The newest brewery in town makes anything but beer. You seriously won’t be able to order any IPAs, ales, porters or lager beers made conventionally with gluten-containing grains like wheat, barley and rye. But you’re still in for a good time with a delicious drink.

Anything But Beer opened up shop in February selling alcoholic beverages that have the same alcohol percentage of regular beer, sold by the pint in bars and restaurants, and will give off the same carbonated sensation on your tongue. What’s different? Anything But Beer is able to satisfy the needs for any and all possible dietary restrictions.

“We create grain free beer alternatives from local fruits and vegetables to serve those who are gluten free,” co-founder Brittany Berry ’18,  VPA,  explains. Co-founder Logan Bonney, G’17, Whitman, adds, “Beyond dietary restrictions, which makes up a huge part of our audience, we just wanted to create an option for people who don’t really like beer, like me.”

Unlike the classic malted barley and wheat combination for classic beer, Anything But Beer opts for a base of local fruits and vegetables found right here in Syracuse, New York. This grain free and gluten free beverage is the latest addition to the craft brew industry in the area. Each drink has a unique flavor with different combinations of nuts, herbs, fruits and spices.

Berry’s favorite flavor is Midnight Hike with blueberry blackcurrant and Bonney’s is A Root Less Traveled with a spiced sweet potato drink. Anything But Beer is looking to launch a hot alcoholic average soon.

Berry is a Syracuse local who has lived in the area for about 23 years now. With a background in interior architecture and design, she is studying industrial and interaction design at the College of Visual and Performing Arts. Berry is no stranger to the entrepreneurial space at Syracuse University. After working with Bonney in his property management company previously, the two decided to team up during the summer of 2017 to make Anything But Beer a reality. Berry loves working within the Syracuse entrepreneurship community, she describes it as “a place where people can really create something you’re proud of. This network connects you to the right people and makes sure you have the freedom to explore what you want to explore.”

The resurgence in the food and beverage industry inspired co-founder Bonney to not only launch a new idea but collaborate with local companies, restaurants and bars. “Local breweries are a wealth of knowledge, we love learning from them,” Bonney adds. He moved to Syracuse to pursue a master’s degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Whitman School of Management. Originally from Long Island, Bonney always knew he wanted to be a business owner when he was growing up. After graduating in May 2017 and retiring from the Air Force, Bonney decided to pursue his passion for brewing as a hobby and launched Anything But Beer.

Today, Anything but Beer is working closely with InSourcing, a local business incubator run by Bob Herz. Their beverages are now available at Stout Beard Brewing Company on Westcott. Currently, the team is looking to bottling beverages and opening up a tap room. In the coming weeks, the team is gearing up to run more events and sales in the local area. Berry and Bonney are also looking to partner with new companies and build out their team. As they are applying to funding competitions and grants, they hope to hire interns from SU, especially those interested in social media and marketing.

The team won an award in the recent iPrize competition.

Constantly looking for ways to expand alcoholic beverage options for everybody, Anything But Beer is changing how Syracuse locals drink. Keep an eye out for their unique brews next time you are ordering a beer and check out their options on their website

If you are interested in interning, email contact@anythingbutbeer.com to join a fun and innovative team.

Photo and story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow

Photo caption: (Left) Brittany Berry and (right) Logan Bonney

Samantha Guillaume, a student from Manlius, NY and senior in the Sustainable Energy Management program at SUNY ESF, is a visionary who is inspired to make a difference in the world.  Along with her focus on sustainability, “Sam” has been involved in projects with Upstate Medical University, helping provide accessible paths, particularly for people with physical and mental disabilities.  She has been involved in the Sustainable Energy Club, as well as the Syracuse University softball team, throughout her time at SUNY ESF.

Sam has the drive and focus that makes her a dedicated entrepreneur. When asked about three pieces of advice she would give to people who want to pursue a venture, she said: “Don’t give up. Remember why you started and stick to your passion. Build a team of people with a wide range of skills that you trust.”

Her entrepreneurial nature has inspired her to become a leader in the community.

Struck by invisible food poverty in her own neighborhood, Sam set out to make some changes in the community and do what she could to help. She realized how pervasive the problem is, with nearly 49 million Americans struggling with hunger each year. Being born and raised in the area, she began to realize how much food waste was occurring in nearby communities.

