When a new employee joins a large firm, they are typically offered benefits on top of salary. Many large companies pride themselves on their benefits packages which include paid family leave, contributions to retirement accounts, stock options and health insurance.  One very important benefit can be a dental insurance plan. While large corporations with over 500 employees typically offer some form of dental coverage, it usually an expensive option.  For millions of small and medium sized businesses, it is simply an unaffordable option.  It is a sad fact that 74 million people in this country go without dental insurance.  That is one out of every three people.  LaunchPad startup, Promptous, co-founded by a team of Syracuse University alumni and former students, are  working hard to change that.

One of the Promptous team members has been Pratik Paranjape G ’20, who just completed a master’s degree in cybersecurity from the College of Engineering and Computer Science at Syracuse University.  He was a network security analyst intern at Promptous this year, and a key part of the team that is building a digital health solution in the insurtech space.  Paranjape immediately saw the value proposition of the team’s premise. “Conventional dental coverage plans usually end up hurting the dentists as well as the employees and employers.  They are expensive, hard to manage and not transparent.”

As Paranjape explains, large companies are typically restricted to a limited set of dental coverage plans that they can offer to their employees. Promptous introduces flexibility and cost savings by allowing companies to choose coverage ‘a la carte’ and creating transparency and predictability around pricing. Moreover, the platform also facilitates direct payments to dentists without insurance companies being the mediators of the transaction, which can sometimes take months to sort out.  This drastically simplifies the process and flow, and allows dentists, patients and employers to accurately predict estimates and get reimbursed in real time.

“After looking at how things were being done, we saw the opportunity to create accessibility, predictability and cost savings by automating the process.” He explains how meaningful the cost burden was and how beneficial it could be to have this process simplified. “In the United States, employers pay around $52 billion per year for insurance. Promptous can help save about 30% of that, or about $200 per person.” Promptous provides a platform that doesn’t exist with traditional insurance plans.

As the company is about to enter the beta release of the platform, he reminisces about how he came to be involved in the team.  “I was an international student, and when co-founders Phil McKnight and Josh Jackson saw my skill set, they wanted me on the team right away.  Unfortunately, my student visa status kept me from doing that. I had to wait at least nine months for Promptous to enter into a formal internship process through the CASE Center at Syracuse University.” During this time Paranjape worked as a volunteer team member, as Promptous created its product development and business roadmap as members of the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries.  He learned about ways that international students can engage in entrepreneurship, and through an eventual Promptous agreement with the CASE Center, was able to become an intern with the venture, assuming various roles centered around data security.

He shares the camaraderie of the team. “Last Thanksgiving break, when we were just starting to get set up, we needed to invest in our own equipment. The company bootstrapped resources to purchase equipment including laptops to distribute to team members to keep bolster capacity. “We really came into our own, and looked after each other,” he shares.

Like so many other companies, Promptous sees challenges caused by the pandemic. It also sees the opportunity to unleash innovation in the digital health and insurtech space. The team was used to working together physically in the LaunchPad, and converted fully to remote work in mid-March, quickly adapting. “Fortunately, we are a distributed team of innovators, so we could easily adjust to the new reality.” 

The team also saw even more interest in their platform as dental practices looked to re-structure their front office operations to ensure and enhance patient safety, and as employers looked for digital solutions to streamline their processes and produce cost savings. 

The team even closed on its first two external investments by LaunchNY and CenterState CEO during the pandemic.  It is also seeing increased interest from the industry and insurance brokers.

For Paranjape, working on his master’s degree while being part of Promptous has been rewarding. He compares the team to a family who creatively challenges him. After graduation and the conclusion of his internship, he will remain engaged with the company as he also pursues his own career. “I will definitely consult and help whenever I’m needed. I am so thankful to Josh and Phil for their leadership and support building Promptous.”

He also is appreciative of the LaunchPad.  “Linda’s guidance seriously helped us. I cannot stress that part enough. She connected us with every resource on campus, as well as outside investors, advisors and programs through Techstars to help us.”  He also valued the LaunchPad’s stimulating environment which provided the supportive community and setting for the team to put in the long hours it took to develop the platform.  It was a place they truly called home, as well as headquarters.

