James LePage ’23 (Whitman) has published a book, “How To Boost Your WordPress Website’s PageSpeed Score,” now available on Amazon and available in Kindle edition.  A member of the LaunchPad, LePage is founder and CEO of Isotropic Design, a digital agency that builds websites, runs high-converting ad campaigns utilizing lead generation tools and search engine optimization services, and offers branding and the creation of digital assets to enhance a company’s image.  He is also the founder of Wapp Cap Financial Media, a top-rated analysis and rating provider, and Wappinger Capital Research, a platform rated as a Top 100 Global Financial Blogger. As a SU freshman, he created a student venture, EDGEModular.

LePage wrote the book to help companies enhance the functionality and impact of their websites. “The speed of your WordPress website is one of the most essential elements, after design,” says LePage. Google offers a tool called PageSpeed which has quickly become industry standard in measuring the performance of your website. The book is a step by step reference guide on how to pass every Google Lighthouse/PageSpeed Performance Audit, created for both the website owner, and the avid WordPress developer.

The book helps companies understand why a site isn’t passing the audit, and then learn how to fix it with theory, real world applications, and plugin suggestions.  “Addressing failed audits won’t directly impact your performance score,” he says. “Similarly, increasing your performance score won’t directly increase your SEO placement. However, passing audits means that your website is faster. Addressing failed audits will make your site load quicker. A quicker loading website will increase your PageSpeed score.”

When you increase your Google PageSpeed Score, you don’t just get a quicker site, he notes. “You get a whole host of ripple benefits.”  He cites a few.  The average bounce rate for a website that takes five seconds to load is 38%. That bounce rate drops to 7% when your site takes 1.5 seconds to load.

“When you make your website faster, you rank higher on Google. Google will place faster loading sites on Page 1-2, and because 75% of people don’t even scroll to page 2, you need to be on page 1.”

Le Page adds that, “When you boost your page placements on search engine results with a faster site, you get more visits,” and notes that, “93% of them come from a search engine, so this is important.”

“Faster sites, happier visitors and better UX leads to more conversions to leads. And finally, more leads result in more revenue.”

The work of LaunchPad venture Thrive Projects, founded by Brian Kam ’16 (Whitman), Ryan Brinkerhoff ’16 (Maxwell) and Joshua Moon ’16 (Arts and Sciences) is featured in a new academic book, “Socio-Tech Innovation:  Harnessing Technology for Social Good,” published by Palgrave MacMillan.

The book explores novel solutions that involve development or adoption of technological innovations to address social and/or environmental problems with a view towards creating benefit for the larger whole rather than just for owners or investors.  The chapters outline meaningful actionable insights that can help social ventures scale up successfully, and address issues of underserved markets.  It is written for researchers in innovation and entrepreneurship programs, providing a unique and interdisciplinary approach to studying social innovation that is grounded in technology innovation.

Thrive Projects is one of a series of socio-tech venture cases that illustrate these dynamics and can be used in undergraduate and graduate courses.  The chapter on the Syracuse University student venture was co-written by Malavika Desai, Simona Simmons, Ryan Brinkerhoff, Brian Kam and Joshua Moon.

An abstract in Springer.com describes the chapter case study,
“Kindling Change:  A Case for Sustainable Development Work.” 

“In 2015, the Gorkha Earthquake struck Nepal, killing more than 8000 people and displacing an additional two million in one of the worst natural disasters of the decade. The world responded by sending billions of dollars in aid to an already underdeveloped nation, along with thousands of relief workers and volunteers. One of those volunteers would be the Co-Founder of Thrive Projects. Fast-forward one year and Thrive Project founders returned to Nepal with a mission to bring power to communities still struggling to rebuild using their product Solar-Powered Auxiliary Relief Kiosks. They would come to realize that for many communities, power and supplies were not enough to address the root cause of the lagging development in Nepal. The firm continued to evolve with the vision to address this cause. By the end of 2016, Thrive had implemented numerous projects within the state of Kathmandu, and achieved rapid growth in its labor force. Although the socio-tech venture was achieving its vision, Thrive Founders strived to make the venture financially self-sustaining. This case examines how these factors, and market conditions, influenced their business and speculation on the future as they embark upon their second year in business.”