With her entrepreneurial nature, Sam was determined to make a change. She narrowed in on three problems:  hunger, food waste, and under education on proper sustainable practices in many communities. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United States, roughly one third of all food produced in the world is wasted per year.

Sam was determined to find a solution that started in her own backyard. She decided to create a food recovery program with three main purposes: reduction of food waste in surroundings areas, education of students on how proper sustainable food practices, and food security.  She called it  Food for Community, and launched a food recovery network to transport food from local schools to local food pantries in the community. She teamed up with Patrick Carleton, also a senior in the Sustainable Energy Management major at SUNY ESF, who is the financial and accounting manager at Food for Community.

Food for Community created a relationship with the Fayetteville Manlius School District by establishing a connection with a staff member and through that person to meet with the district office to discuss their ideas. Food for Community now makes two trips a week to the Fayetteville Manlius School District to collect unused food, consisting of milk and other unopened packages. They take the food to the Fayetteville Manlius Community Outreach center, which is a non-profit located in the area which alleviates hunger by providing emergency food assistance and also clothing for school-age children. Over 150 households are registered with the center, which provides up to 60,000 meals per year to families and individuals in need.

Sam and Patrick took entrepreneurship courses to further their idea, worked with the Blackstone LaunchPad, and recently second place in the Syracuse University Impact Prize competition last fall – a campus-wide social entrepreneurship competition.  They recently won a cash award in the iPrize competition, and will represent Syracuse University at the New York State Business Plan Competition in Albany on April 27.

Sam’s biggest challenge developing Food for Community was, “Thinking it would be simple. It’s a lot of work and effort.”  But, the hard work that Sam and Patrick have put in have changed lives and prevented unused food from going to waste.

Sam says that her biggest role model is Linda Dickerson Hartsock, who taught her EEE class at Whitman and is executive director of the Blackstone LaunchPad, “Hand’s down.”  Sam says that Linda assisted her through every step and inspired her to “do ALL of this.”

Sam hopes to expand Food for Communities into other school districts, in an around Syracuse.  She had several job offers after graduation, but elected to take one that will keep her local, enable her to pursue her interests in sustainability management, and pursue her passion for Food for Community. She couldn’t be more excited about the future as she heads to graduation in May, and Syracuse is fortunate to keep this mission-driver leader here as a future community leader.

Story by Salli Shackleford Mandel

Photo of Samantha and Patrick by Blackstone LaunchPad

Richard Yang, born and raised in San Francisco, is a junior at Syracuse University, studying finance and management at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. He currently interns at Wall Street Oasis as a SEO Intern. Some of his previous experiences include spearheading his own startup and interning with a multitude of think tank firms. He has a die-hard passion for the stock market, fintech, and how the economy affects the nation as a whole.

Yang is currently project manager and co-founder of Illumaesthetic, LLC. His startup produces hand-made, custom, LED, light solutions for vehicles. This venture started out as a college project for his co-founder, Adam Bao. They both had a mutual friend who had crashed her lights at a race event and did not want to pay for a new set. Adam, who is an electrical engineer major from UC Berkeley, took it upon himself to make a set of lights for her. From there, he had the idea that this could be turned into a business and the rest is history. Yang naturally gravitated towards this idea as he enjoys working with anything involving cars, considering he had built one from scratch in high school. Illumaesthtetic is based in San Francisco and is an industry-leading custom LED taillights manufacturer assembling lights for cars ensuring the highest quality standards. He is currently expanding from specifically Subaru cars to incorporate other makes and models. Yang overseas all aspects of the business from client inquiries to disassembly, fitting lights, tinting and packaging lights to be shipped out.

Yang attributes his success mainly because of his connections. He was introduced to Adam Bao through a mutual car friend who lived relatively close to him. They would often meet and work on his car and other projects he had. From there, they established an extraordinary relationship, and later, Bao brought Yang onboard Illumaesthetic to help create the business. Besides having connections, Yang also mentioned that he had been surrounded with very supportive figures in his life such as friends and family who encouraged his entrepreneurship. Furthermore, his entire family has had a history of entrepreneurial ventures since both his parents started their own businesses. He believes that having older role models to look up to and gain experience from is crucial. Throughout his entrepreneurial journey, he realized that starting a business is an arduous process, which takes dedication and determination to get the idea off the ground.

