“If I had to point out one thing that stands out about David Fox, it’s his energy,” says Jalen Nash, who works with David in many student organizations.  “I remember one meeting we had together for one of our student groups. In this particular meeting, our peers were complaining about a lack of dedication and attendance. They were blaming students, blaming the new rules, and blaming each other for at least 30 minutes.”  That’s when Dave took control. “It doesn’t matter whose fault it is. What does matter is that we’re the leaders of the organizations, so it is our responsibility to make things right moving forward,” Jalen recalls David saying.  “In that moment, I saw who Dave is: a leader, a visionary, and someone who will always keep moving forward.”

That sums up David, says Jalen.  As David is fond of saying,  “I understand that my role isn’t to be the best person in that room. It’s to be the one who makes everybody else better.”

Interview by Jalen Nash:

Jalen: Tell me about your childhood.

David: I grew up in Jackson, New Jersey, a pretty rural area, so I spent most my childhood playing sports. I kind of just had a normal childhood. A lot of outdoor stuff, wasn’t much of an inside kid. You know, going outside, playing football, riding bikes around the neighborhood, stuff like that.

Jalen: So with that outdoors background, how do you start to develop your interest in “indoor industries” like technology and web design?

David: It’s interesting. I was an outdoor kid but I just always gravitated towards technology. I think the biggest advantage I got from being outside was in a lot of the sports I played. I learned how to work on teams early, and I inevitably became a team leader.

So when I moved to getting jobs and starting to figure out what I want to do in life, being able to find myself in a leadership position, in technology, has always been that dream for me.

I’ve taken steps towards achieving that, trying to combine something that I love with my own attitude and demeanor. I love to take the lead on things and be the person pushing the edge and going forward.

Jalen: Do you remember the first computer you ever got?

David: I remember the family computer which was this big, white, dinosaur computer.  That thing was amazing. But once me and my brothers started filling it up with viruses, we started getting laptops individually.

I bought my first laptop in high school with money from bussing tables at a pizza place. I just saved up five or six hundred dollars and I bought myself a laptop.

 Jalen: And was that laptop your introduction into technology?

 David: No, actually.

I started really getting into technology when I was about 14 because of smartphones. I went from my Samsung Galaxy S3 to the Samsung Galaxy S4, which was such a jump-up technology wise. This new phone was significantly faster, cleaner, better… that’s when I start to worry about processors, manufacturing of technology and how the trends are shaping the industry. I fell in love with the idea of how fast-paced and innovative the technology sector was becoming.

Jalen: So with that early love starting in high school, why did you decide to go Syracuse University?  

David: Interestingly enough, I didn’t come to SU as an IT major. I came here as an entrepreneurship major in Whitman, but quickly rediscovered my love for technology, and decided to follow that passion.

Jalen: That makes a lot of sense. So talk about that switch then, from entrepreneurship to IT.

David: The switch helped me take what I learned in the entrepreneurship major that was useful, and apply it to innovation. I’m very forward thinking, so to learn more efficiently. I wanted to learn how to think like an entrepreneur and innovator, and actually use the knowledge not just to support a startup, but to actually create my own idea and move forward with it. That’s why I moved to technology, because technology is on the forefront of innovation. Being surrounded by that level of forward thinking and innovativeness drives me.

Having that environment around is the key differentiator in your approach and the way you think.

Jalen: You’ve gotten involved in a many extra-curriculars on campus. Student Association and Blackstone LaunchPad, to name a few. Why are you so involved in campus, and to how do you think these experiences have helped you develop as an innovator, leader and entrepreneur?

David: I love this school with all my heart. It may frustrate me at times, especially recently, but I love SU with all my heart, so I want to get as involved as possible. This was the first year that I took the reins in a lot of positions, but most of my love for the school came from experiences I’ve had, especially here at the Blackstone LaunchPad.

In terms of developing as an entrepreneur, two years ago, I didn’t know a quarter of the things that I know now. And that’s just from being around people who were doing it every day. The little things that you can’t learn in the classroom, I learned everyday just by being in this environment.

In terms of leadership, I’ve learned that it’s key to learn from those around me. Learn from the people who are delegating tasks and figure out how to run an efficient organization. I take all the lessons I’ve learned through these positions and apply them to my future.

