Applications for Techstars NYC  are open now until December 20 with an AMA taking place on October 28. Join Techstars NYC Accelerator’s 3-month program to gain funding, mentorship and access to the Techstars network for life. Benefits include $120,000, a guided accelerator program, events, connections to successful entrepreneurs, access to investors and mentors, and so much more.  Three Syracuse LaunchPad alumni companies have already greatly benefitted from Techstars accelerator programs – Josh Aviv of SparkCharge at Techstars Boston, AJ Damiano and Michael Paris of PowerSpike at Techstars Atlanta, and Kelsey Davis and Brendan O’Keeffe at Techstars Los Angeles.

Are you ready to learn more? Join Techstars NYC upcoming virtual session, Techstars NYC: We help you grow and Scale! Meet the Team and learn more on October 28, 2020 at noon eastern time.  It will be hosted by Jenny Fielding, Managing Director Techstars NYC. Read the  latest blog written by Fielding which talks about Techstars NYC founders and how they leaned into the challenges of the past year. Learn more about the 2021 program theme, Community Builders. Explore this info deck to learn more.

Apply to Techstars NYC here. Be sure to work with the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries for guidance and to fine-tune your application.

Read more about Techstars NYC and 2021 program themes and reach out to Techstars NYC  Program Manager Tai Hutchinson with questions at Tai.Hutchinson@Techstars.com

Please join us for a dynamic Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars speaker series focusing on social impact. The series, open to all LaunchPad students, is being offered as part of the Fall 2020 LaunchPad Fellowship program. It will address unique elements required for achieving success with social impact student startups, including leadership, scalability, funding and for- and non-profit business models. Over the course of four Thursdays in November and December 2020, the LaunchPad & Techstars network will bring together an exceptional roster of speakers to connect with students who are interested in entrepreneurship, preparing for 21st-century innovation careers, and motivated by positive social impact. 

The timing is perfect as it aligns with the Syracuse University LaunchPad’s Impact Prize and campus Hult Prize competitions, as well as Global Entrepreneurship Week in November.  We are pleased to partner with our global network partners on this exciting series.

• Thursday, November 12th @ 11AM EST – Social Impact Leadership Panel. In this session, students will hear from founders and executive leaders with experience in several types of social impact ventures. From strategic decision-making to executive transitions, they’ll share their journeys of starting, running, and growing social impact startups.  Register here.
  • Danny Rojas, Executive Director, All Star Code 
  • Jonny Imerman, Co-Founder, Cloztalk & Imerman Angels
  • Heejae Lim, Founder and CEO, TalkingPoints
• Thursday, November 19th @ 11 AM EST – Healthcare Social Entrepreneur Fireside Chat. In this session, students will learn about the unique opportunities, challenges, and strategic differentiation of a health equity-focused startup, and the journey from ideation through an accelerator program and beyond.  Register here.
  • Kobby Amoah, CEO, River Health, (Techstars ‘19)
  • Matt Miller, Managing Director, Techstars UnitedHealthcare Accelerator
• Thursday, December 10th @ 11AM EST – What’s next? Social Impact Pipeline Opportunities Panel. The journey of a social impact founder and startup are often different than that of a traditional entrepreneur and business. In this session, students will hear the ‘inside track’ from relevant pipeline opportunities to hear more about potential next steps for anyone interested in a career in social impact entrepreneurship.  Register here.  
  • Camila Pazos, Director – Investments, Echoing Green
  • Katie Sowa, COO, Future Founders
  • Jacob Robinson, Senior Talent Manager, Venture for America
• Thursday, December 17th @ 11AM EST – Social Impact Funding Landscape Fireside Chat / Panel. Accumulating funding for social impact startups can come in many forms: equity investment (including impact investors), PRI and MRI grants, loans and credit… In this session, speakers will present a range of funding instruments and describe the options available to social impact startups. (Speakers and registration link to be announced shortly.)

A new creative short film produced by Zain Elwakil ’21 and James Rudman ’21 for the Blackstone LaunchPad focuses on VPA student entrepreneur Danial Khan who is an artist and filmmaker born and raised in Oman.  As a senior in Syracuse’s film program, Danial opens up about his journey as a filmmaker, sharing reflections about his most recent work for LOGIC’s summer 2019 tour. Danial considers himself a cross disciplinary artist with interests in art, music, drawing and illustration, and more.  The short film by Elwakil and Rudman is an artistic journey into the soul of a multi-talented artist and entrepreneur and is beautifully shot and edited.  It’s a must watch.  We are so grateful to the team for the care and creativity they put into making this visually rich, creatively complex and aesthetically compelling short film.  See it here and explore more of their work on the new Creative Film Spotlights page of our LaunchPad website here.

