News

What’s the future of entrepreneurship? Give us five minutes of feedback.

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The LaunchPad network is doing its first ever survey to learn about student views on entrepreneurship.  We’re inviting you to take five minutes to complete this survey so that we can understand your overall views on entrepreneurship, the challenges you experience, and your thoughts on whether entrepreneurship  will be part of your future.  As the next generation of American entrepreneurs, we want LaunchPad students deserve to be heard, especially in these challenging times.  Please note that this is an anonymous survey.  We are interested highlighting the importance of the views of student entrepreneurs to thought leaders, policy makers and the larger entrepreneurship community, working with our partners at the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars network.

You can find the survey link here

Students gear up for the New York Business Plan Competition

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The talent hunt for bright ideas is on. Syracuse students, and students from across New York State, are gearing up to pitch their student-led ventures at the 11th annual New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) Finals, New York’s statewide intercollegiate business plan competition. The competition will be held virtually on May 1, and 2inners will be announced on May 22, 2020.

Student competitors competed at the semi-final competitions hosted by partner colleges and universities held in all 10 regions of New York State – Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Capital Region, Mid-Hudson, New York City, and Long Island. Top teams from each region advance to the statewide finals.  The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University coordinated the regional qualifier, Compete CNY, open to all students from Central New York colleges and universities.

Central New York teams going on to the state finals include:

Technology and Entertainment

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

Consumer Products and Services

  • FSCL, Sam Hollander (’23 Whitman and Newhouse), 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 (’22 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

During the finals, the top finishers in each track, including NYSERDA’s Energy & Environment Track, AgTech & Food, MedTech & Well-Being, Technology & Entertainment, Military & First Responder, and Consumer Products & Services, will be selected.

Since 2010, over 5,000 students from more than 100 public and private New York colleges, community colleges, and universities have pitched their ventures at the NYBPC. Winners are selected each year by judging panels composed of venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, business leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs. More than 150 companies and social ventures have been launched, contributing more than $100M in economic value over the past decade. 

Originally slated to be a live, in-person competition, the NYBPC has pivoted online. Due to the shutdown of colleges and universities across the state, students and organizers have used technology and innovation to move the competition forward.

“The NYBPC showcases the next generation of entrepreneurs. These students are the entrepreneurs who will solve our current problems. Supporting innovation at the earliest stages improves our local economies and addresses our global challenges,” said Noa Simons, Executive Director of Upstate Capital Association of New York. “This program enjoys significant support from major sponsors, philanthropic donors, and community leaders who work together to advance the mission. It is more important than ever to continue moving forward.”

NYBPC supporters include Chet Opalka, Vikram Agrawal, NYSERDA, NYSTAR, NY Ventures, FuzeHub, Saile Ackerman LLC, Eastern NY Angels, Innovate 518, the Sage Colleges and Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars.

Learn more at nybpc.org

Join Courtney Gras, engineer, entrepreneur, author, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, for our next “Tea Talk” on April 29

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Courtney Gras — Zoom link here

Courtney Gras, an engineer by training and entrepreneur by nature, published author, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, joins the LaunchPad for our next “Tea Talk” on Wednesday, April 29 at 3 p.m. via Zoom at this link.  Courtney is Community Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad® powered by Techstars® network, helping student entrepreneurs succeed.  In 2014, she left her “real” job as a power systems engineer at NASA to work with the cleantech startup company she founded as a sophomore in college. Shortly after this decision, she discovered opportunities to build a startup community in Ohio and help other founders succeed. After spending eight years with her own company, she followed her passion and decided to work on startup community growth full time, leading program development, operations, advocacy, and bridge building for innovation hubs and other startup initiatives. Today, Courtney has the incredible honor of going back to her roots as a student founder to help student entrepreneurs succeed through the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars entrepreneurship program, which connects students across the globe to the Techstars network.  She has been a key partner in growing the LaunchPad at Syracuse University.

Courtney loves sharing stories of founding a company as a student, discovering the entrepreneur mindset, and finding her “dream” job. She published the book “Entrepreneur is a Verb” in 2018 for young professionals who are interested in a career in entrepreneurship. She has also presented a TED talk in Budapest, Hungary on the topic, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work.