Jalen: So considering how these experiences have developed you, how do you think these organizations benefit from your expertise and leadership?

 David: I’m a huge people person. I love people. That is the reason why I like being in leadership positions. But it’s not all about what you know or how much you know, it’s about how you can use the information to better the team around you.

Being a good team member is not based on intelligence, but how you’re able to use information given to you. That’s what being in a leadership position has taught me over these past three to four years… you’re only as good as your weakest link.

So if you’re a leader who’s saying to your team, “we need to do this,” then you have to be willing to do it. You’ve got to have communication and you’ve got to constantly be aware of what’s going on.

I understand that my role isn’t to be the best person in that room, it’s to be the one who makes everybody else better. That’s something you learn by being in leadership roles and understanding your position. As a leader that’s just one key thing that you really need to be consistent with.

Jalen: If you could sum up everything you’ve learned in leadership with one key story.

David: When I was in high school, I was the president of the “Key Club”. It was a big volunteer organization. I took the role as president during my junior year when it was a 26-member club. Within six months it had grown to 250 members.

There was one moment where I stood up on a stage for one of our meetings, looked out and there were 250 people all waiting to hear what I had to say. When I saw that, I was like, “Wow, I can really do something. I just took this organization tenfold and they’re all looking to me to figure out the next step.”

There are so many more steps to being a leader than people understand. It’s not just be good at something. And I think that first moment looking at that audience was where I realized I’m not just doing this because I’m the best person, I’m doing it because I want everyone else in this room to do better than me. That’s where the real leadership moment kicked in. I think it’s a lesson that everybody should learn eventually.

Jalen: And does all this pressure of being a leader scare you or does it excite you?

David: It excites me. I love that. I love when people have faith in me but I also love being able to put that trust in people.

Jalen: And how would you describe your leadership style?

David: To show you the right direction, to not just be that person that’s in charge, but rather the person that wants to work with you most. That’s what matters most to me. That’s what I’ve always been a part of. I want to get to know you. I want to know what you want to do, what you’ve been doing and how we can improve yourself and this organization along with it.

Jalen: So what are three primary goals you have for your future?

 David: So, number one, I want to start my own business and sell it for a profit.

I’m working on a business right now, called “Justin Case” and the goal of it is having accessories for when you need the most. Our initial product will be called “The Wingman,” which is a portable case for men that carries essential toiletries like hairspray and mouthwash — just essentials you need throughout the day.

Two is to have a nice, loving family. That’s for sure.

And three, I hope to be eventually become President of the United States. When I look out, I see the people that are making a difference in the community. I think we just need more progressive people in our country and our government. When we start talking to entrepreneurs and innovators, people who are looking ahead not just by guessing but using physical data to prove what the future will hold. We need those people who are going out, talking to the people, collecting that data and using it to make the right decisions for the country.

 Jalen: So when it’s all said and done, how do you want to be remembered?

 David: I want to be remembered as somebody who continually empowered other people to better themselves. I can be the best person I can be, and try to prove that every day. I can leave memoirs and autobiographies about myself, but at the end of the day, I don’t want any of that if it didn’t make another person’s life better.

If you’re not doing better than me, that means I’ve failed you. That’s the way I look at it. If I’m not making someone better than myself or at least actively trying to, then I’m being lazy and not playing my role in society.

I may end the day and be absolutely exhausted, but ultimately, I’ll lay in bed knowing that I made at least one or two people’s lives better today. That’s all I really need to get up the next day.

If you can’t find Josh Jackson at the gym or with his Siberian Husky, Juneau, you can find him in the Blackstone LaunchPad working on his company, Promptous, a blockchain based dental benefits technology platform that can streamline financial and operational inefficiencies in the current dental insurance industry for dental providers, patients, and employer organizations. Josh’s platform has already gained significant attention in the industry, and he is piloting it with one of the largest insurance groups in the Northeast.  Together, they are testing the platform developed with his talented team, that allows employers to easily transact claims, payments, and service records with dental providers without the need for a third-party benefits administrator or an insurance carrier.

A 2017 graduate of the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs with a degree in International Relations, Josh decided to pursue his love for technology with a masters in information management in the School of Information Studies, graduating this spring.