Winners of ‘Cuse Tank 2020 were:

• First place, $5,000, Bruno Andres Gonzalez Hauger, Ambassadoor Technologies
• Second place, $3,000, Justin Diaz, EcoBamboo Living
• Third place, $1,000, Shawn Gaetano, Solace Vision
• Fourth place, $1,000, Sardorbek Askarov, Aphinity
• Wild Card winner, $500, Benjamin Ford, Jersey Boys Apparel

Ambassadoor Technologies connects small businesses to nano-influencers on Instagram through innovative iOS mobile applications.  The company created a business app and an influencer app to streamline the entire influencing process on both ends of a deal.  “The most effective type of advertising is word-of-mouth,” said Gonzalez Hauger.  “Social media has given this type of advertising the most incredible boost of all time and we are taking advantage of it like never before.  Using nano-influencers who are real people with real influence, advertisers can have a more personal connection with their audience than ever before, for not a whole lot of money.”

The company has developed proprietary algorithms to maximize reach and inclusion with a system that is fast, efficient and yields high engagement results.  Ambassadoor Technologies has launched and will invest the winnings in marketing and further product development.

Gonzalez Hauger is president of the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship this year.

EcoBamboo Living hopes to solve sustainability challenges through the design and construction of affordable bamboo homes.  Working with local real estate and construction experts, Diaz has a goal of building his first bamboo “tiny home” in Syracuse.  From there he hopes to build in areas that have been hard hit with natural disasters and areas that are challenged to find affordable housing solutions.  “Bamboo is nonpolluting, earthquake and hurricane resistant, fast-growing, durable, sustainable and accessible,” said Diaz.  It is a fraction of the cost of lumber and much more renewable in terms of regrowth.  “We have a mission to create shelter for families to have a place to call home.”

Solace Vision is a virtual reality (VR) solution that helps people overcome debilitating phobias, anxieties and mental health disorders through the creation of environments based on user experience.  “VR therapy research suggests it is a middle-ground between exposure therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy due to the fact that patients can immediately remove the headset if they become uncomfortable, and that VR environments can be highly detailed to stimulate real environments specific to phobias,” said Gaetano.  “Solace Vision is a modern solution to helping phobia by providing a software platform with tailored VR environments for phobias and anxieties.”

Gaetano has built the platform and invest the funds in securing a Pico Medical VR headset to test and further develop phobia environments.

Aphinity is a platform that connects users to discover shared interests, particularly for young adults and professionals looking for ways to organize their social interactions and discover new meaningful experiences via an on-line to off-line affinity group platform.  “There is a significant gap in the market for platforms that can build a real sense of community and connection through shared interests and goals,” said Askarov.  The venture has already built an MVP featuring a news feed that displays nearby communities and events in real time, as the user requests information, and has begun beta-testing.

‘Cuse Tank 2020 judges were:

• Josh Aviv ’15, G’17, founder and CEO of Spark Charge, SU Libraries Advisory Board Member and LaunchPad Entrepreneur in Residence;
• AJ Damiano ’18, co-founder and CEO of PowerSpike;
• Mike Gursha ’10, chairman and CEO of Rookie Road and LaunchPad Entrepreneur in Residence;
• Corey Lieblein ’93, Founder/CEO of CP8 Capital and LaunchPad Entrepreneur in Residence – and Syracuse University parent;
• Kathi Durdon, executive director of the CNY Biotech Accelerator at Upstate Medical University;
• Amy Fazackerley, founder and CEO of Lay-n-Go and SU Libraries Advisory Board Member;
• Victoria Lawson ’20, founder and CEO of Weird &  Woke Design;
• James Bason, president and CEO of TruFund Financial Service – and Syracuse University parent;
• Mike Smith ’12 G’13, founder of Scrappy Capital and consultant at Venture Fuel;
• Alec Gillinder ’20 and Quinn King ’20, co-founders of MedUX.

Showrunners were:

• Claire Howard, LaunchPad Global Fellow
• Patrick Linehan, LaunchPad Global Fellow
• Gabriella Holliman-Lopez, Todd B. Rubin LaunchPad Diversity and Inclusion Scholar
• Ellen Jorgensen, LaunchPad Orange Ambassador
• Phil McKnight, co-founder Promptous and LaunchPad alumnus

Master showrunner was Nick Barba ‘20, independent project management consultant to the LaunchPad, and co-founder of Smarta which recently won first place in the Panasci Business Plan Competition.