Dr. Desai and Simmons, academic researchers for the project, authored the chapter on Thrive. They recall meeting Kam and Brinkerhoff over tea in Nepal, calling them, a “cross between Indiana Jones and models from a Guess Jeans ad.” They were immediately impressed with their mission to have a lasting impact on the lives of the people of Nepal recovering from the Gorka Earthquake.  From that conversation over tea grew a two-year collaboration to produce this case study which is part of the book.

Thrive Projects was one of the first ventures started in the LaunchPad, winning first place in the social impact category of the New York Business Plan Competition in 2017.  Kam, Brinkerhoff and Moon have remained active members and mentors.

Read more about their journey in a special feature story appearing next week in “Startup Thinking.”

SOYL (Supporting Young Leaders) Talks is premiering a new video series SOYL in 60 on May 5 at noon, featuring bestselling author, entrepreneur, coach and professional speaker Arel Moodie. With a mission is to help people from all walks of life better connect to themselves, to others and realize there’s more to life than just meets the eye, Moodie’s work is rooted in studying how humans create positive change.

Moodie has been a featured speaker at the White House. Inc. Magazine called him a “High-Energy, Motivator” and named him to their “30 Under 30 list” of top entrepreneurs joining people like Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook. Essence Magazine said “He should be the poster boy for rags-to-riches stories. He is America’s Top Young Speaker.” He has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Yahoo! PBS, BusinessWeek, Black Enterprise, the Chicago Tribune, HuffingtonPost and many other national media outlets.

After growing up in the projects of Brooklyn, NY on welfare, he attended Binghamton University as an EOP student. In college, he was encouraged to take advantage of all of the opportunities there. He became the president of four student organizations, and was named one of the top five exemplary students while at college. In college, he started his first business and went on to build a million dollar event production and entrepreneurship education company.

His company the College Success Program has helped hundreds of thousands of students succeed in school and life through his speaking engagements, curriculums, best selling books and trainings. As a professional speaker, he has spoken to over 650,000 people in 48 states and five countries.

His podcast The Art of Likability was rated the number one career podcast in iTunes and is listened to in 178 countries worldwide helping people build better relationships with people. He has been a TEDx speaker three times, TV contributor on shows like The Doctors, and contributor to national magazines such as Forbes on the subject of likability.

As the founder of “True Speaking Success,“ he teaches people how to become professional speakers about their subject matter expertise. Arel created two viral videos that have millions of views, and one of them was even featured on The Ellen Show!

SOYL is a free monthly lecture series that connects students with young professionals and entrepreneurs.  Every month, presenters speak, with audience Q&A, sharing their life stories and words of inspiration.  SOYL Talks are sponsored by Children of the Summer in collaboration with the Gifford Foundation.  SOYL started in the summer of 2016 in the Blackstone LaunchPad by alumnus Kevin Claiborne working with Seth Dollar, artist and founder, Children Of the Summer, who is carrying them forward. The LaunchPad looks forward to partnering with SOYL again this coming fall.

Miss this dynamic videocast, or want to learn more? Follow SOYL and the series on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @soyltalks

Join CenterState CEO’s Generation Next and OneGroup on May 7 at 6:30 p.m. for a special crowdcast streaming event featuring leaders from across the Syracuse community celebrating the essential workers and businesses keeping Syracuse safe and strong. Enjoy performances from Symphoria and Syracuse Stage, meet business owners working to keep Syracuse running, enjoy a tribute to the region’s 2020 graduates, messages of thanks from the community, and so much more.  The event is hosted by Dr. Juhanna Rogers, director of community engagement and empowerment, CenterState CEO, and produced by Black Cub Productions and Kelsey Davis of CLLCTVE, both LaunchPad alumni ventures.  Generation Next is a new CenterState CEO initiative that fosters diversity and leadership in young professionals and works to attract and connect talented professionals to job openings in Central New York.  Register here.