After some time working for a startup, park.com, he discovered for his passion for bringing products to market and working in the startup space. While pursuing his masters he took a class on systems analysis and design, which focused on users and how a system must function to meet their needs.  That expertise, along with  blockchain skillls he developed through another iSchool class, helped him see the lack of innovation in a sector he had spent years working in, the dental industry.  This led him to build Promptous.

• Promptous addresses three major problems and inefficiencies in the dental insurance industry:
  High annual costs that are associated with outsourcing dental benefits to insurance carriers, which are often are 35% more than the cost of self-funding benefits.
• Uncertaintity about costs, which often end up being adjudicated based on fees dictated by the carrier, not the actual fees charged by a practitioner.
• Slow reimbursement, which frequently take weeks for an insurance carrier to deliver payment to practitioners, with patients often receiving additional bills long after the service in question occurred.

Promptous developed user-based applications for employers and patients through a platfomr that integrates with existing dental practice management software, and is powered by ACH payment, smart contracts, and blockchain.  The application automates claims validation and payout to dental providers, and give patients pre-procedure cost estimates that allow them to verify and approve in advance of dental work.

Promptous has found enthusiastic support from dental providers and small businesses, especially those that offer fully-insured dental benefits plans.  They are very receptive to a user friendly platform that can help get providers paid in full, eliminate claim denial and unsatisfactory claim payment, and prevent costly legal disputes. Employers are especially keen on saving 35% in annual dental benefits expenditures, along with Promptous data privacy and integrity through blockchain technology.

While the concept can be be applied to various health care providers, Promptous is focusing first on the dental industry, specifically because of Josh’s seven years of experience in the industry and the access to the market through his father who is a dentist in Long Island, where Josh grew up.

Josh says the LaunchPad has taught him to be really involved in the customer discovery process. “Anyone can have a good idea but it’s important that your reality is in sync with your users,” he says. He believes the reason so many startups fail is because they don’t understand their customers enough.

What does the future hold for Promptous and Josh? He will continue to serve as the CEO after graduation May, and plans to grow the company. Josh says he isn’t afraid to fail because he knows “entrepreneurship is about managing risk,” and for him “there is “no half doing this.  I’m all in.”

Josh has built and incredible team of experts to help him along the journey, from full stack developers to subject matter experts and industry partners.  He has won business plan competitions along the way, and has first customers in sight.  He is out raising early stage investment, and his intellect and drive will serve him well on his journey.  There is no doubt that Promptous has the potential to be a game changer in the dental insurance sector.

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Audrey Miller

Spend only a few minutes with Geena Matuson, and you can tell she is a powerful and creative person. Originally from a small town outside of Boston, MA, she is a graduate student working towards her M.A. in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications as part of the Goldring Arts Journalism program, the first arts journalism master’s degree program at an accredited journalism school. Prior to Syracuse, Geena received her BFA in Film/Video at Massachusetts College of Art & Design, a focus on pre-production, writing, and directing. There, she realized her passion for marketing and advertising, and went on to receive certificates of specialization in Business Analytics from Wharton online, and in Digital Marketing from General Assembly.

Geena has said that it’s funny, “most parents push their kids to go to law school, or medical school — mine pushed me into art school.” Growing up, Geena’s parents always encouraged her to pursue a creative path and, while she has always loved the arts, she finds joy in organization and sharing information on an “endless search for truth.” She was already enrolled in art school when she had this revelation, and her love of writing is what originally brought her to the film major. She uses her work as a way to explore her personal truths while sharing this work, both internal and external, with others. This lead her to self-publication of her first book “Dadalectic: Waking Dream” described as “a dadaist collection of poetic stories and  dreamy artworks.”

Geena embodies the entrepreneurial spirit with her various talents and skills. When her film work isn’t being featured in festivals, her artwork as ‘The Girl Mirage‘ hanging in galleries and printed in arts publications, Geena is working to launch her own business — Art Inspires You — an online platform that helps provide a “digital community and services to artists.” The venture helps artists create their personal brands and to establish a presence in the digital space, as well as develop new audiences, reach a broader customer base, and drive personal sales — and growth. Geena has spent a lifetime working with artists and creatives, and she wants to help others achieve their personal goals and ideas of “success,” helping them on their own journeys. The idea originated as a concept for a subscription-based arts magazine, and evolved after extensive research and as competitor in the Impact Prize last November.

