Startup Spotlights

Elizabeth Goldblatt ’22 is creating a stylish clothing line for individuals with disabilities

February 21, 2022

From Chicago to Syracuse University, Elizabeth Goldblatt ’22 has taken her many passions and is working toward building a fashion empire for the underrepresented. Elizabeth is currently a senior in Newhouse studying fashion and beauty while creating a clothing line named “Drake Riley.” Additionally, she is an active member on campus as the head fashion editor Jerk Magazine and working with Zamboni Revolution.

In high school Elizabeth was a devoted advocate for the disabled community co-founding the organization, “Acting for Change.” She showed her support by working with differently abled students as well as raising money for them. Additionally, Elizabeth worked countless hours to raise funds for the disabled community, and after she graduated wanted to continue that dedication through her business. Since this community is often overlooked in the fashion industry, she was determined to change this pattern.

Back home in Chicago, her grandma suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. She has witnessed her grandma struggle to find comfortable clothing while also being stylish. Elizabeth stated, “I was looking through my grandma’s closet and realized she didn’t have any comfortable clothing. Nothing fit her. After talking to her caregiver, I wanted clothes she could wear that would be both comfortable and fashionable.” Asking her grandma’s opinion and gathering all her measurements, she immediately jumped into creating a brand for not only those with disabilities but her grandma as well.

One trait to admire about Elizabeth is her drive and passion for what she cares about most. To get a hands-on experience, she worked at New York City Fashion Week for Bronx and Banco, Duncan, Moschino, Peter Dundas, Prabal Gurung, and Michael Kors. She built a relationship with a woman named Jacqui Bennett. As a result of Elizabeth’s great networking abilities, she was able to get advice from Jacqui who guided her to “look at her vision on a larger scale” and ultimately saw how much clothing doesn’t work for some groups.

This past year, Elizabeth saw an advertisement for the Impact Prize at LaunchPad. With only two weeks to prepare, she used her commitment and drive to create a business plan and develop several prototypes. She met with numerous mentors in LaunchPad as well as sending out surveys with a 200-person interest response. Just when you think she would be busy enough with all those tasks, Elizabeth goes above and beyond and checked out four books about entrepreneurship to learn as much as she could before the competition. Simultaneously she had an individual create a new logo for her business.

Although Elizabeth did not win the competition, she won more than what she could have imagined. She learned more about the business industry and how she can combine that knowledge with film and fashion. Looking forward, she wants to continue her passion for film and continue her passion for clothing. Nonetheless, Elizabeth created her brand name with meaning and depth, that not only represents her but her mission. Her name was derived by thinking of “The Life of Riley,” meaning “‘to live carefree and comfortably”’ and combining that with the name of the Chicago building her grandparents lived in, The Drake. She said it “was fun and creative.”

As a result of learning from her experiences and other people, Elizabeth has learned to “stop finding inspiration in other things and to look for what is not out there.”

Elizabeth Goldblatt is unstoppable and will make an unbelievable difference in this world. Not only has she shown this with all her hard work and talent thus far, but 15% of her profits will be donated to the National Organization of Disability. With a heart and passion as big as hers, there is no other route for her other than success.

Sajjad Albadri and Sajjad Alhashami create QPuff, a software to help manage e-cig addiction

February 20, 2022

Sajjad Albadri, co-founder of QPuff

Besides having the same name, Sajjad Albadri and Sajjad Alhashami grew up together and have an extremely close relationship. “We have been best friends for a long time,” says Albadri. “We’re both from Iraq, went to the same community college, and now we are both here at Syracuse University majoring in computer science.”

As computer scientists, Albadri says it is imperative to their major and to their anticipated career path that “we create software that solves problems, and we invest in new ideas, it’s an integral part of our work.” Although they didn’t start out as entrepreneurs, they see a lot of overlap in computer science and the goal of entrepreneurship, to make the world a better, convenient, and more connected place for people.

When trying to figure out a problem to solve through software, Albadri considered personal experience between him and his co-founder. Throughout high school Alhashami had trouble with a nicotine addiction caused by excessive use of e-cigarettes which caused extreme health problems for him, causing him to quit. Unfortunately, this is a widespread problem among Gen Z and, as Albadri and Alhashami recognized, it’s an issue that hasn’t really been addressed by the market.

To combat this issue, they created QPuff, a software that is integrated into popular e-cigarette devices that tracks the number of inhales an e-vape user is doing and then creates a health record with the associated app. Because vaping is usually a mindless, impulsive activity, by showing the user how much they are vaping electronically, it can help deter their habit. Alhashami attests that becoming aware that he, in fact, had a problem was the first step to defeating it and hopes others can become aware through QPuff.

QPuff’s true goal is to be recognized as a major health necessity by health organizations regarding e-cigs. The FDA can raise awareness a great deal and protect our young generations by pushing this new technology and allowing major companies to find their way back to their original missions of treating cigarette addictions.

QPuff became involved in the LaunchPad after they realized the importance of pitch competitions and business resources to get their idea up and running. The team is excited to pursue further investment and to help QPuff get approved by regulatory agencies. Albadri says “Our main goal is to get it approved by the FDA or another major health organization to help get our product off the ground.”