Courtney is at work on the V2.0 to her first book, “Entrepreneur is a Verb,” which is about applying the entrepreneur mindset to launch your dream career.  She will share insights from the book — from a startup-founder’s perspective, on what schools and movies don’t teach about careers. Whether starting a company or creatively search for a fulfilling 9-5 job, Courtney will touch on applying concepts from the entrepreneurial-mindset to your career in a practical way.

Tea Talks are virtual fireside chats, structured like good conversations over a cup of tea with thought leaders on topics related to innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership.  The LaunchPad at Syracuse University is pleased to present these conversations in partnership with The Republic of Tea.

Learn more about Courtney here www.courtneygras.com and follow her at @courtneyagras

Join the Zoom chat here.  If a password is required for admission, use LaunchPad.

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Take a minute to win some cash this month

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Got a minute to win some fast cash? Then get out your video cameras and smart phones, and send us a quick video pitch.  By popular demand, the deadline for the LaunchPad’s first ever Minute to Win It – Virtual Edition has been extended to Friday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m.  We invite you to send a one-minute idea pitch for a venture idea (product, service, technology or non-profit impact enterprise).  Amazing LaunchPad judges will pick the best pitches for $500 in prizes to the top three pitches. You don’t have to have experience pitching, but you do have to have an original idea. Submit here.

Use the link to provide your contact information and business idea as well as to upload your video (.mp4 or WAV files only). Judges will watch all of the pitches and rate each idea based on four criteria:

  • Creativity — Is this idea unique? Is the business providing a product or service that doesn’t exist? Are they approaching a traditional business with a new angle?
  • Market Opportunity – Is there likely a market for this product or service? Will consumers be motivated to purchase it? Are there platforms that the entrepreneur can sell through?
  • Problem Solving – Is the idea solving a definitive problem? Is this problem widespread or niche?
  • Feasibility – Is this a business that the entrepreneur can reasonably start up? Does the idea require an unrealistic amount of startup capital?

Judges for this competition will be Kelsey Davis, Founder of CLLCTVE, Matt Shumer, Founder of Visos, Sam Hollander, Founder of FSCL, and Phil McKnight, Co-Founder of Promptous.

May the force be with you, and the best pitch win!

Matteo Broccolo, fusing design and possibilities

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Some people have always dreamed of entrepreneurship. Business-savvy and competitive, they might have grown up selling lemonade at stands, trying to raise the most money during fundraisers, or marketing their crafts and business. Starting their own company or turning their passions into a product has always been their goal, and seeing their ideas turn into reality is what has always fueled their drive.

For others, entrepreneurship may not have always been a lifelong goal or something they’ve always worked towards. Rather, it might have been the path towards creating a product or service almost stumbled upon, and a realization that entrepreneurship is not just for those studying business but for everyone who has an idea and works to actualize it.

Matteo Broccolo, a third-year student in the Industrial and Interaction Design program at the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is an example of an individual whose passion for entrepreneurship was only recently discovered in an unconventional way. As part of his design major and an Information Technology, Design, and Startups minor In the ISchool, he took a class on technological innovation and entrepreneurship. As an assignment for the class, students were required to innovate a product that solved a technological problem. However, Broccolo didn’t just stop at a classroom assignment but turned his product into a venture called Spazio.

After interviewing students across campus, Broccolo realized a common problem for students was the unreliability of external hard drives. As students saved their work, often hard drives would disconnect from the computer, losing crucial projects and assignments students had worked hours on. Broccolo, with a team of two other students, designed a hard drive to better fit on a computer. Unlike regular hard drives, which connect to computers through cords that can easily become disconnected, Spazio’s hard drives clip into the computer, minimizing the possibility of disconnecting and losing valuable data.  

As an individual who thrives on the mechanics of creating functional things, it’s natural that Spazio became a worthwhile project for Broccolo. “I had a lot of passions growing up, but for me it was always the gear behind it. I always wanted to make things so that they could be better. I was always thinking about product design.” He has always had a talent for designing and even had a business in high school designing and printing t-shirts for clubs and local businesses. Spazio speaks to Broccolo’s passion for perfecting functionality.

The name for Spazio is an inspiration from Broccolo’s heritage. An Italian word meaning “space,” it references not only the significant role of hard drives in the space they hold to store important data, but it also alludes to Broccolo’s Italian roots. Broccolo’s family is from Italy and he grew up spending summers there and speaking Italian at home. Spazio is not only a technology that solves a frustrating problem, but it’s also a creative project that combines Broccolo’s ingenuity with his valued experiences.