People may think of insurance in a certain way.  But ultimately, insurance is there to create a helping hand when you need it. Thanks to teamwork, Promptous is on its way to revolutionizing the dental insurance industry by creating a smart and simple technology solution, and through good old-fashioned camaraderie.  Promptous takes the industry concept of lending a helping hand to a new level in the digital age.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Krishna Pamidi Photo supplied

At any given day in the LaunchPad over the past four years it has been open, you might have walked in and seen a dozen or more different activities. People are sitting at tables furiously tapping away at their computers, partners are writing down wild schemes on blackboards, mentors are hosting coaching sessions or information seminars, and groups are bouncing their ambitious ideas of one another.

Another thing you might have seen is a student filming all of this hard work, imagination and ingenuity blossoming in the glass cube at Bird Library.  A creative entrepreneur with a camera and recording equipment might have been interviewing students on their thoughts, filming startup videos for student ventures, or figuring out how to best capture the spirit of collaboration, warmth and laugher that defines the LaunchPad community.

As the LaunchPad’s Global Media Fellow and digital storyteller, Will DeVito ’20 (Newhouse) is moving on to creating the next chapter in his own story.  Now it is our turn to tell a story about Will that captures his experiences and reflections on what it means to be an integral part of the LaunchPad family.

DeVito was introduced to the LaunchPad through a EEE70 class he took with Linda Hartsock at Whitman several years ago and went on to pitch the clever idea he developed in class for “Bonfire in a Bin” in campus competitions.  His own personal charisma and art of story telling was captivating. He became the LaunchPad’s digital storyteller and videographer over a year ago, and in that time, it has become so much more than a job or workplace.  “It wasn’t just work.  It was a place where I hung out and I also just happened to work there. It’s more than just a few hours a week for a job.  It is an identity for me.  It’s a place where I can branch out and share ideas.”

Through the LaunchPad DeVito feels like he has found a community ‑ a niche where he is free to explore ideas, share his thoughts with others, and become inspired from the constant creativity generated. It’s also helped him with his own professional and personal development, creating his own side hustle, WD40 Productions. Through his work as videographer for the LaunchPad, he’s made connections that have enabled him to film videos for other companies. This past spring semester was the first time he had so many work opportunities that he had to say no to some of them, which is a welcome sign of success and many open doors.

Though DeVito doesn’t think of himself as an entrepreneur who will eventually start his own company, the innovation skills he’s learned through the LaunchPad have been invaluable to him in his own pursuits. During his time at Syracuse, he’s produced several student-run comedy shows and the social and initiative skills essential to entrepreneurship have been essential to him as well. DeVito is an example that entrepreneurship isn’t just for those who study business or dream of starting their own company, but as a way to learn innovation and ingenuity as skills sets to build a better career pathway.

DeVito hopes to take the creative skills he’s gained during his time at the LaunchPad and utilize them for his career now that he’s graduated. His current goal is to work in the entertainment industry in New York City, with dreams of helping produce comedy shows. “Humor has always been my favorite thing. I always loved trying to be the class clown.”

While live entertainment is an industry that is unfortunately on pause during the current COVID-19 pandemic, the ability to pivot and self-start work is an example of DeVito’s own inventiveness and enterprise.  So, he is being ingenious about how to continue to produce digital content.

Through the uncertainty and missed graduation experiences due to COVID-19, DeVito is grateful for the LaunchPad as a connected community.  He attributes it to being one of the first campus resources to adapt quickly to remote work and remain a source of support and inspiration for other students as well as himself.  “Being a senior, all of this has taken time to digest, but the LaunchPad has helped lighten that fall. It’s been a nice little parachute.”

Looking forward, DeVito is disappointed at the way graduating students have had to say goodbye to their campus communities, but he knows that the LaunchPad will always be a welcoming home for him even when his time at Syracuse is long past. “Even though I’m leaving feeling I have unfinished business, I know there is always a place to come back to when I’m at Syracuse.”

DeVito’s video tribute to the warm home that the LaunchPad has become for so many students is a testament to the welcoming, supporting, and loving close-knit network of the Blackstone LaunchPad.

