform that has gained wide attention and success for supporting important needs. The 3 Dollar Challenge (3DC) is a grassroots fundraising initiative established by twins Jack and Kate Adler, Gen Z entrepreneurs and philanthropists who are dedicated to engaging extended networks of like-minded people and leveraging the power of online communities to enact social change.

About the 3 Dollar Challenge from its fundraising page …

In summer 2020, the inaugural 3 Dollar Challenge campaign organically raised over $20,000 for COVID-19 relief causes in just a few short weeks, entirely through small donations garnered from social media network connections.

3DC is now launching its second campaign, this time benefitting The Reflect Organization, a national mental wellness and suicide prevention nonprofit organization with college and university chapters across the country, that’s dedicated to empowering students to foster a culture of authenticity, self-love, and allyship on campus.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, 25% of people between the ages of 18 and 24 have reported having serious thoughts of suicide (CDC), the second-leading cause of death among college students (NIMH). Over 60% of college students report having felt very lonely in just the past year (ACHA.)

100% of the proceeds of the 3 Dollar Challenge will go towards Reflect’s programming to benefit college students and young adults’ mental wellness across the country, including suicide prevention trainings, mental wellness workshops, and resilience-building events.

Every dollar donated will be 1:1 matched (up to $75,000), allowing double the impact on college students’ mental wellness and suicide prevention.

Reflect has been working on some big projects, and contributions are critical to their expansion. In the years since its inception, Reflect has collaborated with Lady Gaga’s Born This Way Foundation and the American Association of Suicidology’s Public Health Committee (helping to lead its working group for Equity in Suicide Prevention Resources). Reflect also created a free Resource and Activity Guide to help students cope during the COVID-19 crisis, which the NCAA Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee ordered for distribution to over 170,000 Division I athletes in the country.

Learn more on the 3 Dollar Challenge website: www.3dollarchallenge.org and on the new fundraising site for this campaign: www.givebutter.com/3dc

Read more about Jack Adler in this Whitman profile.

Syracuse University alum and LaunchPad member Chizoba Anyaoha has been named a  Forbes 30 under 30 Consumer Tech 2021 nominee.  Anyaoha is the Founder of TravSolo, a planning app for solo travelers to help them create their itinerary on-the-go, meet people and to bring back home a travel story to share. He has traveled to 25+ countries solo and loves the thrill of spontaneous traveling.  His advice on travel-related topics has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Conde Nast, Travel + Leisure, Insider Travel, Travel Noire, Business Insider, Travel Awaits, Brit +Co, Cheapism, Creditcards.com, AirHelp, AfroTech, Mic, Hello Giggles and more.

He is passionate about helping travelers to have the courage to solo travel, promoting personal travel safety and travel storytelling. He is also a lover for all things startups and volunteers his time at accelerators and startup conferences when available.

Anyaoha graduated from Syracuse University, with a degree in psychology with minors in economics, communications & HRM. With an extensive background working overseas in Italy and at top corporations such as Major League Baseball, Chobani, and the United Nations, he has transitioned into the creative field, honing his copywriting, social media & UX/UI Design skills.

“I hope to continue making Africa and those that came before me proud, in being the man I always knew that I could be,” he said about the nomination.  “To be recognized for the work you keep putting into the universe and to be grouped along exceptional individuals changing the game through innovation means everything. This nomination is not just about me, but for those who continue to dream big and loud, for those who make the necessary sacrifices to reach their goals, for those willing to fail to win and for those determined to will their dreams into existence regardless of their circumstances.”

The Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at Syracuse University was among those nominating him for the Forbes 30 Under 30 recognition.

A total of 27 teams have been announced for the 2020 Impact Prize competition.  The Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at Syracuse University Libraries coordinates the event for students working on ventures that create a social impact. The virtual competition on November 13 will feature $15,000 in prizes thanks to generous donations from Libraries’ donors Carl and Marcy Armani, in honor of Dr. Gay Culverhouse, and Dr. Gisela von Dran. 

Teams were selected from applicants across campus to pitch products, services, or technologies that are practical, innovative, and sustainable solutions to societal problems anywhere around the globe.  Examples of ventures include solutions that address energy, environment, employment, education and training, health and mental health, community and social networks, social inclusion, poverty and literacy, youth empowerment, food, sustainability, access, and important public policy goals.  

Additionally, six teams from a new inclusive entrepreneurship program, jointly offered by VPA, InclusiveU and the LaunchPad will compete for a separate $1,000 prize package for innovations that offer solutions for persons with intellectual disabilities.