Yang stresses that getting the idea is the easy part but getting the ball rolling can be challenging. In Yang’s situation, he acknowledges that he has been blessed at Illumaesthetic because he and Adam know high-priority individuals within the car community who have supported them and helped spread the word. Another piece of advice that Yang touches upon is understanding that plans can change along the way. While having a structured plan with specific deadlines is a huge bonus within an organizational standpoint — unexpected events can occur and his best advice is to be prepared for the worst.

The toughest challenge for Yang initially, was telling his parents he was starting a business while still in high school. As typical Chinese parents, they wanted him to focus on his academics. However, they came to see that this was a perfect opportunity for him to develop as an independent individual taking on a project that he was passionate about.

Reflecting on his past, Yang believes failure should be used to perfect your craft in creating an exceptional business. Yang encourages asking for help although many view it as a weakness. He humbles this idea as being brave enough to accept criticism and adapt to his audience. Having aspirations to start a business at such a young age, he was influenced by a couple figures in his life. Yang mentions that his father had a heavy influence on his entrepreneurial spirit. He emigrated from China with his mother and sister and started from scratch building his company. His current business entails manufacturing and venture capitalism for clothing, skateboard, and misc. companies. Two of the biggest brands that his father collaborates with are Diamond Supply Co. and Hemp2O. As an immigrant with basic English fluency, he managed to leverage that to become as successful as he is now which Yang admires immensely. Yang’s father provided for his family and taught him everything from basic accounting, how to conduct interviews, sending emails, and the general mentality of any business owner. The mentality that Yang’s father drilled into him as a young businessman propelled him to seek answers on his own since he feels a greater sense of accomplishment and reward rather than just asking for the answer. Although it is more challenging and somewhat daunting, the output is worth it.

For the many aspiring entrepreneurs wanting to go down this path, he advises them to “take the dive into it.” Yang emphasizes that an idea, is only an idea until you take the plunge. While there are horror stories of how some companies crash and burn, you have to have confidence and faith in yourself. If you have a trusted partner, a solid idea, and a die-hard passion — you are going to go far. Advice for starting out is to not be afraid to ask for help when needed from experienced individuals. More exposure to your business results in increased opportunities to refine your idea and create more opportunities to expand your busines

Entrepreneurship encompasses dealing with change and adapting to the climate to cater to your audience. Yang, enjoys change. Although he enjoys being in a comfortable place, change is needed to grow independence and maturity. He ties the idea of change within his life with his choice in coming to Syracuse. Yang is a native Californian that wanted to experience and witness what life was on the East coast. The reasoning behind the choice was to have the experience of viewing various aspects of life is both intriguing and interesting.

Technological advancements have facilitated the rise of a multitude of business and media outlets and opportunities. Yang finds inspiration on the internet, namely YouTube videos, forums, and overall in his every day experiences. A platform where Yang gains most of his inspiration for his business is Instagram. As a car person, he loves seeing what other people’s builds are and takes away things that he likes and does not like. While others express themselves through art, music, or what not, he has found that cars are his blank canvas that he can express who he is as an individual through a unique medium.

A successful entrepreneur, defined by Yang, is having the right mindset within their industry and having the willingness to take on experimental challenges. To be a successful entrepreneur, you need to be someone who is not fazed upon rejection, being able to articulate himself/herself, and overall knowing what he/she wants to achieve and how to get there. Success is a broad terms which is used in a multitude of different contexts. In Yang’s case, he believes himself to be somewhat successful because he was able to establish a respected business that he is passionate about. Others would base it on the amount of profit, or the total market share, or some other tangible factor. However, Yang’s main concern is his passion towards his business.

Yang believes in assisting young entrepreneurs develop their ideas and work with those individuals’ ideas to fruition. He encourages leaders of all mediums to provide more opportunities for students, or anyone, to work at a start-up. The cultural difference and vibe of start-up culture is contagious. The culture of startup is where everyone is very involved and motivated towards working to a common goal. While start-ups are like wildfire, he feels once people experience what it’s like to work at a start-up, from any stage, it’s just a good learning environment overall.