You can find his other videos on the Blackstone LaunchPad video channel.

Though the LaunchPad is sad to say goodbye to our seniors, we know they are moving forward and writing incredible new chapters, and the “nest in Bird” is always a home for them to return, with roots and wings, to stay connected and share their triumphs.

And we hope Will comes home often.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Claire Howard Photo of Will behind the camera by LaunchPad staff behind the camera. Here’s looking at you, Will!

Victoria Lawson, ’20, is a proud new member of the Blackstone LaunchPad’s 2020 Founders Circle. Lawson graduated from the College of Visual and Performing Arts majoring in Industrial and Interactive Design and minored in Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise at the Whitman School of Management.

Quite honestly, there are not enough words in the English language to describe the wonderful friend, employee and supporter that Victoria Lawson effortlessly embodies. Her dedication to spreading positivity in all aspects of her life shaped her purpose to create inclusive and accessible designs that reflect her passion for service design work and helping others.

This mantra was not just used for a specific project or to even get through her arduous undergraduate degree; but is the way Victoria Lawson carries herself through life.

Lawson’s story of how she became involved with the LaunchPad speaks to her incredible empathetic capability to understand people, without judgment, and to help them without the expectation of receiving anything in return. A perfect example of this how Victoria met her boss at the LaunchPad.

During the first week of classes of her sophomore year of college, Lawson took a class taught by Linda Hartsock, the executive director of the Blackstone LaunchPad for her Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprise minor. On the first day of class, while going over the syllabus for the semester, Lawson witnessed her professor receive an emergency phone call that no mother ever wants to receive, about one of her children who was in imminent and grave danger.  Without hesitation, Lawson jumped into action and dismissed class. Although she had never met her professor before, she trusted her purpose in that indescribable situation and intervened.

“You got this,” Lawson affirmed to her professor, as she come to front of the room and stood by her side.

“Those three words saved me in that moment of crisis,” Hartsock vulnerably shared.

More than fortunately, at the time Lawson was a residence advisor at Lawrenson and went through comprehensive crisis management training. After dismissing the class, without missing a beat, she was able to pass on the skills she learned in training to a terrified mother in a dire situation. Lawson explains that her mantra positivity, purpose, patience and passion helped guide her and Hartsock through what could have been an even more excruciating outcome.

Hartsock personally experienced Lawson’s altruism and knew she wanted to keep an individual with that kind of compassion, purpose, positivity, and passion in her life forever. And, over the course of the semester, as Lawson emerged as a top entrepreneurial student with an amazing work ethic, creativity and innovative design skills, she also knew she wanted her to be part of the LaunchPad team.  Lawson’s “give-first” ethos was the perfect fit for the LaunchPad culture.

“She has the biggest heart and wisest soul of anyone I have ever met,” says Hartsock about Lawson.

Lawson put her amazing creativity and design skills to work as LaunchPad Global Media Fellow around the same time she founded Weird and Woke Design. While simultaneously working as a self-taught graphic designer for the LaunchPad; Lawson developed her passion and purpose for service design. Weird and Woke Design became her graphic and industrial design business. Originally, the brand was a clothing line where she sold space themed sneakers and t-shirts. She also put her skills to work for other student startups as a design consultant, helping them create brand identity elements from logos to marketing materials, product renderings and packaging, pitch decks, display signage and more.

Lawson remembers that at first, she did not have a lot of experience doing graphic design work. Remarkably, this did not stop her. Not only did Lawson accept the job at the LaunchPad, sticking to her mantra, Victoria made sure she stayed positive and patient while developing her graphic design portfolio while on the job. Her ability to comfortably put herself in a job opportunity where she did not have a lot of prior experience — other than growing up seeing her mom’s graphic design work — is a testament to her mantra.

It speaks to Lawson’s character that when she designs, she holds herself accountable to make renderings for products that are truly accessible for everybody. She has the patience to ensure that her designs are a true representation of her beliefs and mantra which makes her an extraordinary designer. When Lawson designs, each project showcases a different aspect of her mantra and that is what makes her work so uniquely special. It was a mindset that we saw every time she came to work and her company Weird and Woke Design truthfully reflects that.