Through his classes, Broccolo also was introduced to the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries and saw the ways it aids in starting and developing ventures. He began to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and went on to enter and win in a business pitch competition at Syracuse University.  He hopes to continue developing Spazio and plans to utilize his future coursework for his minor to provide time and resources for his work on Spazio.

Through creating Spazio, Broccolo discovered his own love for entrepreneurship. “I like the open-endedness of it —you can be an entrepreneur in such different fields. It gives you an opportunity to be creative.” For him, entrepreneurship combines his talent for design with his excitement for trying new things and exploring possibilities. It’s not simply a business field but a field where anyone with ideas can create products that benefit other people.

Broccolo’s story of someone who had initially not explored business or entrepreneurship but moved forward to create a venture product should inspire individuals to take their own skills, whatever field they may be in, and use them to innovate their solutions to problems that matter to them, their friends and families, and the world.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Claire Howard Photo supplied

Gonzalez Hauger brothers in the influence business

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Marco and Bruno Gonzalez

It’s not uncommon to see famous social media personalities influence for businesses. Influencing on Instagram refers to when a social media personality is compensated for posting some kind of promotional content for a brand. By putting a familiar face to the brands, companies have enjoyed substantial growth in sales. However, this had led to scenarios where influencers can charge exorbitant amounts of money to endorse a brand. For instance, Kylie Jenner can charge up to $1,000,000 for an Instagram post. As more people realize how much money these influencers make for endorsements, they trust them less because their enormous compensation de-legitimizes their “opinions.” This effect can be seen in the occasional ‘sellout’ comments that often appear under an influencer’s sponsored post.

While it is not often the case that social media personalities charge over $1,000,000 to advocate for a brand, there are still YouTube channels and budding influencers who rely on sponsorships to support themselves. Bruno Gonzalez Hauger explains, “Large influencers are getting paid millions for advocating for big brands, and the trust factor is lost. Micro influencers are Instagrammers in the 50,000 to 100,000 follower range who are more affordable for businesses, but still may charge thousands per post. We found an even more effective influencing tool for businesses large and small– he nano-influencer.”

Gonzalez Hauger ’21 is a junior at Syracuse University studying
advertising at the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. Gonzalez Hauger is also the Co-founder and CEO of Ambassadoor Technologies an iOS mobile app, along with his brother Marco Gonzalez Huager, who is CTO.

“Ambassadoor targets nano-influencers,” says Gonzalez Hauger, referring to the vast number of influencers with fewer than 5,000 followers who comprise up to 70% of Instagram members. “We want to make it easy for them to be paid,” says Gonzalez Hauger, who explains that people who interact with others on a regular basis, can also be effective influencers. “This has the added effect of personalizing brands that the influencer chooses, rather than simply a business looking to increase sales via marketing.”

Gonzalez Hauger first developed Ambassadoor when he was working at TNH, a student run advertising agency based in Newhouse.  There, he was tasked with reaching out to influencers for the agency. Gonzalez Hauger soon found out that the process was incredibly time consuming and largely inefficient. He then reached out to his younger brother, Marco, who had the coding expertise to start Ambassadoor. The next day the development began. The idea of the company was to make a platform for businesses to search for and connect with influencers.  By simplifying the process of influencer hunting, businesses could save time.  Moreover, by taking advantage of dedicated Instagrammers, small businesses could have a fresh approach to advertising, which they had not been able to previously reach.

The company, which was started in November of 2018, launched a beta version that launched in October 2019. Primarily based in the Syracuse University area, local retailers and shops worked with Ambassadoor. The beta test helped the team deploy their system to a small population, to gain feedback and continue to work on product iteration, building on their strengths and addressing any issues they discovered through the test phase.

“In a year and a half, we want at least 100 Syracuse businesses and at least 1,000 influencers on the platform,” says Gonzalez Hauger.

Ambassadoor is a fairly unconventional method of advertising. In an age where online ads are targeted using internet search patterns and big data analysis, Ambassadoor hopes to challenge the norm and take a step towards data privacy. By introducing the human element to business interactions, the company aims to move away from a merely data-driven approach. “We are taking a step back from numbers and want people and brands to be connected.”