Looking forward five years, Yang is hoping to lead the industry with some subsidiaries. Illumaestetics is the only company producing quality, handmade custom LED lights. Oversea competitors are producing poor quality lights, which is where Yang wants to highlight the quality of his products. While lights are generally expensive ($1,500 is the starting price), Yang plans on making lower end models that do not sacrifice on quality to ensure expanding to broader target markets. In terms of finishing his degree in Whitman, he hopes to have worked in either equity research, VC, or a startup in the San Francisco or New York City area.

Story by Jason Chen

Photo by Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University

Keeping up with the news in today’s digital age can be difficult to navigate. Often times, the news can be hard to digest with all of the noise surrounding it.

Tobe V. Attah, a graduate student at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications studying media and education, felt there was a better way for students to understand the world around them. He loves writing, editing, drawing and learning about today’s new digital media atmosphere. After graduating from Cornell University in May 2017 with a communications degree with a minor in business, Attah continued onto Syracuse University knowing he wanted to make a meaningful global impact with his skills.

Born and raised in Dallas, TX, Attah grew up hoping his future would include two passions: drawing and journalism. He knew he could create that somehow, and with a determined mindset sharpened by many years of leading track and field teams in high school and Cornell, DOodle the NEWS was born.

Founded in October 2017, DOodle the NEWS is the face of revolutionary bite-sized journalism. A multimedia platform specifically designed for school aged students, DOodle the News provides a safe space for students to become more civic minded. Each post on DOodle the NEWS boils down to four components: topic, news item and reaction. The individual posts also often contain a question within the art, invoking readers to keep asking questions about the news but also limiting the tendency to produce biased news. The content on the website have now slowly moved to their social media accounts, making these cohesive bite sized comics even more accessible to an even wider audience. Through illustrations and personalized summaries, art journalists find this niche hub a place for their skills to thrive.

Attah has been published on Sports Illustrated, the Cornell Daily Sun, the Cornell Chronicle, SportTechie, Clutchpoints and many more.

Upon graduating from Cornell, Attah was immediately attracted to the entrepreneurial space at SU. “I feel like entrepreneurs and their ideas are supported by the entire Syracuse University community,” Attah explains. “It’s a lot more apparent. It’s clear that SU is both excited about these startups and are proud to support them.” Now, Attah is ready to give back.

DOodle the NEWS is actively recruiting content creators that want to understand the ins and outs of art and journalism. Attah says joining the team is simple: “Find a news story that you’re really interested in. Boil it down to your reaction, draw a doodle, extract a summarizing quote.” After that, submit your entry to DOodle the NEWS editors and build out your portfolio.

In the coming months, Attah is seeking more opportunities in seed investment funding. He hopes to continue building out his team and growing this news business. To reach out to Tobe, send an email to idoodlenews@gmail.com or tvattah@syr.edu.

Photo and story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow.

On March 6, 2018, Kelsey Davis, known as “Kels” to her friends, family and followers, dropped her biggest project to date: THESIS:XXI. Davis rang in her 21st birthday a little differently from her peers at Syracuse University.  She launched a three-fold transmedia masterpiece describing her journey in 21 chapters. THESIS:XXI tells the story of this young director finding her creative identity.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Davis grew up surrounded by media, music and culture. Davis is no stranger to harnessing the entrepreneurial spirit. She’s watched her father, an executive at CNN, work hard in the news and media industry. “I’ve only ever known to hustle, and hustle hard. Enthusiasm really changes the game in every project,” Davis explains.

She’s been a community leader ever since she was in high school, founding Next Up, a leadership development nonprofit organization geared towards third to fifth graders in public elementary schools. By equipping them with high school mentors who also attend public high schools, the organization was able to empower and engage an entire community. Davis recalls the day the YMCA began sponsoring Next Up.  She says, “That was when I knew I had created something really meaningful with my team, and more importantly, it was going to last for a long time in Atlanta. In a year, in ten years, the positive energy exploding out of these kids is going to change the entire city.” Next Up is still successfully running today.

Coming to Syracuse University as a Posse Foundation Scholar, Davis knew she wanted to dive straight into visual storytelling. She quickly declared a major in television, radio and film at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and a minor in information technology, design and startups in the School of Information Studies (iSchool). Back in 2015, Davis felt confident that both professional schools would help her discover and refine the video editing skills that she needed to pursue her dream of becoming a music video director.

However, it wasn’t until this past year of incredible work experience that she understood her dreams were much bigger than she thought.  Davis has become a transmedia storyteller.