The word “entrepreneur” was never one that passed through Geena’s mind. Looking back, however, she realizes she’s been an entrepreneur all along: driven, motivated, creative, with the ability to think in new ways and see from different perspectives. She loves to take things apart and rebuild them, optimizing and making things more efficient.

Going forward, Geena will work to launch her personal website at geenamatuson.com, where her writing will take focus as she shares stories of communication, art and technology. She also plans to officially launch the Art Inspires You website, write a book, expand on a podcast, create an online course and more.

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Audrey Miller

Zeus Rocancourt is a fun loving, creative, senior in the Whitman School of Management from Manhattan studying Entrepreneurship and Fashion Merchandising (Retail Management).  He loves basketball and coming out of high school, was determined to play in college. His love for the sport was a driving factor in his decision to come to Syracuse University. He became a student manager for the basketball team his freshman year, and while he did not stay with that position, he rediscovered another love — reading.  His favorite book is Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell but he was also strongly influenced by 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan B. Peterson and The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham.

Before coming to Syracuse, Zeus pursued a modeling career. While taking an acting class, he was brought to a small agency where he landed a big Gap campaign and was eventually scouted by Wilhelmina. From there he did campaigns for Y-3, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY, Kate Spade, Ralph Lauren, and Abercrombie. He was even in a few commercials, as well as the “Written in the Stars” music video by Tinie Tempah.  Zeus’s time as a model really sparked his love of fashion. He draws a lot of inspiration from artists like A$AP Rocky who he calls “an ultimate creative.” He even dreams of creating his own high end fashion company one day.

Zeus’s fashion inspiration may come from A$AP Rocky, but he says his entrepreneurial spirit and his creativity come from his mom. His mom was an actress, model, and artist and still embraces the creativity that comes with all of those fields. He says that his mindset of “just be happy and the money will come” was something he had learned from her.

Aside from preparing to graduate this May, Zeus is also working hard on a hospitality company. The goal is to create an experience for groups looking to have fun in New York City and Miami. The group that is currently unnamed, works with clubs, artists, various venues, and restaurants to create long and short term contracts to bring their customers there for an amazing night. Zeus says he really wants to make it so those who are new to a city, really feel they can trust them to guarantee a private, safe and enjoyable experience.

Zeus and his team throw and plan their own parties. They have worked under contract for artists like A$AP Rocky, Travis Scott, and Playboi Carti. Their head DJ has engineered and produced songs for people like Jay Critch, Rich the Kid. They worked as small partners on events with those artists to sell tickets and promote album release parties at popular venues. Zeus says “it’s a matter of putting all the pieces together to build that entertainment empire and finding people to grow with us.”

This passion for event planning didn’t come from nowhere. Before Zeus even came to Syracuse, he worked to throw similar events in New York. When he was 16 he rented out a venue in ChinaTown with his best friend. They presold tickets, booked the DJ, did the lights and fully marketed it themselves and turned a small profit.

What’s next for Zeus? He would love to love to sign with a men’s agency soon to help build his company.  “Models are a huge part of the industry and it’ll create a new branch for VIP dinners and events like that.” Along with continuing to build and expand his company, Zeus hopes to do lots of traveling in the future. But for now, his only official plan for after graduation “is to be happy.”

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Audrey Miller

Photo by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Emily Pearson

Alden Morris ‘18, is an alumnus of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry with a degree in Landscape Architecture and a focus on transportation networks.  He had an eventful senior year, which included living abroad in Europe for seven months, an experience that included leasing out a BMW and eating grapes all day in the countryside of Portugal for his honor thesis. This led to an appreciation for the wine, brewing and distillery industry. Since graduation, Morris has been involved with several, including the distillery company 1911. He currently is working with a hops farm on their marketing strategies, hoping to become an equity owner within the next year,  and simultaneously starting his own company that provides marketing services to small and medium sized breweries. His vision is traveling the world from the value of the various business he’s started, and he’s on his way by launching his first venture.