Gonzalez Hauger says that his brother has been incredibly instrumental in developing Ambassador. He also believes that the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by TechStars has been helpful in developing the company. He says that the collaborative environment, and the collective expertise of the LaunchPad members has helped in building specific aspects of the business.

His hard work is paying off.  Last week he won the $7,500 first place award in the technology and entertainment category of the iSchool’s RVD iPrize, which was coordinated by the LaunchPad.  He also won first place in that same category in Compete CNY, the regional qualifier for the New York Business Plan Competition, also coordinated by the LaunchPad.  He’ll be headed to the statewide finals, held May 1.

“Now, more than ever businesses need to stand out and advertise more effectively on social media,” says Gonzalez Hauger. “We have a solution. Nano-influencing is on the rise and we want to take advantage of this opportunity quickly and effectively. Social media will be around for years to come, but the industry will be moving in the social media, narrowcasting direction. Using real people with real influence, advertisers can have a more personal connection with their audience than ever before, and for not a lot of money, maximizing organic reach, and engagement.”

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Krishna Pamidi Photo supplied

We’re in the fight. How about you?

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The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries is proud to have been selected as a mentor for Techstars Global Online Startup Weekend COVID-19, April 24-26.  Who wants to join us? Sign up to become part of a team for the first-ever global initiative of an online Techstars Startup Weekend that brings together inventors, innovators, developers, investors, and anyone with a passion to tackle the Covid-19 crisis.

We invite you to join in this event that will bring together hundreds of thousands of participants, globally, to work on prototypes for three days. Join us by visiting https://startupweekend.us and registering now.  It’s free.

Techstars Global Online Startup Weekend USA Covid-19 is a platform that can unite participating entrepreneurs from around the country and help them take action and make an impact while confined to their homes. That’s why we want you to be a part of this weekend, joining some of the most talented and entrepreneurial-minded folks across our community and region.

Be one of America’s innovators and entrepreneurs. Get involved in developing the opportunities that will speed our country’s recovery from the pandemic while experiencing new virtual methods of customer discovery and business model generation.

Join us in this fight. We’re proud to lead a team. But we need you at our side. Sign up.

How to manage the new normal: Density

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Luke Horgan is many things. He’s a USAF veteran, a former project leader at HBO, a TEDx speaker, a data scientist with a decade of experience, and a business owner. He’s fascinated by the ways humans employ unconscious data calculations to navigate their lives. As a TEDx speaker, he explores how humans act in microseconds – much like “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” Malcolm Gladwell’s book on cognitive processing. Today, in the era of COVID-19, he is using a data solution by Density – a company launched by Syracuse alumni — to measure human interactions. Business owners are grappling with “density” as the new norm for managing operations, staffing and human interaction in the face of COVID-19.  Already a widely used real estate management platform, Density is now also being recognized as a smart solution to manage “social distancing” in workplaces, businesses and public spaces. Density’s tech platform provides real-time insights to manage foot traffic, and control building “density,” using powerful sensors, combined with state-of-the-art depth data, computer vision and deep learning to accurately and anonymously measure movement.

Luke Horgan (photo from Density.io website) is using Density to keep his employees and customers safe as he continues to operate as an essential business through COVID-19.

While no one knows what the “new normal” will look like when businesses begin to re-open, one thing is for sure.  Everyone will be re-thinking issues of density and human interaction.  Density is offering a webinar, Tuesday, April 21, 1 p.m. (EST) with its CEO, SU alum Andrew Farah and CBRE’s Global Director of Corporate Workplace and Facilities, Peter Van Emburgh for a discussion surrounding the challenges of returning to the workplace.  Topics will include addressing employee concerns about returning to work after COVID-19, maintaining social distance guidelines inside the office, and preparing for future pandemics and other potential threats to employee health and wellness.  Register hereto join the conversation or receive access to the recorded webinar.

The company has also published a thoughtfully written post on this topic:  https://www.density.io/blog/returning-to-workplace-after-covid-19/

Density device
Density device that measures space occupancy

One thing that Density has learned is that measuring human interaction isn’t predictable.  “We’ve learned counting people is hard because people are weird. Humans do odd things in doorways. They bump into each other. They linger and form lines. They take phone calls, they high five, and they hold hands,” according to the website. “The engineering and design problems our teams solve each day are bare-metal, mechanical, logistical, supply chain, embedded, cryptographic, real-time, infrastructure, machine learning, client-side, enterprise, full stack and very hard. At Density, we get to do and sell science. And the people here are great.”