The “Sweet Sixteen” round includes:

Presenter	Team
Ryan Ondocin	Satellite
Dana Immerso	You’re Not Alone
Sardorek Askarov	Aphinity
Shawn Gaetano	Solace Vision
Russell Fearon	SugEx
Hanna Seraji	Multi Hue Magazine
Claire Chevalier	Cuapa Monde Conservation
Justin Diaz	EcoBamboo Living
Murray Lebovitz	Keep Coffee Casual
Charis Asante-Agyel	Yum Yum
Mario Garcia	Pairinc
Sam Hollander	FSCL
Jackson Ensley	Popcycle
Fardin Nasir	Field
Jack Adler	Three Dollar Challenge
Patrick Prioletti	Your Perfect Dose

Four teams will be selected by judges from “The Sweet Sixteen” to advance to the “Final Four” round. 

In addition, there is a Wild Card room of other teams who are just starting their entrepreneurial journey at the LaunchPad.

Presenter	Team
Raul Hernandez Guardans	Sonder Films
Lauren Levin	vintageU
Ben Ford	Donation
Mashundra Maclin	Juggernaut
Calvin Atieku	Geck Strips
Neil Adams	NooCof

The six inclusive entrepreneurship teams include:

Presenter	Team
Hannah Woodruff	Inclusive dining
Madison Reece Worden	Accessible dating app
Gokul Rishwanth Beeda	Inclusive and accessible education platform
Justin Diaz	Adaptive Xbox controller
Ricardo Sanchez	InclusiveU mentorship program
James Richard Ruhlman	Inclusive interactive installation

Judges for the Impact Prize are alumni who have either launched ventures or are in innovation careers, and who have come through the LaunchPad program.  They include: 

• Amanda Chou, Kaiser Permanente
• Audrey Miller, Watson Institute
• Dylan Gans, Good Uncle
• Jack McCarthy, Prosek Partners
• Josh Jackson, Promptous
• Kate Beckman, Ripple Match
• Kennedy Patlan, Ashoka
• Phil McKnight, Promptous
• Ryan Williams, Good Life Foundation

This year’s competition includes a $10,000 Dr. Gay Culverhouse Impact Award prize package through a gift from SU Libraries Advisory Board Member Carl Armani and his wife Marcy, made in honor of Dr. Gay Culverhouse.  David Seaman, Dean of SU Libraries and University Librarian said, “We are very pleased to be able to honor and memorialize Dr. Culverhouse in this fashion, which is very much in keeping with the work Dr. Culverhouse did with football players and brain injury.  She was clearly someone focused on creating meaningful social impact and change, just as our students are, and I’m sure her story will resonate with them.”

The Impact Prize is also funded through a $5,000 gift to SU Libraries from Dr. Gisela M. von Dran, director emerita of the School of Information Studies’ (iSchool) Master of Science in Library and Information Science program, who has a special interest in social entrepreneurship.  As a member of the iSchool faculty, she taught organization management courses at the graduate level. Before joining the iSchool, Dr. von Dran served as an assistant professor of management at the Whitman School of Management.  She is the wife of Raymond von Dran, former dean of the iSchool from 1995 until his death in 2007. Von Dran was a longtime academic entrepreneur who started many innovative programs in higher education and supported student innovation and entrepreneurship at Syracuse University. Shortly after his death in 2007, Gisela von Dran established the Raymond F. von Dran Fund.

The OutCrowd is Syracuse University’s only student-run LGBTQIA+ publication. In this personal essay, editor in chief Patrick Linehan ’21 reflects on his journey and the creative venture to bring it back to life.  Patrick is a Global Media Fellow at the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at Syracuse University.  Read a great behind the scenes story about The OutCrowd in the Daily Orange here.  Follow The OutCrowd on Instagram. If you would like to join The OutCrowd, email theoutcrowdmag.su@gmail.com.

This September, I was asked to participate in a Zoom call with a SEM 100 class for first year students.

While I was on the call, the professor of the class, Professor Chessher, mentioned that Syracuse University’s only LGBTQIA+ magazine, The OutCrowd, was about to lose its status as a registered student organization. My ears perked up when I heard this. Just four months prior, I had sat in the front seat of my mom’s Honda Odyssey and told her that I am gay. 

As I thought about the queer community that had welcomed me, I felt no greater calling than to give us a voice and a publication to rally around.

One of the first-year students in that class, Brogan Thomas, felt the same, so we joined forces.

We were up against the clock. We had just two weeks to recruit, complete trainings and register the magazine once again. We reregistered with a day to spare.

It was a learning curve. I have always worked mostly independently, seeking out projects and stories that interested me. As a freelancer, I had never built something that other people can take ownership of. The OutCrowd has become that thing. Two months later Brogan and I have recruited a 40-person staff of all different sexual, gender, racial, ethnic, and ability identities. It is a collective of queer writers, photographers, videographers, designers and social media experts. Some are new to this university others have been around for years. They hail from several schools and colleges. Our queerness connects us all, and we have a ton of fun. We are always recruiting more people to join in on the party.

Together, we are bringing The OutCrowd back to life.