One can sense that Alden is a person with a lot of energy, vision, and the confidence needed to create and succeed. In explaining where this enthusiasm stems from, the Lansing, New York native shares his transformative experience in college, how he went from a quiet individual in high school to an outgoing, social person in college. “I knew social people tended to get further ahead. My senior year of high school, I went from not talking to people to joining the varsity football and swim team, and I saw the difference between being more reserved and putting yourself out there.” His backstory reveals a whole set of obstacles Alden has overcome, how financial instability had shaped him, and planted this drive for success within him. “I’ve always felts as if I was behind the curve, as if I always had to catch up. Insecurity drives me, but in the sense of when I get comfortable. I don’t like being stagnant. I do well under pressure, and I know I can always be doing more.” But Alden is also aware about how constantly putting himself into overdrive can be a drawback when he says, “I know it’s not all healthy because I’m always burning myself out” — a common trait shared by many driven entrepreneurs.

When asked about role models, he responds, “I’m not crazy about the idea of idolizing a single person to be honest. That being said, I have a lot of respect and admiration for Maria Rose Belding and her work with Means Database, which connects people with excess food to people with the lack of food in an efficient and doable manner.” He met her a few years ago for at an international food prize competition where he was competing. To see her follow her passion for helping people and how her whole concept skyrocketed really motivates him to get to a place in his life where he can also pursue and tackle problems that are important to him.

“I’d like to help kids find opportunities in life,” he says about his interest in impact entrepreneurship. “I didn’t have the best guidance when it came to education, and I didn’t even have support from friends for a large majority of my life. I got lucky because a few of my teachers believed in me, but I know I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t had their guidance. I want to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities to get ahead in life.”

Alden is passionate about the revolutionizing the current education system, focusing on experiential learning rather than fitting into one mold.  He has learned that this form of education, like entrepreneurship, is more adaptive and unique to each person who follows that path. He was never a fan of the rigid structure of the current education system because he doesn’t think it values out-of-the-box thinking.

His ability to see the world as an adventure and his non-conformity to structure is what sets Alden apart. That, and his very fine distillery skills.

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Bridget McDonnough ’19

Photo by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Emily Pearson ’21

A fine artist, painter, and Los Angeles native, Jessica McGhee ’19, is a College of Visual and Performing Arts major specializing in studio arts who is trying to create spaces that allow those who have experienced trauma to find community using art. After living through trauma, McGhee became intrigued by how others cope with it. “I used, and still use, art to cope and synthesize,” McGhee noted, “Art is very healing oriented.”

As someone who loved art growing up, and there was never any doubt she would be doing it into her adulthood.  McGhee notes how much her art has given her catharsis. “I knew I wanted to help people, but I didn’t know how,” McGhee said.  Her own experiences inspired her first steps towards entrepreneurship, along with research, and taking an Introduction to Entrepreneurship Course, EEE370.  McGhee found that art therapy, meditation, and nature help to heal trauma, forming the basis for her venture, SOAR.

SOAR is a vision for a diverse sanctuary for people who are dealing with different forms of trauma and mental illness to build community. The mission statement is “to aid catharsis via alternative healing platforms for the many PTSD and C-PTSD Survivors in and around the Greater Syracuse area.” McGhee plans on opening two spaces where survivors can interact and engage with each other: one in downtown Syracuse, and the other in nature in the Upstate NY region. The downtown center will offer an accessibly community center that features talk therapy offices, a yoga and meditation studio, an art studio, and group meeting rooms. The second site, somewhere in a rural setting in nature, will offer housing for various lengths of stay for participants, along with meals shared at the same table. The most important component will be that they will be safe spaces for all who decide to come.

McGhee envisions her future foptimistically.  She sees herself as a CEO, and also engaged as an art teacher and art therapist.  She looks forward team members. “We need to rely on other’s experiences to deliver a fair, safe, diverse, and most importantly, non-biased experience.”

McGhee is both an innovator and an entrepreneur, although she says, “I was born an innovator, and I am learning how to be an entrepreneur – an artist is an innovator, creating things from trash or from nothing at all.”

The next steps for McGhee include grant writing to help make SOAR a reality, finishing her thesis and graduating with a BFA from VPA this semester. In the meantime, you can see McGhee’s work at the Westcott Art Center, or find her working in an art studio on an idea to help others reach their “own highest good.”