The event was hosted by the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries.  Prize funding came through a gift to SU Libraries from Todd Dagres, co-founder and general partner at Spark Capital.

Applications are open for the Syracuse University Hult Prize, the campus qualifier for a $1 million global competition considered “The Nobel Prize” of student impact entrepreneurship.  Sponsored through the Hult Foundation with the United Nations, The Hult Prize focuses on sustainable solutions to pressing global problems. Each year, the Hult Prize Foundation chooses a pressing social problem.  The challenge this year is Food for Good – a timely theme, especially as the United Nations World Food Programme was just named the Nobel Peace Prize recipient.

The Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries coordinates the Syracuse campus competition which is the qualifier for the global competition. Applications are open through November 22 for the campus competition which will be held virtually on the afternoon of December 4.  Apply here and load your application materials.  You’ll hear back from our Syracuse University Hult Prize ambassador Claire Howard ’23 with competition details and logistics. 

Winners of the campus challenges go on to regional competitions across the world and those winners participate in a global accelerator with the opportunity to pitch their ideas at the United Nations in 2021 for a chance at the $1 million grand prize.  Past LaunchPad Syracuse teams have gone on to global regionals in Boston, Toronto and San Francisco which are typically held in the spring.

This year’s challenge, Food for Good, encourages students to tackle a global food-related problem. Examples could range from global food supply chain or distribution, ethical farming practices or access to nutritious food.  These issues are especially challenging in the current pandemic. Solutions can be products, services or technology platforms, but the challenge is solving the problem on a global level that can scale to help ten million people.

This year’s Syracuse’s campus competition will be held virtually with students pitching to judges who are experienced food entrepreneurs, innovative business professionals, civic leaders and food policy experts.  Learn more about the campus competition at this special Syracuse University Hult Prize webpage here.

Teams must apply as opposed to individuals. The LaunchPad can help match teams with mentors who can assist with taking ideas from concept to implementation and crafting an effective pitch presentation. Join the LaunchPad here to take advantage of these free services.

For additional information, please reach out to our LaunchPad Global Fellow Claire Howard who is this year’s Syracuse University Hult Prize campus ambassador:  clhoward@syr.edu.

Online applications are open for the Impact Prize, Syracuse University’s student impact competition for social entrepreneurship through November 1. The virtual competition on November 13 will feature $15,000 in prizes thanks to donors to SU Libraries, Carl and Marcy Armani in honor of Dr. Gay Culverhouse, and Dr. Gisela von Dran.

The competition is open to all Syracuse University undergraduate and graduate students as well as SUNY ESF students taking entrepreneurship courses at SU and who working on ventures that create a social impact.  Examples 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 ventures that support important public policy goals. This year, COVID-19 response ideas are also particularly encouraged. Impact Prize applications can be products, services or technologies that are practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to societal problems anywhere around the globe.  They can be non-profit or for-profit ventures.

The Impact Prize is coordinated by the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University. A pitch workshop on Thursday November 5 will help inspire frame their proposals in ways that are feasible and implementable.  To participate in that workshop on LaunchPad Discord, start by joining the LaunchPad here and then participate on the LaunchPad Discord platform here.

This year’s competition features a $10,000 Dr. Gay Culverhouse Impact Award prize package through the generosity of a gift by SU Libraries Advisory Board Member Carl Armani and his wife Marcy in honor of Dr. Gay Culverhouse. Dr. Culverhouse and Marcy Armani were friends for more than 30 years, volunteering together, and focusing on philanthropy and social causes.

“The Dr. Gay Culverhouse Impact Award will benefit students directly, and will be used to support student entrepreneurship, invention, and innovation through the Blackstone LaunchPad, our campus entrepreneurship center, which is in Bird Library,” said Dr. David Seaman, Dean of SU Libraries and University Librarian.  “We are very pleased to be able to honor and memorialize Dr. Culverhouse in this fashion, and plan to use the Armani gift to support our annual Impact Prize, a competition for social entrepreneurship, 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.”

Dr. Gay Culverhouse was a pioneer in education, sports and medicine, serving as president of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1988 to 1994.  She wrote a book, Throwaway Players: The Concussion Crisis from Pee Wee Football to the NFL, on the topic and was at the forefront of raising this issue at the national level. 