In September 2016, Davis found CLLCTVE, a creative agency that enhances the event experience with the production of a package of contents provided by a smart team of hosts, videographers, writers and photographers. CLLCTVE has worked with Coca-Cola, Sky Zone Trampoline Park, the YMCA and several other local and national brands. The team works closely together to establish brand identity and branding strategy for clients, as well as a full package of top of the line photography, videography, graphic design and animation.

“CLLCTVE is my way to learn about myself and my art outside of the classroom,” Davis says, “by utilizing my skills in a predominantly non-black space, I have learned to become unapologetically myself as seen through my work.”

It is undeniable that Davis has become a gatekeeper for storytelling in hip hop media culture. She produced a tour last year, interned at Conde Nast and built a unique and powerful network with SU alumni, shot countless music videos, attended Complex Con and attended the SXSW Festival this past spring break. Davis doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon on her quest to create more, and learn more.

By working closely with media entrepreneurship professors at Newhouse, the Couri Hatchery Incubator and the Blackstone LaunchPad at SU, Davis has been able to expand her horizons quickly. She credits her friends and family in providing the support for her to manage it all: her business, her college education and her wellbeing. It is safe to say that Davis is one spectacular young leader who will continue to tell stories of others — and sometimes, herself — in a beautiful, vulnerable, meaningful way.

Follow Davis on Instagram, Twitter, and her official website.

Story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow

Photo by Joshua Sowemimo

Nick Barba is a natural leader in every community he is part of. Back home in Long Island, Barba is an Eagle Scout who dedicated more than seven years to community service, and still remains an adult leader of the program to this day. When Barba began his freshman year as an entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises major at the Whitman School of Management, he knew he wanted to join student clubs that would actively give back to the local community here in Syracuse as well.

Now as a sophomore, Barba is a student leader in Thrive at SU and Relay For Life. Thrive at SU works with nonprofit organizations in the local Syracuse area to bridge the gap between SU students and the surrounding community. This year, Thrive at SU worked closely with the refugee community in Syracuse with InterFaith Works. Relay For Life is an organization that fundraises for the American Cancer Society and supports communities that experience cancer and the research that goes towards one day eliminating cancer.

A firm believer in serving those in society that are more vulnerable, underrepresented and unsupported, Barba is a champion of organizing events that not only fundraise for important causes but also arms community members with the information they need to continue helping those in need.

“Fundraising can be fun but it is also extremely challenging, especially on college campuses,” Barba explains, “but the passion behind supporting nonprofits and good causes that I see amongst students here continues to inspire me everyday. We can do good. We are doing good, in every way we can.”

This year, Barba combined his desire to empower marginalized communities and his love for entrepreneurship. He founded MWBE Connect, an organization that rates Minority and Women (MWBE) owned Business Enterprises for project managers of general contractors to reach their utilization requirement. MWBE Connect is an online platform for all general contractors to more easily reach their New York State government required 30 percent utilization rate.

While MWBE owned small businesses are on the rise, resources that analyze and share this data are very rare. Barba recognized that there is a gap in networking amongst MWBEs in construction projects and realized that an easy-to-use, web based ratings and information system is an efficient solution that is also feasible and impactful.

Barba recently competed in the RvD iPrize Business Competition and is looking forward to finalizing his idea, creating a website and building a team that believes in the mission.

If you are interested in joining Barba’s team, or have any questions, email ntbarba@syr.edu or stop by the LaunchPad.

Photo and story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow

Photo by Blackstone LaunchPad Staff

SU alumna Barbara Jones has big plans to revolutionize the way we travel and strengthen community bonds. The Newhouse School professor of practice is the CEO and founder of StayBillety, a community-based home sharing service that connects like-minded hosts and guests by their common interests. The company was founded in May 2015 and officially launched in March 2016.

StayBillety differs from other online accommodation services, like Airbnb, in that it partially eliminates fears of “stranger danger.” As Jones puts it, “A lot of people don’t like the idea of staying with strangers, so it is much more comforting to stay with people who share your interests, passions, and principles.” This introduces a previously untapped user base to the home-sharing economy: people who never would have been comfortable with the practice of home-sharing before.

Coming up with the right name for the company was no easy task, but Jones eventually had her eureka moment. She coined the term StayBillety from a clever play on the words “Stability” and “Billeting,” a common practice in Canada where people open their homes and share their spaces with strangers for temporary periods of time. She was inspired to start StayBillety because of her experiences growing up in a family that billeted all the time.