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Watson Scholar Kayla Simon ’19

Photo by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Emily Pearson ’21

Jose Javier Garcia Rovira ‘19 is a finance major at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and working on his latest venture — one that that is bound to shake up the gaming industry.  Called Gamer Craft, it is a coaching and gaming analytics platform meant to propel a gamer to the next professional level. “E-sports are filling up stadiums with people each month but people don’t recognize it as a sport,” says Jose.

He believes that if e-sports competitors are to be officially recognized as athletes, they will need professional coaching and tools available to other athletes, which is where Gamer Craft comes in. “For example,” he notes, “if a 12 year-old wants to become a professional NBA player, he would have access to coaches, summer camps, and other resources to help him them develop skills. E-sport players don’t have that as of now.  They train by watching other players on YouTube, which is time consuming and not personalized.”  Jose has developed an more effective and efficient way that also optimizes time.

Jose spends up to eight hours a day outside of class working on his start-up, and he loves it. “E-sports is an uncharted territory.  There are so many things you can do as of now, making it a very dynamic environment that is always evolving,” he explains. “It’s very rare to see a sport emerge, and the cool thing about e-sports is that it is evolving, which offers the opportunity to shape it, which is what my partner and I hope to do. We want to make the industry better and more accessible to the user.”

He doesn’t only mean accessible in the context of “having access to strategic insight to become a better player,” but also about expanding the playing field to other groups like women. “Interestingly enough,” he says, “45% of PC gamers are women, but while the best competitive e-sport players can win up to two million dollars, women can only typically win up to two hundred thousand dollars. That’s a big disparity.”

When asked if he has advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs, he says, “Just start it. Acting is breaking the inertia. I didn’t know much about software as a service before I started Gamer Craft, but I’ve learned so much about it in the past few months, things I’d never even think I’d learn about. There’s something magical in beginning something. Those actions will lead you to other actions.”

The Venezuelan native reads about 50 books a year, dedicating at least an hour per day to reading. “I’m a bookworm,” he confesses, as he smiles.  He reads all genres, ranging from the classics, to politics, to his current interest: human anatomy and mind. One can tell that Jose values the power of knowledge and that he likes to keep himself informed with current issues. “We live in interesting times and I want to be included in some of the most pressing issues humanity faces right now such as climate change, Amazonian wildlife protection, income equality, and more. I want to change the world but always in a creative way related to business. I don’t think I’ll ever retire actually, especially if I’m working on something that I’m passionate about.”

Jose’s venture perspective and vision is always focused on what a better world looks like.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Bridget McDonough ’19

Phil McKnight, a junior studying Information Management at the School of Information Studies, is working on a big idea:  Promptous, a student startup building a blockchain insurance claims processing platform, which aspires to disrupt the insurance industry. Phil is VP of Business Strategy for Promptous, and a blockchain expert who can explain the technology in simple, easy to understand terms.  “Rather than having a central authority like a bank managing information sent across a network, everyone is sharing the same data in a way that generates a ripple effect if someone makes a change. Everyone then gets notified of that change which leads to communal fact-checking. Storing and distributing information in this way greatly simplifies business processes, and has a lot of disruptive potential – especially in the insurance industry.”

Phil, along with grad student Josh Jackson who founded Promptous, realized this is especially applicable when it comes to the dental industry. Phil agrees that the current dental industry is quite inefficient, where it can take up to six weeks for practitioners to get paid — assuming an insurance company even approves a patient’s procedure. Insurance companies currently hold most of the power in determining when and how and how much practitioners are paid, and that can largely depend on a practitioner’s location. Promptous offers an alternative by making the whole process more transparent, giving both the practitioner and the patient have a clearer understanding about payment for services, leaving less leeway for unfair practices. Phil is helping facilitate Promptous’ entrance into the market by connecting the company with partners and clients – a critical responsibility in determining the success of the venture.