She passed away on July 1, 2020.  According to her New York Times obituary, “She navigated the league’s male-dominated world as a team president, then devoted her energy to fighting on behalf of players with brain disorders.” The obituary by Richard Goldstein noted, “Gay Culverhouse put aside her career focusing on special education and child psychiatry to join the family business, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the N.F.L., and who went on to champion the cause of former professional football players debilitated by dementia and other health issues.”

Before taking over as president of the Buccaneers, she devoted nearly a decade of her life as a senior executive of the team when they were owned by her father, Hugh Culverhouse Sr..  According to The Times obituary, “Though she loved the game, she never intended to make football a career.” 

Before joining the Buccaneers, she had earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in psychology from Columbia University with a focus on intellectual disabilities research.  She was an adjunct faculty member at Columbia and held several major teaching and research roles through her career, including as a faculty member at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, as an education specialist focusing on child psychiatry.

She was also an accomplished entrepreneur, as CEO of Aquarian Show, training, showing and breeding Paso Fine horses, and CEO of C and W Cattle Company.  She was the president of the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce.

According to The Times obituary, after leaving her role as president of the Buccaneers, she “made a resounding return to the pro football scene 15 years later when she lent her voice, backed by her money, to the cause of retired players with brain disorders that might have resulted from on-field concussions largely ignored by their teams. After tracking down former players who had become neurologically impaired, Ms. Culverhouse testified in October 2009 at a House Judiciary Committee hearing on football brain injuries.” She advocated for hiring independent doctors and led the charge to create and implement mandatory guidelines for sidelining players with concussions.

“My men have headaches that never stop,” she said in her testimony. “They cannot remember where they are going or what they want to say without writing it down. Some are on government welfare. Some are addicted to pain medication. Some are dead.”

She invested her own money to create the Gay Culverhouse Players’ Outreach Program, now known as Retired Player Assistance.

She also returned to education after her football career, serving as president of Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio.

The Impact Prize is also funded through a $5,000 gift to SU Libraries from Dr. Gisela M. von Dran, who is director emerita of the iSchool’s MSLIS program, and who has a special interest in social entrepreneurship.  As a member of the iSchool faculty, she taught organization management courses at the graduate level as well as the iSchool’s first-year gateway course. 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, who was 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, to support the RvD initiative, which funds the iPrize.

The Impact Prize competition serves as a gateway to the annual iPrize competition, as well as global competitions such as the Hult Prize. 

For more information, or to make an appointment to discuss your idea, e-mail: LaunchPad@syr.edu  or visit the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library (Suite 120), meet a coach, and become a member.

Watch The Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s sixth annual Orange Tank business pitch competition this weekend, starting October 22, 2020, at 6 p.m.  Student and alumni teams will pitch their business venture to a panel of accomplished judges and vie for part of the $40,000 in cash prizes. A grand prize of $25,000 will be awarded to the competition’s top finisher. Monetary awards will be given to the ventures finishing in 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in both the student and alumni category.  Watch to watch the spirited competition?   Register here.

Prizes are thanks to the generosity of Whitman Advisory Council member and lifetime SU Trustee John Couri ’63 (A&S).  Student teams must have at least one Whitman School of Management student on the founding team. Alumni teams must have at least one Whitman School of Management alumnus on the founding team. Founding team membership is determined based on timing of membership in the new venture, title in the organization, and significance of ownership stake.

Finalist teams have been selected, and five student teams and five alumni teams will be battling it out in this year’s Orange Tank. Who will win? You’ll have to tune in to find out. The event is part of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises Week, October 19 through October 23.

It’s the last call to sign up for Startup Weekend sponsored by Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars with Syracuse University, University at Buffalo, and Cornell University.  The virtual event from October 23 – 25 is designed for students who want to meet other student innovators over a high energy weekend. Participation is limited to 25 per school and there is still space for a few more Syracuse students to join in.  More than $5,000 in prizes will be awarded over the weekend. More info is here and you can sign up here.

Over the course of the 54 hour event, participants come up with ideas, form teams and use lean startup methodology to create solutions they pitch to expert judges on Sunday afternoon. Designed for any student interested in entrepreneurship, LaunchPad Startup Weekends challenge participants to think creatively and communicate effectively.  Teams come together to create working startups during the event and collaborate with like-minded entrepreneurs from other campuses.