Jones says the most challenging aspect of running StayBillety is raising awareness to get more hosts and more guests. Additionally, gaining affiliate agreements with a diverse variety of organizations, such as Syracuse University or Sail Canada, is very important to help grow and expand her business. Managing time and money is always a challenging aspect for any business, but Jones enjoys the work that comes with running her own business.

In fact, she is no stranger to the entrepreneurial spirit. She’s had multiple single purpose companies, a few start-ups, and was even responsible for launching international business and websites during her time working for The Weather Channel. StayBillety is the largest personal venture she’s had thus far, and she is very hopeful for its future.

Moving forward, Barbara Jones has big plans for her company. She hopes to gain more affiliates, hosts, languages, and revenue within the next few years. With everything she does, community building remains at the forefront of her mind and because of this StayBillety is also a social enterprise that supports charitable organizations. According to the company’s website, “Each month, the StayBillety community will also select a national charity to receive funds resulting from transactions not directly associated with registered affiliate events.”

For more information about StayBillety, contact Jones at bejone03@syr.edu.

Story by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Justina Hnatowicz

Photo by Blackstone Global Media Fellow Amanda Chou

  

No matter what time or day it is, if you ask Dylan Gans ’18 how he is doing, he will always respond, “I’m so good. How about you?”

His exuberant outlook is evident in his both life and his work. From a young age, he knew he wanted to impact his community positively. Born and raised in Hoboken, New Jersey, Gans experienced firsthand the devastation Hurricane Sandy brought to his city in 2012. After seeing so many local businesses and homes destroyed, he created ASAP Construction while still in high school, with the simple mission of rebuilding the community. Gans and his friends banded together, created a large network, and went to work. “That’s when I definitely caught the entrepreneurship bug,” Gans says. “I just knew I wanted to better the community I live in.” The work of ASAP Construction is continuing today.

After arriving at the SU campus in the fall of 2014, Gans began his search for entrepreneurship opportunities. As a finance major at the Whitman School of Management, he hit the ground running with an internship at Bank of New York Mellon. “I learned so much about the industry at BNY Mellon. But it was also there that I started developing an even stronger fascination for startup culture,” Dylan explains.

In his sophomore year, he was introduced to EntreTech NYC, an experiential learning platform for Syracuse University students to visit the best and brightest startups and technology companies in New York City. During the week-long program, Gans visited Good Uncle, a startup looking to create a food delivery business for college students. Gans sat in on a focus group with CEO Wiley Cerilli at the Good Uncle NYC office. He saw how Good Uncle was focused on quality, and he smiles as he recalls the meeting, he was also instantly attracted to the idea of having a delicious bacon, egg and cheese bagel delivered straight to his door at Syracuse University. More than that, he was inspired by the unique combination of high quality and customer service that Good Uncle effortlessly embodies. After the focus group, Gans approached Cerilli and began a conversation, later securing an internship with Good Uncle that summer.

That fall, Gans helped bring Good Uncle’s philosophy of easy-to-get, delicious food to Syracuse University. Utilizing his incredible network through Whitman, the iSchool and his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi, Gans organized focus groups to better facilitate customer discovery and figure out how to best approach marketing Good Uncle’s pilot market. After extensive research on the ground and strategizing with the team back in NYC, Good Uncle launched in Syracuse in the fall of 2016. The company has since then expanded to University of Delaware in August 2017 and University of Maryland in the fall of 2017.

Gans has accepted a full time position with Good Uncle after graduating in May 2018, and will be working in Good Uncle’s general business development with a specific focus on marketing operations and market activation. Gans is excited to have been on this growth journey with the company over the past three years and beyond. He’s proud to be employee number nine.  “When you work with people that you look up to and respect so much, work doesn’t feel like work. I feel really lucky,” he says.

With graduation right around the corner, Gans reflects on his past four years at Syracuse University and feels nothing but immense gratitude and Orange pride. “Everything I have in my life is because of my parents, Hoboken, and Syracuse University,” Gans says. “Now that I am taking the first steps in my professional career in the world of entrepreneurship, I want to make sure I’m leaving my mark in Syracuse just as it has left a mark on me.”