Her positive attitude even transcended the LaunchPad on the first floor of Bird Library. Anyone who meets Victoria will immediately notice her grace and her dedication to her mantras in the way she treats everyone and the way she carries herself.

Simply put, since Lawson told Hartsock, “I am going to stand here with you” through a crisis, she become the heart and soul of the LaunchPad, working shoulder-to-shoulder with everyone she meets to exude calm and grace, and dispense wisdom.  She radiates sunshine, positivity and promise, each day, even in crisis. 

Victoria Lawson is an expert in service design and is looking for full-time employment as she moves back to her home base in the Los Angeles area.  The LaunchPad wants to help her connect, and encourages firms looking for incredible graphic or industrial design talent, to reach out to Victoria:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/victorialawson7

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Emma Rothman Photo supplied by Victoria Lawson

In the 1931 best seller, ‘Epic of America,’ James Truslow described America as “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement.” While Truslow’s book highlights the diverse history of America that has contributed to its status of ‘Land of opportunity’ until 1931, the theme of the book is relevant nearly 90 years later. A person who best exemplifies this is Hamza Hamid.

Hamid is a rising senior who is studying Finance at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management while pursuing a minor in Economics from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is also a junior analyst at the Orange Value Fund of Syracuse University as well as the President of the Pakistani Student Association.

Hamid moved to the United States in 2014.  “Before coming here, the only thing I knew about America was from the movies. It was a lot of Christmas time and snow,” he recalls. Indeed, when he arrived from Pakistan in February of 2014, the cold and frigid temperatures of New York were an unsettling change of pace from the weather back home. However, the weather was not the only thing that Hamid found to be a startling realization. “It was a completely different culture, different members of my family and I knew no one here.”

Adding to that, Hamid was also a stranger to the English language. “It was very difficult for me. Unlike now, I had trouble keeping up with everyone because everybody spoke quickly, and I had to resort to observing their hand movements to figure out what they were saying. At times, I had trouble asking them where the bathroom was.” Despite the language barrier, Hamid was committed to taking advantage of the American education system, which was the primary reason for his move. “I didn’t care if I pronounced a word wrong, I took risks and I kept raising my hand.” He put himself out there and with the support of his peers, he was able to get the most out of his education.

As a finance major at Syracuse University, Hamid is able to gain a deeper understanding of finance. “I first learned about stocks in the eleventh grade and I didn’t even know that stuff like asset management or sales and trading existed, or that they were so vital”. Hamid was fascinated by this revelation and has since been curious about financial services, from different types of bank loans to trades and real-world effects on the capital markets. He is also a financial coach in the Whitman school, which allows him to work with individuals who seek financial guidance. “I had no guidance when I first came here. Nobody in my family was a finance major,” he shares. As a financial coach, he hopes to provide that guidance to others who are in a similar position as he was. As a financial coach, he has worked with students interested in investing money to people with negative amounts in their checking accounts. As a junior analyst at OVF, he furthers his understanding of the financial industry, which he shares by ways of being a financial coach.

Hamid is also the president of the Pakistani Student Association. He started the organization during the fall of 2019. “ I remember when I first got here, I was able to meet people like me, Pakistani students who came from a similar background, but I know of so many others and international students, who either transferred or went back to Pakistan because they could not assimilate into the culture and felt out of place.” With the Pakistani student association, he aims to ease the transition of international students, particularly Pakistani students so the culture shock that many of them experience is controlled. Furthermore, Hamid hopes for this organization to be a place where members form a strong support system for a multitude of challenges like preparing for interviews or educating members of the SU community to Pakistani culture.

Hamid is an individual who has continuously found inventive and intellectual ways of sharing his knowledge and experience with those around him. As a driven and ambitious student, he has also carved a path for himself, especially when no one was around to guide him to do so. “It is so rewarding when I sit down with someone and coach them for interviews or application processes and they come back and tell me that they got the job!”

For Hamid, the promise of a better education introduced him to the American dream to which he has been committed ever since he arrived in Syracuse. But for him, the promise of a better life is not enough. As a member of a community, he understands the importance of it and knows how challenging it can be to look in from the outside. “I know how it feels to be alone and without guidance.” He hopes to be able to provide advice and guidance to anyone who needs it, because for him, a better life is one where everybody succeeds.