SparkCharge, makers of the only portable ultra-fast, modular electric vehicle (EV) chargers in the world, this week 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 investment will be used to help the company scale manufacturing, meet rapidly growing sales demand, and aggressively expand development.

SparkCharge’s goal is to make electric vehicle (EV) ownership as easy as possible by removing obstacles to EV adoption such as “range anxiety,” lack of infrastructure, and access to convenient charging. SparkCharge works with roadside assistance companies, insurance firms, delivery companies, hotels, auto manufacturers to make ultra-fast EV charging available at any location.

Joshua Aviv, a Syracuse University alumnus who is SparkCharge’s founder CEO explains, “We focus on listening to our customers and the EV market to create a product that will effectively remove the barriers to electric vehicle ownership. Our product opens the door for Utilities, Cities, Roadside Assistance and On-Demand Service companies to provide range to EVs faster and more effectively, regardless of location.”

“We are very excited to invest in such a remarkable company” stated Zaid Ashai, Venture Partner at PJC. “EV sales growth is far outpacing the infrastructure growth needed to support such a thriving market. This dynamic puts SparkCharge’s innovative portable ultra-fast chargers in a position to partner with new and existing businesses to cure range anxiety.”

David Hall, Managing Partner at Revolution’s Rise of the Rest Seed Fund said, “SparkCharge’s portable charger is removing one of the most inconvenient aspects to owning an electric vehicle—the inability to charge electric vehicles at a moment’s notice. We’re proud to back Joshua and the entire SparkCharge team as they work to facilitate ownership of electric vehicles and in tandem, make our world more sustainable.”

Rachel Saunders, a Principal at PEAK6 Strategic Capital shares, “We’re excited to participate in the seed round for SparkCharge. We recognize the unmet need for EVs and have been impressed by what the team has accomplished to address that opportunity. We are proud to support their vision for the future. This is another example of our focus on investing in companies that leverage innovation, technology, operational excellence, and purposeful design to transform the world into what it ought to be.”

When asked why to invest in SparkCharge, Ed Jean-Louis, Partner at Tale Venture Partners replied, “What really got us excited about SparkCharge was the team and how invested they were in addressing the lack of EV charging infrastructure with a novel and innovative approach. The SparkCharge team will not only help service the existing EV market but the company’s differentiated distribution method will also enable people to access fast-charging anytime, anywhere. We think this will help remove barriers for EV adoption and eliminate range anxiety for EV owners.”

SparkCharge’s pioneering new technology allows anyone to deliver range to an electric vehicle owner anytime, anywhere. It opens the door for electric vehicle owners to have their cars charged in a way that was not possible in the past by removing the limitations on when, where, and how an electric vehicle gets charged.

SparkCharge’s portable chargers are modular and scalable, easily stacking on top of each other, like Lego blocks, to increase the range delivered.  They are compact and lightweight, and can fit easily in the trunk  of any car and carried by hand with ease. They deliver ultrafast charging, capable of charging at a rate of 1 mile every 60 seconds.

“We are in the beginning stages of transforming the EV world, and the relationships we have built with the world’s leading EV manufacturers will help continue that change,” says Aviv. “These relationships ensure that all EV owners can benefit from our product by eliminating range anxiety and making EV ownership greener and more convenient.”

SparkCharge’s product is 100% electric and is charged using traditional 110- or 220-volt household outlets, thereby eliminating the air pollution that would result from gas-powered EV chargers.

“We have seen a glimpse of what is possible with the adoption of electric vehicles. With much of the world practicing social distancing and working from home there has been a dramatic drop in cars on the road. New York decreased air pollution by 50%, China has seen a 25% drop in emissions, and nitrogen dioxide emissions throughout Europe are fading away. We need to get people back to work and still retain these environmental improvements. EV ownership has the potential to change the world and for the first time we can actually see it.” says Aviv.