So Gans asked himself, what better way to leave Syracuse better than he found it than contributing directly to the entrepreneurial space?  He became president of the Blackstone LaunchPad student advisory council, in addition to his work with student entrepreneurship organizations like Vision.  Then he went to work engaging with the Dorm Room Fund to bring it to the SU campus.

The Dorm Room Fund provides student founders with the perfect package to kickstart their idea: a wide network of world-class mentors, access to serious investors and a $20,000 seed investment. Gans is now the Dorm Room Fund Campus Organization Network coordinator for Syracuse University, working to bring more opportunities to campus entrepreneurs, working with the Blackstone LaunchPad.

“The LaunchPad at SU has given me constant mentorship and a supportive community of peers who share a similar love for fresh ideas. I’m honored to give back to this place in any way I can,” Gans explains. “I was so hungry to become part of the entrepreneur community here, and now with the introduction of the Dorm Room Fund, more innovative students can get their start to the next big idea.”

The Dorm Room Fund Campus Organization Network (DRFCON) is a network of Dorm Room Fund partner organizations in universities around the nation. Dorm Room Fund is a student-run VC firm backed by First Round Capital that invests $20,000 into student startups.  As the president of the Blackstone LaunchPad, he has used lean startup techniques to advise dozens of student startups on methods to test their concepts, build go-to market strategies, create financial models, identify competitive advantages and more. This position led to the synergy with Dorm Room Fund and becoming a Dorm Room Fund Campus Organization Network Partner.

How many student entrepreneurs create this kind of impact?  And, how many ask themselves, “What better legacy than to create one?”  That is the hallmark of an innovator.  And, that’s the heart, soul and spirit of Dylan Gans.

Story by Amanda Chou ‘18, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow

Photo of Dylan with the Good Uncle team, and announcing the Dorm Room Fund partnership,  by Blackstone LaunchPad Staff

Luc Chanren stands out in a crowd. When he walks into the cafe at the Whitman School of Management, he happily greeted by many people before he even has a chance to sit down. He’s a popular guy. Everyone wants to be his friend.  And odds are, he probably wants to be yours too.

Luc, a sophomore iSchool student, founded CameraMe, a venture that is the perfect example of how to turn a passion into a business. CameraMe is a multimedia ski company that takes pictures and videos of tourists skiing at resorts. The company is based out of Niseko, Japan, which is where Luc’s favorite ski resort is located.  He works one-on-one with families to create high quality footage that will serve as a reminder of their vacation experiences. In the seasonal ski season in Niseko this winter, he found that CameraMe was more than fun.  It was very profitable.

CameraMe’s co-founder is Nicholas Connors, a sophomore at Northeastern and his best friend from boarding school in New Hampshire, where they would go skiing any free chance they had. Both of them are highly advanced skiers. Luc has been skiing for 15 years, has raced competitively, and is a Level 1 instructor. While skiing, Luc and Nicholas took pictures of each other and their friends. They soon were in high demand to take “sick” and “rad” action shots of people they skied with, and realized they had the potential to make a business out of what they love. The two coordinated with a ski resort in Niseko, where they planned to ski that winter.  Luc decided to name it “CameraMe” because when he was a little kid skiing bunny hills, he would yell to his parents “Camera me! Camera me!” take pictures of him.

For now, Luc runs CameraMe informally because it is a seasonal business, and he is full time college student.  He charges by the hour for high definition photos, GoPro video, and drone footage, and then provides the photos and footage to clients.  It is a simple service business model.   The company is completely self-funded by the founders, without support from family, friends or investors.

When asked about personality traits that make him an accomplished entrepreneur, Luc blushed, and said he didn’t know, indicative of how genuine and humble he is.  He stressed the importance of communication in running a successful business, especially since his co-founder goes to school at Northeastern University in Boston and they rarely see each other. Relying on Skype calls, texts, and phone calls can be effective in the short term, but building a business is a challenge in the virtual world. Luc also stressed the importance of good communication with clients, and how essential it is to understand a customer’s desires and demands.

Luc has complete dedication to the quality of his products. What keeps him awake at night is worrying about how to take the best photos possible. He aspires to be like his role model, Chris Benchetler, an avid skier who produces amazing footage. Above all that, Luc is incredibly proud of how far he has come. He wanted to start a business and he did.  He looks forward to growing it after graduation. In five years’ time, Luc hopes that CameraMe will have more clients and that he will be able to fully sustain himself with the company.