The weekend is centered around action, innovation, education – and fun.  Ventures that go on to become real companies are often created at Startup Weekends.  It’s not too late to sign up on the Eventbrite page here.

LaunchPad alumnus Josh Aviv ’15, G’17, founder and CEO of SparkCharge, walked away with a million dollar deal for his portable ultra-fast, modular electric vehicle (EV) charging system on ABC’s Shark Tank last Friday.  The season premiere was a ratings runaway. SparkCharge got the million-dollar investment for 10% equity from sharks Mark Cuban and Lori Greiner, plus a small advisory stake. By comparison, a typical deal on Shark Tank is $238,000 and the average equity given up is 27% according to an analysis in the Hustle, a trade press that tracks deals. 

By season ten the Sharks had seen 895 pitches, made 499 deals, invested $143.8m, and drove $1B in company valuations, according to the Hustle analysis. Of those who made it to main stage, 56% successfully made a deal and only 22 of the 895 entrepreneurs who pitched came away with a deal of more than a million dollars.

Aviv started SparkCharge in the Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars at Syracuse University, built his first prototype in the Kimmel MakerSpace and graduated into his first R&D lab at the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems Innovations. He went on to become a dynamic figure in the clean-tech community and remains an active member of the LaunchPad, serving on the Founders Circle and as the LaunchPad’s entrepreneur in residence.  He was also a judge for Friday’s ‘Cuse Tank competition, just before appearing on Shark Tank.

The LaunchPad hosted a Shark Tank viewing party during the broadcast, with LaunchPad alumni watching from home and texting in from around the country to share in the excitement and success of their friend and fellow founder. Many of them had also built their student startups in the LaunchPad alongside Aviv, working together over the past four years, and the shared comradery runs deep.

It was a double milestone week for SparkCharge. Besides negotiating the million dollar deal with the sharks, the company also launched its new Roadie model and an EV Boost mobile app which allows customers to order a charge on demand. 

In addition to the Shark Tank investment, SparkCharge recently closed a $3.3 million seed round led by PJC with participation from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, M&T Bank, and Tale Venture Partners, in addition to other investors. This brings SparkCharge’s total funding to $5 million since its launch in 2017. The company is using the investments to scale manufacturing and drive sales demand.

Aviv is not the only Syracuse University alumnus to get a deal from the sharks.  The top success story in the history of the show went to Scrub Daddy, founded by Aaron Krause ’92. Scrub Daddy is a reusable ergonomically shaped super sponge in the shape of a smiling face that gets firm in cold water and soft in warm water.  After Shark Lori Greiner invested $200,000 for 20 % equity in a 2012 episode, Scrub Daddy scaled to 10 million units and sales of more than $50 million.  Before Shark Tank, the company had $100,000 in sales. 

By 2019, the company had sold more than 25 million of the popular cleaning sponges, and the company was worth more than $170 million.  Read the behind the scenes story of Aaron Krause, Scrub Daddy and Shark Tank here.

Krause is a prolific inventor and is currently starting up four other companies. He is a graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in psychology.

Syracuse University and Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars alumnus Josh Aviv ’15, G’17, founder and CEO of SparkCharge, makes the pitch of his life on the Season 12 premiere of ABC’s Shark Tank this Friday, October 16 at 8 p.m.

It’s a moment he has been preparing for since he first conceived of the company as a Syracuse student, working nearly every day in the LaunchPad at SU Libraries while completing his education.  SparkCharge makes portable, ultrafast charging units for electric vehicles, and has been featured in major technology and clean energy publications. TechCrunch most recently named Spark Charge as a top tech disruptor.

“Without the LaunchPad and Techstars, there would be no SparkCharge, and that’s simply the way it is,” says Aviv.

Aviv has gone on to become a dynamic figure in the clean-tech community since graduating from Syracuse but has kept his roots firmly planted here. He is still a member of the LaunchPad, participates in the LaunchPad Founders Circle, serves as the LaunchPad’s Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR), gives frequent workshops and Fireside Chats, and mentors and coaches current student startups.  It’s part of the #GiveFirst ethos he developed through the LaunchPad & Techstars.

As a student, Aviv won the grand prize in the New York Business Plan Competition, as well as top honors in more than seven business competitions while earning his degrees. He worked closely with the LaunchPad on his product and business roadmap, and initially incubated his company after graduation at the Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) where he built his initial prototype and set up his first engineering operations.

As a student and recent graduate, he won the top prize of $1 million at 43North, was the recipient of a NYS FuzeHub Commercialization Competition award, won the California Climate Cup, Startup Fest’s global pitch competition, and Plug and Play’s clean energy innovation award.