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Krishna Pamidi  Photo supplied

Ella Fitzgerald, the beloved jazz singer once said, “The only thing better than singing is more singing.”  While this is quote serves as a great memento to her 1992 Presidential Medal of Freedom, many of us must concede that we are not singing on a day to day basis. However, there is one individual who has found that singing helps him focus on the importance of community and how the Syracuse Oy Capella changed his college experience for the better.  John McCabe is a junior studying accounting at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and is also pursuing a minor in political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University.

He is also a member of the Syracuse University Oy Capella, a singing group specializing in a cappella music. He is also a campus tour guide with University 100, a brother of the Delta Sigma Pi business fraternity and a member of the Beta Alpha Psi accounting and finance honor society.  McCabe is an active and engaged member of the Syracuse community and he believes that the key to be an involved individual is to “continuously learn and connect with others around you.”

As a tour guide for the university, McCabe believes that he has a chance to truly influence prospective students and share his passion for the community. “When I was looking at schools, I would go on tours with these amazing tour guides and that sparked an interest in me.”

McCabe also believes that his personality makes him the ‘ideal’ tour guide. “It’s my personality to be loud and chatty and generally passionate. And that fit with being a tour guide.” More than sharing information about the university, McCabe also credits the role for allowing him to learn more about the university itself. “Like for example, there is a greenhouse on top of the life sciences building, which at first I thought was open to everybody. But it was only after I joined University 100 that I realized that that space is only open for certain research projects.”

McCabe enjoys learning tidbits like this because they make him a deeper part of the Syracuse university community. “Usually, when I get to the dome, I get particularly excited, because I was at the Clemson game with my family, and it is truly surreal when we beat. To be there, at that moment with not just my friends, but also my family was a truly amazing moment.”

He finds being a tour guide incredibly rewarding. “I love it when someone comes up to me and says I was their tour guide and that they are at Syracuse because of me.  That feeling is awesome.” He notes that not everybody has to go to the games to be a part of community, rather just learning more about the university also contributes to a feeling of belonging.

McCabe particularly feels the same as a member of the Syracuse Oy Cappella group. “Being a part of Oy Cappella is something that has totally enriched my college experience and I wouldn’t have done college any other way.” McCabe first discovered the group when he was a prospective student who was interviewed by a Syracuse University. “The person that was interviewing me, went on and on about the musical and a cappella community and that piqued my interest.” McCabe interviewed the spring semester of his freshman year and never looked back.

“All of the intergroup support is strong. There are some hard-working and passionate people who are in the group and even if do not all perform at the same time, we all go to each other’s concerts.” McCabe points out that he spends a large majority of his time with his fellow singers and that speaks to the strong communal sense that exists.

McCabe is also a member of the Beta Alpha Psi (BAP) Accounting and Finance honor society. At BAP, McCabe notes how a community can foster opportunities for its members. He notes that being a part of BAP, allows him and develop professional relationships with public accounting firms like EY, KPMG etc. through various events that it hosts. Here, he shares that a personal relationship with recruiters and other professionals allowed him to form genuine relationships with mentors and peers. These relationships were instrumental in helping him prep for interviews and other networking events, often where it would be the same recruiters who he already knew from the networking events, who would conduct the interviews. Aside from helping him professionally, BAP also engages in the Whit Tax. “Whit Tax is a program where BAP students help with tax returns for people who otherwise don’t know how to do so or can’t.”

It is a rare enough thing, when the expression ‘school spirit’ is anything more than one game, or a week. For John McCabe, school spirit extends far beyond that. It is being able to share the Syracuse pride to others, celebrating a win in full ‘Cuse pride with fellow friends and family and helping out members of the community file their tax returns. For McCabe, the only thing better than singing is being an active part of the Syracuse University community and forming close relationships with fellow ‘Cusians, along with singing.  