Together, Density works with customers to better manage over 100 million square feet of corporate real estate.

Steve Von Deak on Density tour
Steve VonDeak leads a team of LaunchPad students through Density’s manufacturing center in Syracuse at The Tech Garden

Steve VonDeak ’08 (Law School), Density co-founder and chief of staff, is the LaunchPad’s first Alumni Entrepreneur in Residence. The company recently closed its B round, raising a total of $40 million in external funding to date, and has a state of the art manufacturing center at The Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse. Density was founded in 2014 in the Tech Garden in Syracuse, and now also has offices in San Francisco, and New York City.  Its co-founders also include Andrew Farah ’09 (Writing) and G ’11 (iSchool), Ben Redfield ’12 (iSchool), Brian Weinreich, ’10 (Psychology and Biology), Robert Grazioli ’11 (iSchool), and Jordan Messina, who grew up in Syracuse and attended Binghamton University.

Grow your skills. Earn a graduate degree. Launch into life.

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Kelsey Davis ’19 Newhouse and G’20 Whitman used her MS-EEE experience to grow her venture, CLLCTVE, while actively participating in the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars network. She completed her graduate degree in one year, participated in the LaunchPad Lift program delivered through Techstars, and was also a Rubin Family Innovation Mentor at the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University. She graduates with a MS-EEE degree in May, and will be launching her company full-time with those new skills sets, along with an extra year of innovation ecosystem resources.

Syracuse University seniors have an extraordinary opportunity to continue their academic career, build new skills sets, or continue work on their venture idea through a new donor-funded “2020 Forever Orange Scholarship” program that will offset half of the tuition costs to pursue a full-time graduate degree or certificate program at SU.  To make it even easier to consider this option, the application deadline to graduate school has also been extended.

The goal of the program is to help students complete a graduate degree, explore new skills sets, or continue to work on research or venture development – especially in an uncertain job market. 

In some cases, traditional application requirements have been waived.  For instance, GMAT/GRE requirements are currently waived for Whitman MS programs. “This might be a prime opportunity for student entrepreneurs to complete a MS in Entrepreneurship & Emerging Enterprises (MS-EEE degree) as a way to finish off their SU experience, with continued access to mentoring, and additional campus resources to build additional success,” says Alexander McKelvie, associate dean, undergraduate and master’s education and EEE professor.

The scholarship cannot be combined with other funded awards such as fellowships or various assistantships that are also available for graduate students.  It cannot be deferred another year. 

A good option for student startups is Syracuse University’s EEE program, which is ranked among the top in the nation in 2019 by Princeton Review and Entrepreneur Magazine. The 30-credit MS-EEE program provides immersion in a rigorous curriculum and relevant practical experience to give graduate students the preparation and confidence to navigate a path to entrepreneurial success. The program is designed for students with a passion for entrepreneurship in any industry or type of business, and offers pragmatic academic courses, combined with access to resources and mentorship.  A number of successful Syracuse University student ventures have taken advantage of this option to add a second degree, expand their skill sets and build acceleration for their startups.

For more information about the MS-EEE opportunity, contact Whitman professors:

Orange innovation

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Brian Anderson ’14, a graduate of Syracuse University’s biomedical engineering program, designed a face shield that is now being produced by local manufacturer Tessy Plastics.  The shield will be used by 30,000 medical professionals in Onondaga County.  The Tessy R&D engineer worked at the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS) Student Shop, a space with 3D printers and computer numerical control machines where he had assisted workshop and project manager Tim Breen with student projects, and he used those skills to rapidly design, machine, assemble and test a prototype.  “We’re so proud to see Brian’s contribution in the fight against COVID 19.  This is a crisis where biomedical engineers are making a big difference, solving problems in the design and manufacturing of personal protective equipment, medical equipment, therapeutic interventions, and telemedicine,” says Julie M. Hasenwinkel, professor and chair of the biomedical and chemical engineering department at ECS. “I think this is a great example of how hands-on learning in ECS is preparing our students to be on the front lines, tackling the real-world engineering challenges of today and the future.”  The project built upon a multi-disciplinary rapid response 3D initiative by VPA’s School of Design, the School of Architecture, and the College of Engineering and Computer Science.  Read the full story by Brandon Dyer here.