Phil comes from a family of entrepreneurs, and it is hardwired in his DNA.  Promptous is only one of several ventures he has been involved with. Last fall, Phil was confronted with a difficult choice which to make that most students aren’t confronted with. “I had to make a decision between going to Costa Rica to see a major potential partnership come together, and possibly even meet the country’s President, or stay in Syracuse to take my finals,” he recalls. He had connected Imcon International — a company he worked with that developed the Internet Backpack — with Dr. Alvaro Salas-Castro, the CEO of the Democracy Lab, which seeks to better equip Latin Americans with the knowledge they need to participate in their own governance. The partnership meeting was scheduled to occur just as finals week was kicking off.  While he was unable to go, he was proud when Imcon entered into a partnership with the Democracy Lab to “work with the Government of Costa Rica and non-governmental organizations to bring internet connectivity to indigenous and other underserved, remote populations of the country.” Phil cites fostering this partnership as one of his biggest achievements, and uses it as an example of how much can be accomplished through simple connections.

Phil elaborates on the importance of connections.  “They’re absolutely critical, and the good thing about them is that if you don’t have them, you can get them.” When asked if he has advice for people who want to make more connections,” he says, “The LaunchPad provides a lot of connections, but like anywhere, it starts with an entrepreneur asking important questions such ‘who do I need to talk to, what do I need to know, and where can I find people who can help me with the important first discovery?’” He adds the professional conferences are also great for connecting, and recommends talking to people through ”warm channels” where there is a mutual connection prior to meeting someone new.  He recommends LinkedIn as a strategic way to meet people outside of a small circle of immediate connections. “Building relationships with new connections is just as important as making the connection.”  He suggests, “Try to find areas of common interests or find out what people are passionate about, what they do, why they do it, and what they’re trying to do with it. If you can help people connect, do it. It leaves an impression.”

Phil looks forward to helping grow Promptous to the next stage.  “There’s a lot of potential here, with the possibility of evolving the American insurance industry. I hope it’s disruptive.” He also mentions that he’d like to potentially work in consulting at some point and get involved with the advancement of democracy, helping it become more inclusive and representative of the people governed by it.

Phil has a gift of seeing a vision and helping it actualize.  That’s the hallmark of a disruptive innovator.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Bridget Mcdonough ’19

Photo by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Emily Pearson ’21

Cole Singer is an ambitious senior, majoring in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises, and marketing, at the Whitman School of Management. Cole has always had a knack for starting businesses and being the catalyst for their growth. He also assumed the role of president at the Entrepreneurship Club on campus in the past year. He is an opportunist, from being the one to spot a trend to being the first to capitalize on them, Cole has done it all.

Cole has had a very interesting childhood. Not only has he lived in multiple cities but also has started businesses in each one of them. He was meant to be an entrepreneur at a young age. Cole grew up in an entrepreneurial household. His father, to whom Cole owes a lot of his success to, had his own telemarketing company, which was one of the largest of its that time (reallybig.com). Among his other ventures were a few salons, of which Cole was an active part of, and finding ways to improve operations and efficiency. His mom on the other had conquered Wall Street and was his “official bank.” She was one of the very few females who worked in finance at that time, shattering stereotypes. It is safe to say that his family’s success positively affected Cole in making him the exceptional entrepreneur he is today. “The combination of an entrepreneur and a finance person, the balance of ‘entrepreneurs don’t have any limits’ for the most part, and the boundaries of finance, was just really fortunate.”

Cole’s first affair with entrepreneurship started when he was 7, being heavily invested in a popular children’s game called Club Penguin, he saw an opportunity to start a blog. Going from no traffic at all to being the 33rd most trafficked website on the WordPress platform, he learnt a great deal from this venture. Having no concept of money at age 7, Cole later realized the monetary potential his website had. However, learning the art of communication and networking was more valuable to him. Some of Cole’s other ventures include a water stand on his street, a bookmark seller, barterer of snacks for money and more. “I enjoy the process of selling to people”

Singer believes that all of these ventures taught him the importance of building on ideas and leveraging the resources you have. “I have never used my own money,” Singer said. Being a researcher at heart, he is very data driven, which was one of the major driving forces behind the success of his ventures.