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Krishna Pamidi  Photo supplied

There are traditions and cultural practices that have become sacred to people throughout our existence. Music, art and sports have all been the cornerstones of some of the most successful civilizations in history. One of these includes sports betting. The Ancient Romans used to bet on gladiators during the Colosseum fights, similar to how Americans have wagered on prominent baseball teams and players since the late 1800’s.  This practice allowed people throughout history to enjoy sports in an entirely new and heightened way by increasing their stake in the sports most beloved to them. While gambling and betting has been largely regulated in contemporary history, a Syracuse University graduate is introducing an entirely new way to interact with sports.

Daniel Zimmermann ‘20 holds a degree in Sports Management from the David B. Falk College of Sport & Human Dynamics with a minor in Information Management & Technology from the School of Information Studies. Zimmermann is also co-founder of Verse, a social media and peer to peer marketplace for bets based on the results of sports and other events. Powered by smart contracts on the blockchain, Verse users can place bets against other users on the platform.  It is a product that successfully mediates effective betting transactions between users without the need for a ‘house.’ The founders came up with ‘Verse’ after observing the attitude towards betting that college students adopted. “The way offline betting works right now is through a bookie, or peer to peer through Venmo,” says Zimmerman. “A bookie can just be someone with enough cash to pay out people’s winnings. Effectively, Verse allows users to be their own bookie, and allows anyone to facilitate wagers, allowing you to serve as a bookie on the platform if you so choose.” It is all in the in the spirit of friendly competition. 

Zimmermann grew up in London, where he went to an international high school. “In England betting was legal and there was a bet shop everywhere.  I came here and people had bookies and commercial gambling was largely illegal.” However, the restrictions were soon to be lifted. In 2018, the Supreme Court struck down a 1992 law, PASPA, that initially prohibited commercial sports betting in most states in the United States. With the law repealed, the Supreme Court gave the states the individual option to legalize commercial gambling and paved the way for an entirely new Industry, that of the online sports betting platforms. Zimmermann and his team soon took advantage of this ruling and started Verse in October of 2018. He partnered with his roommate David Rosen, and together they developed an alpha version of the product for initial testing starting this month.

The initial version of the app is focused on the core functionalities of the product, which required extensive development from the team. “My roommate actually stayed up coding for 12 hours a day for five days to develop the working prototype.” The core purpose of Verse is to provide an online platform for betting of any kind and reducing a central ‘bookie’ or a ‘house’ figure from the process. “You can send a bet to a friend or to an entire network. When they accept and bet in the opposite direction, Verse pairs you up and the bet is live.”

The app uses its own form of cryptocurrency to facilitate bets on the platform. This currency, called VerseCoin, are used to represent real monetary values and hold a 1-1 ratio with the U.S. Dollar. This effectively allows people to bet with the equivalent of real money. More than just sports betting, Zimmermann sees a bright future for the platform. “We intend to offer sports, politics and current affairs for betting.” Once the mechanics of betting are sorted, the platform will be able to support pop culture bets.

“Assuming Game of Thrones would still be on, users could bet on questions.  Is Jon Snow going be alive by the end of the season? Who will Sit on the Iron Throne? These are things you and your friends already talk about. Why not throw a friendly wager on the show to keep you engaged?” asks Zimmermann.

Over the next two years, Zimmerman and the team expect to initiate partnerships with brands like Microsoft and others for bets and expansion into E-Sports and Pool Betting. “As long as a result is electronically verifiable, users can bet on anything and we want to facilitate that.”

 Verse is the result of many brilliant minds and hard-working people. One of those brilliant minds is David Rosen who Zimmerman refers to as being one of the instrumental figures who helped develop the technology behind the platform.

Another resource that Zimmerman is thankful for is the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by TechStars. “The LaunchPad provides one-on-one tailor-made advice for different businesses, instead of the cookie cutter advices that other incubators provide,” he notes. At the LaunchPad, Zimmerman was able to gain advice from experienced individuals as well as lawyers, accountants and finance and regulatory experts on how to make the product viable and navigate the regulatory environment.

Just as watching sports, enjoying art, and listening to music has shaped the human experience, gambling has also arguably done the same.  With Verse, team is confident that this contemporary mode of interaction will revolutionize the friendly sport of wagering.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Krishna Pamidi Photo supplied