After Aviv won the first ever Blackstone Launch Pad & Techstars Training Camp global pitch competition, he was selected for the prestigious Techstars accelerator program in Boston.  The company has an engineering and sales headquarters in new corporate offices adjacent to Greentown Labs in Somerville, Massachusetts, a Boston area facility that is the world’s largest clean-tech incubator. He also has a manufacturing operation located in Buffalo, NY. SparkCharge has had a residency at the Plug and Play Tech Center, a renowned industry-focused accelerator program in Silicon Valley, and also currently has a residency at the Los Angles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).

Along the way, he worked with the Syracuse LaunchPad on every major pitch preparation, including this one. 

Aviv is a member of the Syracuse University Libraries’ Advisory Board, supporting work being done by the LaunchPad around innovation, invention and entrepreneurship.  He frequently speaks on behalf of the LaunchPad and SU Libraries at Syracuse University alumni events around the country. He recently established a clean energy prize through SU Libraries for a student team launching an innovation that tackles sustainability and climate change through a clean energy solution.  It will be awarded for the first time at the upcoming LaunchPad Impact Prize competition on November 13, 2020.

Aviv was also the recipient of the Syracuse University Generation Orange Award which recognizes Generation Orange alumni who have made an impact on campus and in their communities through their volunteer work and philanthropy on behalf of Syracuse University. The award was presented at a signature event during 2019 Orange Central weekend.

SparkCharge last week announced a product launch for a new charging unit, the Roadie, as well as a EV Boost mobile app to order ultra-fast charging on demand. 

It recently also announced the closing of $3.3 million in seed round financing led by PJC with participation from Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund, PEAK6 Strategic Capital, M&T Bank, and Tale Venture Partners, in addition to other investors. This brings SparkCharge’s total funding to $5 million since its launch in 2017. The investments are helping the company scale manufacturing, meet rapidly growing sales demand, and aggressively expand development.

“SparkCharge’s goal is to make electric vehicle ownership as easy as possible by removing obstacles to EV adoption such as range anxiety, lack of infrastructure and access to convenient charging,” says Aviv.  “SparkCharge works with roadside assistance companies, insurance firms, delivery companies, hotels, auto manufacturers to make ultra-fast EV charging available at any location.  We listened to our customers and the EV market to create a product that will effectively remove the barriers to electric vehicle ownership.”

Aviv originally auditioned for Shark Tank in Las Vegas last winter.  He had been attending the Consumer Electronics Show and speaking on a panel for the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars. He saw the call for Shark Tank and decided to give the open audition a try.  From there, he spent much of the past six months moving through various competitive rounds to make it to the finals.  He was eventually selected to appear in Season 12 which was filmed late this summer at a secret location in Las Vegas.

Two members of the SparkCharge team are SU alumni who worked with him along the way.  Peter Hartsock ’19 is director of digital content at SparkCharge and made the Shark Tank application video, along with most of the graphics that appear in the Shark Tank segment. Hartsock has created most of the content for SparkCharge’s social media channels over the past year.  James Carver ’20 is the new sales development representative for SparkCharge and will soon help handle the volume of sales inquiries expected when the segment airs.

Shark Mark Cuban gave a sneak peek of what viewers can expect on the season premiere. With public health protocols in place due to COVID-19, Cuban told Variety that Shark Tank’s 12th season is very different than previous seasons. “It truly was a bubble,” he told Variety. The show was filmed in a different tank with the Las Vegas location kept under wraps. “We were in an undisclosed location,” Cuban told Variety, “a hotel where we literally were quarantined and not allowed to leave. We had to quarantine, the entrepreneurs had to quarantine, and so when the cameras started rolling, everybody was fired up and ready to go. The intensity was off the charts.”

In his Variety interview, Cuban says that fans won’t be disappointed. “You get the same Shark Tank that you’ve seen, but I think the level of intensity was 2X at least.”

Join the LaunchPad for a special Shark Tank Watch Party that evening at 8 p.m. and share the suspense as SparkCharge takes on the Sharks in the biggest tank of all: http://bit.ly/josh-sharktank

October 16 is Shark Day at Syracuse University. Josh Aviv will also be joining the LaunchPad as a celebrity judge for ‘Cuse Tank that afternoon. Read more about the ‘Cuse Tank competition here. https://launchpad.syr.edu/shark-day-cuse-tank-2020/