This year we are producing a magazine to be published in March highlighting the queer stories of the last tumultuous year. We will tell stories of joy, sorrow, and growth from all corners of this extremely diverse community. And we are going to do it mostly virtually.

Shutout from the school’s studios, we are planning photoshoots in Thornden Park and in random corners of academic buildings. We are producing videos and designing a brand around inclusivity and energy.

Building community during an international pandemic had been challenging. One of our editors lives in South Korea in a time zone over 12 hours ahead Syracuse. Finding times to meet can prove challenging and getting to know dozens of new people through a webcam take creativity and ingenuity.

We always start our meetings with personal updates, answering questions like, “What was the best thing that you did this week,” or “What’s one thing about you that you want the group to know?” Starting with personal updates before getting into a meeting’s agenda can help the group get to know each other outside of work.

And creating those connections is the most important part to me. When I came back to campus this year, I realized that I wanted to leave a legacy. I wanted to impact this university and leave something behind that is sustainable. I want to make sure that through diligent leadership The OutCrowd never gets cast to the sidelines ever again.

I want to make sure that the OutCrowd is back in.

Story by Patrick Linehan ‘21, LaunchPad Global Fellow.

Are you getting Zoomed out? We all are. Zoom fatigue is real and we get it. We have another approach. We’ve created a community where you can really talk. We know what you’re craving after six months of watching other people talk in a digital checkerboard. Admit it, you look forward to a Zoom session getting cat bombed. We know there’s a better model for really communicating. It’s smaller, engaged conversations and meaningful interaction. Want to try it out? Join our LaunchPad Discord voice, video, text, chat platform to network, have real conversations, pitch your ideas and get real help in real time from real people in a real way. Try getting back to something closer to real life with us here. And read this great Harvard Business Review article on Zoom fatigue here.

How are you connecting in a pandemic? Last month the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars website had 8.4K users and 9.9K sessions. We continue to welcome new users to the site and new members of the LaunchPad. 53% came through our social media platforms, 22% through organic search, and 25% through and other channels.  Use the website as a tool to connect for expertise, download free resources, find a mentor and create your own personal roadmap to grow your skills and develop your ideas.  Finding help in a virtual world can be tough.  That’s why we’ve made it even easier. Just use this QR code and you’ll be connected to the network that is Syracuse University’s innovation hub.

College students vote at a rate significantly lower than the national average. But imagine if 20 million college students across the United States used their power to influence policy across all sectors, and shape a participatory and informed nation.  Use your voice today.  Make it count.  It’s your right.  It’s your future.  Vote.

Thinc-hub is a Syracuse student startup that is building a user-oriented collaborative platform for innovators and entrepreneurs to share their ideas and find help. It is envisioned to be a one-stop-shop to connect and foster opportunities between innovation ecosystems. As a startup venture, Thinc-Hub is grateful for the resources of helpful entrepreneurial communities it worked with to shape its path and now strives to give back by helping other entrepreneurs take their own entrepreneurial journey. It takes a community to launch an idea. You can help Thinc-hub through the discovery process by taking this survey to discover how to best serve the entrepreneurship community. Take the survey here and view Thinc-hub’s website and blog here

Cara Christian ’21 VPA is an artist and founder of Ungrateful Art. Originally from Los Angeles, Cara is completing her senior year as a theatre management major at Syracuse University.  In this new Creative Spotlight short, filmed and produced by Zain Elwakil ’21 School of Architecture for the Blackstone LaunchPad, Cara talks about her journey as an artistic entrepreneur.  Ungrateful Art sells original jewelry, fashion and a variety of unique pieces that Cara creates at home. Learn the meaning behind “ungrateful” art and her message, “Don’t hide your art” in this beautifully produced short film about Cara here.  Support her Etsy page here. 

AWS is excited to announce the launch of the AWS US University Startup Competition.  All current university-affiliated entrepreneurs are eligible to apply for the opportunity to win an equity-free cash prize to help fund their ventures. The top 10 finalists will pitch their startups to a panel of investors and AWS Startup Team members at a virtual event, and three winners will be chosen for up to $20,000 in cash prizes and $100,000 in AWS Activate credits. The deadline to submit an application is Nov. 16, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific time.  Syracuse University can also earn $5,000 in cash if we’re one of the top three referrers of startups to this competition, so apply using our unique link.  All Syracuse student startups that apply are eligible for $1,000 in AWS Activate credits and an AWS gift package.

Prizes:

• 1st place – $20K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
• 2nd place – $10K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
• 3rd place – $5K cash + up to $100K in AWS credits
• All startups that apply are eligible for $1,000 in AWS Activate credits and an AWS gift package

 Important dates:

• Nov. 16, 2020 (11:59 PM PT) – DEADLINE to apply
• Nov. 30, 2020 – 10 finalists selected
• Dec. 15, 2020 – Final Pitch

 Questions? Email aws-us-university-startup-competition@amazon.com