Spark Charge literally got its his start through the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars network where Aviv developed the company while still a Syracuse student.  After he won the grand prize at the first LaunchPad Techstars Demo Day sponsored by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation, he graduated from the program to a Techstars accelerator, which was an incredible opportunity.  In Boston, he made meaningful connections with investors such as PJC, who led both initial and recent seed rounds.  From there he scaled operations out of Greentown Labs in Boston, the world’s largest cleantech incubator, and in residency at 43North in Buffalo, after winning a $1 million grand prize in that that competition.

Now, with R&D and operations in Boston and manufacturing in Buffalo, he continues to embody the Techstars #GiveFirst ethos.  He remains an active mentor of the Syracuse LaunchPad campus program, and regularly visits the LaunchPad to meet and mentor students. 

He recently won Syracuse University’s Generation Orange young alumni award for his continued engagement in the campus innovation ecosystem. He is a great model for other LaunchPad alumni.

About SparkCharge

SparkCharge is creating a more efficient and connected world of transportation with its portable, ultrafast and modular electric vehicle charger. Because the chargers are compact, they can be delivered to an electric vehicle owner on-demand. This creates a mobile charging infrastructure that allows EV owners to have their cars charged anytime and anywhere. To learn more, visit www.sparkcharge.io

Shhh … you’re we’re not telling you all the secrets, but Julia Haber ’18 (Newhouse) and founder of WAYV has something special coming your way when she launches Home From College this week. College students, amid the current global pandemic, have been uprooted from their campuses and familiar routines, and are facing uncertain life and career challenges in unprecedented times.  A new digital platform, Home From College, is a career-advancing online community, providing content, experiences and community, coming at a time when students are craving inspiration and human connection. Follow on Instagram @ homefromcollege_ and sign up to become part of the community here.

The Home From College platform is designed for students, with students, resulting in an optimum curated experience. The brand promotes networking and experiental learning outside of a traditional academic environment, featuring dynamic thought leaders, industry experts, and innovators. The content is presented in an entertaining format that synthesizes storytelling with solid advice that is highly relatable.

In addition to this positive interactive experience, users will be given the opportunity to brand sponsored career-building projects and mentorships with these leaders and innovators. 

You can only unlock access by joining the community. Sign up here.

As LaunchPad students approach graduation and the first summer during/following the COVID-19 crisis and following economic downturn, their attention and concerns have increasingly turned to lost and more challenging job and internship prospects. In an effort to both distribute financial assistance and to encourage continued work on some of the most promising LaunchPad startups in a remote setting, The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars network will host a unique, new opportunity for a LaunchPad Summer Startup Fellowship. The Summer Startup Fellowship program is funded by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and administered through Techstars.  It is open to all students in the network.

Applications open April 27, 2020 on line here with an application deadline of May 18, 2020.  The virtual program will run June 8 through July 27, 2020.  Accepted applicants will be notified by the first week of June.

In this eight-week Fellowship, participants will be awarded $5,000 in grant funding to support their time working on advancing their startup companies. The Fellowship is largely self-driven, but will include weekly reporting requirements, a number of webinars to support the program, and a final report. The Fellowship is open to all current students and recent graduates in the LaunchPad Network, and will accept 50 participants.

Selection Criteria: Applicants will be judged based on the quality of their 30 second video pitch, articulation of realistic goals and milestones, quality and detail of the proposal narrative, description of next steps following the Fellowship, and need statement. Special consideration will also be given to ensure selected companies represent the diversity of the LaunchPad Network.

Fellowship Grant: $5,000 will be awarded to fellowship participants to support financial needs during the program period. It should be noted that grants are issued after proper paperwork is received by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation. Grant processing often takes a number of weeks, so participants should plan accordingly.