Growing his business will allow him to do the two things he loves:  skiing and photography.  “That’s what’s important at the end of the day,” says Luc. “Do what you love.”

Story by Emilie Yousem ’20, Newhouse School

Photo:  SU alumnus Mike Gursha, CEO of Rookie Road

As a computer science and engineering student at the University of Michigan, Doug Gursha felt left out of a large part of his school’s culture because he didn’t understand the rules of football. He tried to learn about the sport by watching videos, looking things up online and even downloading the NFL rulebook, but the information he found was hard to understand.

Doug started gathering the information he found and writing it out in a way that was easy to comprehend, and eventually he started building his own website. He wanted to create a centralized destination for learning about sports, and was serious about turning the personal project into a company.

He turned to his older brother, Mike, an entrepreneur and Syracuse University alumnus. Together they created Rookie Road, an online interactive destination with tutorials for learning the rules of different sports. Now, Mike is the CEO of Rookie Road, and Doug is the startup’s product architect.

“He’s been really essential to the success of the company,” Doug said. “I approached him not only because he’s my brother and I trust him but (because) he just has so much knowledge in the startup space.”

As CEO, Mike is in charge of hiring employees and making sure they’re on board with Rookie Road’s long-term goals. As product architect, Doug is in charge of web development for the site. The Portland, Oregon-based startup employs writers, designers and engineers to create original content for Rookie Road that teaches users the rules of basketball and football.

Rookie Road launched its basketball content in February, just in time for March Madness.

While the idea of working with a sibling might seem daunting to some, the Gursha brothers enjoy working together because they’ve found a balance between each other’s skillsets. The brothers, who have always been close, use their complementary talents to keep the company moving forward.

“He’s a product guy, and I’m a strategic guy, so ultimately our ways of thinking are different from each other,” Mike said. “Obviously we’re brothers, so we have a bit more than just a business relationship, but I’d say in business in general, having a partnership with a partner or a co-founder is kind of just like being in a relationship or being in a marriage. You just have to ultimately listen to each other.”

As a child growing up in the Silicon Valley in the 1990s, Mike immersed himself in technology. He landed an internship at Google at 17 and graduated from SU in 2010 with majors in television, radio and film and entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises.

After graduating, Mike worked for several tech companies and startups before returning to Syracuse in 2015 as the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications’ first entrepreneur-in-residence. He worked with students and taught several classes about the intersection of business and content creation. It was at the end of his time at Newhouse that Mike got involved with Rookie Road.

As an adviser for Rookie Road, Cathy Gordon Harr said she’s impressed with how focused and motivated the Gurshas are. Harr worked in new business development at Google and has known Mike since he interned at Google.

“I see a lot of people who want me to do the work rather than them doing the work,” Harr added. “My job as an adviser is to give them options, to make some suggestions, but at the end of the day it’s their company.”

Harr added that the brothers’ success stems in part from them filling a hole in the sports community.

“If you know something about a sport and someone comes to you and says, ‘Explain this to me,’ it’s very hard to do because you’re so familiar with it that you don’t know how to go back to the most fundamental thing,” Harr said.

With any startup there’s an aspect of uncertainty, but Mike’s experience with startups and his knack for spotting good ideas earned him the trust of influential people in the business world. This includes BuzzFeed CFO Mark Frackt, an SU alum and another one of Rookie Road’s advisers.

“You tend to look at the person and say, ‘Is this somebody I believe in and makes sense, who I think can figure this out, knowing that the original idea likely will iterate a few times before that person figures out what the ultimate business is?’” Frackt said. “Mike had struck me as this dynamic person who understands what it takes to start up a company.”

Later this spring, Rookie Road will launch baseball, soccer and ice hockey content. The Gurshas plan to add more sports to the site later this year. Meanwhile, their small team of writers, designers and web developers is hard at work to ensure that Rookie Road’s content stands out.

“Find the right people to surround yourself with,” Mike said, “and you will be able to build remarkable things.”

Credits:  Original Daily Orange story here.

Daily Orange story by Caroline Bartholomew, assistant feature editor

Daily Orange animation by Kevin Camelo, digital design editor

Daily Orange photos by Kai Nguyen, photo editor