Cole is known for telling the bad side of stories, calling himself a “stoic,” he says he is not afraid to fail. He talks about the times where his shoe company – Kicktrades, wasn’t making money. He lost money three weeks in a row, this however did not stop him. This was an opportunity for him to show his quintessential entrepreneurial side, and innovate. His effective use of bots and help from his friends, he learned how to organically grow his business. “All my friends were working for Wendy’s or McDonald’s, and I worked from my room over the weekend,”

“The only reason businesses fail is because the entrepreneur gives up,” Cole was not about to capitulate to that pressure. “I was willing to be reprimanded from my teachers if was going to make $250 every 10 minutes.”

Cole believes that with simple methods and witty implementation, anyone can grow their business and make it succeed. His inter-connection of various start-up inculcated an attitude of buoyancy, where he didn’t get emotionally attached to a company and was ready to start the next one if something didn’t work out, embodying the true entrepreneurial spirit. “The only difference between me and other students/entrepreneurs is that I do stuff.”

Cole now keeps himself occupied with his up and coming startup — roundtrip.co and his role at Tenzo Tea. Roundtrip is a website that brings data transparency to the consumer. “It is a travel data website that won’t break people’s bank.” On top of working on his new business idea, Cole also works as an e-commerce growth strategist at Tenzo Tea. This job didn’t come to him in a traditional way. At first, he reached out to the co-founders of Tenzo in the form of an opportunity pitch. From that initial pitch, Cole eventually became an intern, and then a part-time employee on Tenzo’s team, which opened a door to many new connections in the start-up realm.

From Cole’s years of experience, his advice to future entrepreneurs is to “mitigate annoyance, and monetize it… try things during the four or five years you’re in college because there’s literally no risk if you fail.”

Story by Nikita Kuckian Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellow and President of the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Club.  

Photo by Emily Pearson ‘21

Industrial and interaction design major, and New Jersey native Alec Gillinder ’20, grew up with a passion for taking things apart, figuring out how they work, and putting them back together again. This led to Gillinder’s decision to brand his career as a bridge to the gap between engineering and industrial design, making new innovations that are user centered.

When Gillinder met with Quinn King ’20, the two quickly became close friends, but it wasn’t until 2018 when the pair were participants in the Invent@SU Invention Accelerator Program where they realized that they would go onto to become co-inventors and business partners. Gillinder and King invented L-IV, or Liberating Intravenous, a portable alternative to the standard IV treatment. L-IV is a portable and adjustable IV treatment option that produces the same mass flow rate as the standard IV. An invention that focuses on solving the pain point of limitations within IV treatment while improving quality of life for those undergoing these treatments, the pair began thinking about the user experience when innovating medical devices.

This led to the creation of their entity, MedUX LLC, which aims to “create innovative medical products through user-centered design.” After winning Invent@SU and most recently ‘Cuse Tank, they’ve had their fair share of successes, and are ready for the challenges to come. In fact, the team with MedUX has a full plate, with next steps being a Non-Provisional Patent Application, an FDA landscape, and the first round of manufacturing all coming soon. Along with all of this work, Gillinder and King were recently named semi-finalists for the SU ACC InVenture Prize competition on February 22.

Despite all of the work, there are plenty of fun memories the pair share. One of Gillinder’s favorite memories from the past year includes speaking on a panel at the MedTech Conference about what it means to be an up and coming entrepreneur in Upstate New York. “It was a huge moment for us,” he said. “We were sitting next to CEOs of huge companies in the area, being considered one of them.”

Gillinder and King make it a point to keep in enthusiastic and really reflect on where they’re at. “You need to enjoy the huge journey that you’re about to take on.” It’s easy to see the MedUX team truly enjoys what they’re doing every day as they walk into the LaunchPad. Their personalities radiate passion which creates an environment where others deeply engage with their story and mission of their company.

When on the topic of what’s next for Gillinder, he said, “I always want to keep making new things — this is one chapter in the big broad scheme of things.” His excitement for his venture and his future extends through the library, and it’s no wonder that him and his venture MedUX are creating a wave throughout the entrepreneurship community here at SU.

Gillinder is often seen in the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library working with mentors or practicing for pitches. The MedUX team will be competing in this year’s ACC InVenture Prize, along with other SU innovators. Head over to the SU Warehouse or the LaunchPad to hear all about how this team is changing the way we view portable medical devices, and aiding others to have an improved quality of life.

Follow their Instagram @MedUX_Infusion

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Watson Scholar Kayla Simon ’19