Fellowship Structure: As with a typical Fellowship, this initiative is largely self-directed and independent of a strict curriculum. Because of this, it is critical that applicants have demonstrated the ability to work independently with little guidance or structure. The Fellowship will include a number of programmatic elements:

• Program kickoff call
• Two “Founder Story Fireside Chats” with Techstars founders
• Program wrap-up call, introduction to Techstars pipeline manager
• Weekly reporting and final report
• Access to Techstars mentor request form for ad-hoc assistance

Fellowship Requirements: All participants must clearly define goals and objectives for the Fellowship and also:

• Track progress towards these goals on weekly basis using a progress tracking spreadsheet and submit the progress tracker at the end of the program
• Participate in program kickoff / conclusion calls
• Complete a final report and survey detailing their work in the Fellowship, results and next steps.
• Work with Campus Ambassadors to review their final report

Campus Connections: LaunchPad campus directors will actively participate with teams accepted into the Fellowship in their programs in the following areas:

• Review weekly progress trackers and ensure progress
• Facilitate introductions to Campus ambassadors / mentors as needed to support progress
• Ensure student participation and final reporting
• Help students with planning for next steps
• Connect students to pipeline opportunities

Applicants must:

• Be a current student (undergraduate level, graduate-level) or a recent graduate (2019 or 2020) and active participant in LaunchPad programming on campus
• Have an existing startup company
• Be self-motivated and driven to complete work independently and with minimal oversight
• Have well-defined goals and milestones to be completed within the eight-week period of the fellowship
• Be past the idea-stage and already have a pitch deck, executive summary, a logo, a website, LinkedIn account, Twitter account, and ideally, a prototype
• Have traction such as early sales, MOUs, funding raised, customer interest, etc.
• Have demonstrated leadership in both executing the business and galvanizing support
• Have experience working with mentors, integrating feedback into their venture, and show coachability

It is strong advised that you reach out to the LaunchPad at Syracuse University to discuss this opportunity before applying on line. Contact us by at LaunchPad@syr.edu

Justin Diaz ’23, College of Engineering and Computer Science, and founder of EcoBamboo Living, was selected one of the top six teams in the Hult Prize Toronto global regionals by a review committee led by Hult Prize CEO Ahmad Ashkar.  The annual competition is considered the Nobel Prize of impact entrepreneurship, attracting more than 300,000 students from universities around the world.  More than 5,000 students compete in regional summits, held in major international cities on every geographic region of the world.  Teams compete in a big bold challenge meant to inspire and enable the world’s brightest college minds to solve its greatest problems.  This year’s challenge was climate change and sustainability.

Because of COVID-19, regional summits moved to virtual competitions this year.  Diaz created a compelling submission that was extremely heartfelt.  Beyond addressing the components of a typical competition – the problem, solution, target market, business model, path to market, and strategic partners – he infused the presentation with humanity based on his own experience.  “As a young boy, my mom and I weren’t able to afford adequate housing, leaving us hopeless for a while.  This is why it has become my aspiration to give everyone a place to call home.” 

EcoBamboo Living is an innovative construction company that designs and builds building affordable, beautiful and sustainable buildings for the residential and commercial sector.  Using bamboo rather than conventional timber offers many advantages.  It is as strong as steel or concrete, can be grown and harvested faster and more sustainably than hardwoods, is more affordable, and tackles deforestation and climate change through creating a positive carbon footprint.  Bamboo is a building material used in southeast Asia with proven results, including withstanding earthquakes and hurricanes, but there no is bamboo design and construction company in the United States. 

He is already working with Syracuse-based advisors architect Pete King of King + King Architects and commercial real estate developer Steve Case on plans for his first bamboo “tiny home” as a demonstration project.  From there, he plans to develop a line of affordable modular homes constructed with bamboo timber.

Diaz is only a freshman, but has already won top prizes in campus competitions, working with the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries.  He is also preparing to compete as a finalist in the energy and environment category of the New York Business Plan Competition on May 1.  He recently won the Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award, funded by the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund, which was coordinated by the LaunchPad.

“Being part of the Hult Prize and being selected as one of the top six teams at the Toronto regional competition, shows me the potential this idea has moving through my next three years in college,” says Diaz.  “I feel blessed to be in the position to showcase not just my business, but my university, and the LaunchPad in the Hult Prize.  I enjoyed the virtual presentation because it allowed me to be more creative and inspirational.  Participating in a live competition can be challenging, but a video gave me time to prepare, and the opportunity to share in a more personal way my vision and mission.”

Diaz recognized his team members, Syracuse University students Virkin Jimenez and Serena Winter, along with his mentors and advisors.  “The LaunchPad family believed in me from the start, when I first walked in the doors as an incoming freshman, even before school started. They embraced me and invited me to be part of Startup Weekend last fall where I came up with this idea and developed an entire new circle of friends who shared my entrepreneurial passion.  Then, they continued to guide me in the right direction.  Without the LaunchPad, I wouldn’t be where I am.  The culture there gave me the energy, motivation and inspiration to keep challenging myself, supported by guidance from that community.”

The Regional Summits provide students from around the world an opportunity to showcase their innovative ideas, learn from their peers and be inspired by a generation of young people who are committed to changing the world through business.  The winner of each regional summit receives an invitation to attend the 2020 Hult Prize Global Accelerator and to compete for the $1 million Hult grand prize.

The teams selected as the Toronto top six included:

• Syracuse University – EcoBamboo Living
• Faculty Polydisciplinary Of Khouribga – SmartGarden
• Jordan University of Science and Technology – Amtea
• University of Maryland – Hydraze
• Rutgers Business School – SeaWe
• Tec de Monterrey, Zona CDMX-Centro-Sur – LIMU

The Hult Prize is celebrating its first decade. As a Hult International Business School MBA student, Ashkar founded a company 2009 to give his then peers around the world a platform to have sustainable, profitable impact with a focus on the creation of a new kind of business which was dubbed, “the impact enterprise.”  Later, working with Bertil Hult, the Hult Prize Foundation was born, which is the considered the world’s most acclaimed social entrepreneurship program.

PAANI, LLC. invites you to join their crowdfunding effort to produce masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in the United States and in India. To help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/paani–covid19-masks

“We understand that there is currently a shortage of personal protective equipment across the globe and want to be a part of helping the many communities in need,” says co-founder Nikita Chatterjee ’20 (Maxwell). 

PAANI is a global health company that focuses on providing access to clean water in low-income communities starting in India. It started as a project that won first prize in the Invent@SU program and then continued its product and business development working the LaunchPad.

“We have engineered a filtration system into the traditional sari cloth and are refining the traditional water practices that exist in India,” says Chatterjee. “Although we are focused on providing access to clean water, in an uncertain time like now, we must ask ourselves questions. What does washing hands mean for people with no access to clean water? How do we stay safe in an environment where resources are not readily available?”

She continues, “We also have to consider the millions of people who are currently out of work during this time. Urban unemployment rates rose to 30.9%, bringing the overall unemployment rate to 23.4% in India. Common household jobs for women have been removed, and families are struggling. We want to support these women, so a portion of donations will go towards supporting the salary of women in India.”

“We have recently partnered with a local NGO in Mumbai, India with over 20,000 women working together to provide safe and environmental friendly, reusable face masks using traditional cotton material,” said PAANI co-founder Brianna Howard ‘20 (Falk). “With your donation, you can help us support the salaries of women who are currently working to create these masks.”

“We are asking that you please donate what you can to buy materials for the cloth masks to be made,” added Chatterjee. “We are aiming to raise $7,500 to produce thousands of masks. An air filter will also be included to filter out viruses and bacteria. It is an important time for us to come together and help communities survive this pandemic.”

Donations to PAANI’s crowdfunding campaign will help in the production of masks which will be donated to local organization in the Tri-State Area and India, and also help support the salaries of women in India.

Learn more about PAANI initiatives at www.paanisolutions.com or @paanisolutions on Instagram.