QPuff is also looking for someone with marketing expertise to help promote the company and push it out into the market to help bring about awareness from health organizations. If you’re interested, reach out to saalbadr@syr.edu.

Story by Jack Lyons ‘22, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photos and graphics supplied

Christopher Thomas turns his passion for biodegradable plastics into an entrepreneurial success

February 20, 2022

Christopher Thomas has always had a passion for nature and solving environmental problems through science, going back to his hometown in Bridgeport, NY. During his undergraduate program at SUNY ESF, he studied bioprocess engineering then went to China to conduct research in Beijing where he explored and studied the fundamental science of wood and plants for biofuel.

In discussing his passion bioplastics with his roommate, Dr. Ryan Scheel, they were inspired to combine their knowledge and skill sets in a new method to create advanced biodegradable plastics from waste materials. Building on his studies overseas as well as his diverse experience and interests, Christopher decided to pursue a new profound idea through PhD research. He worked countless hours with his PhD advisors Dr. ‘s Bandaru Ramarao and Deepak Kumar to secure and patent a novel approach to biodegradable plastic technology.

His company, Envision Biopolymers LLC, combines the advantage of advanced physical properties with upcycling of abundant agro-waste material, which makes a more compelling business case based on bioplastic technologies.

With such great success, he reached out to the CSMM, Center for Sustainable Materials Management, funded by the NYS DEC. He was offered a position to work with the CSMM Executive Director Kathryn Walker to further develop and commercialize this technology through a two-year project.

Christopher’s invention is of great interest to industries that manufacture packaging. In recent studies, PFAS, Per-polyfluoroalkyl Substances, found in many packaging and consumer goods products, were deemed toxic and harmful. Thus, many states have begun banning the use of PFAS. Consequently, businesses in the food-packaging sector need a new plastic to replace PFAS and Christopher has the ideal product for them.

He notes that “People haven’t cared as much about the environment up until recently. Gen Z and Millennials want companies that are eco-friendly and are pressuring the government to enforce safe material. Sustainability is imperative for business.”

The bioplastic generated by Christopher and his team make it a great candidate to meet these new market demands for sustainable and safe products. His product is derived from natural waste and formulates it into a marine biodegradable, home-compostable, and highly functional product.

Christopher has developed a wonderful support system and team that have made these developments possible. In particular, the diligent and enthusiastic research of ESF alum Michael Glinski and ESF PhD student Daniel Fougnier have been critical to many of the recent technology milestones.

Traction for his product has flourished through his team’s acceptance into the NSF I-Corps Teams program, and relationship with the Center for Sustainable Materials Management. Most recently, Christopher has been corresponding with their first potential beachhead customer who has expressed a great interest and need for their product.

Next steps include scaling the process from the laboratory to industry in collaboration with corporate partners. Additionally, seeking for a venture capitalist to fund scale-up developments has been an ambition that would hopefully permit him to share the success of this business with the ESF and Syracuse Community.

Christopher has a year and a half to continue working for the CSMM and if successful, he plans to continue working toward his dream, saving the environment, and collaborating to form a network of like-minded folks to make it a reality. He states, “This is my passion, and I am so fortunate to be where I am.”

Story by Sydney Grosso for the LaunchPad; photo by the LaunchPad

Colleen O’Brien ’22 is growing her talent management agency VisionVerseSoundz

February 20, 2022

Colleen O’Brien ’22, a Newhouse student in the Bandier program, is the CEO of VisionVerse Soundz (VVS), a venture that is putting a new emphasis on ownership within the music industry. VVS is an artist management company focused on helping hip-hop and r&b artists become profitable by helping the artists develop and promote their art and their brand.

The target market is fans of both hip hop and r&b within the age range of high schoolers to 35-year-olds. To get both artists and these customers, Colleen sees social media, playlisting, blogs, and researching different opportunities such as TikTok as her path to market. When she started managing the artists, her artists told her she should have something she can call her own, to show all the work that she is putting in behind the scenes. This sparked the idea to create VisionVerseSoundz.

Her plan for 2022 is to gain traction for each of her artists and start aggressively networking within the industry. Finding more people to work with to add to her team is essential for growth and getting more business.

Colleen values are generosity and transparency which she employs in conducting business with her artists. Colleen sees herself as a visionary because she sees potential in people and wants to set them up for growth. She describes her mental process as, “If I can see the ingredients, I can bake the cake,” which can be applied in a management sense too.

Growing up, her parents restricted her music taste such as rap. From the outside perspective, rap can come off as demeaning to women and promoting violence which is what her parents associated with the genre. However, Colleen was captivated by it from her first listen because of the cleverness in lyrics, wordplay, and overall fun fast-paced vibe. As Colleen grew older and more independent, she gravitated towards rap more because of the diversity of the genre, overall lyricism, and rich history.

When launching her venture, she considered the problem of artists getting in a bad contract because labels and other entities become greedy instead of doing what is right. Many artists at the start of their career are not financially or legally literate so labels, managers, and other business executives sometimes can take advantage in a legal sense.

Colleen feels that technology is the trifecta of trends, assets, and challenges. Technology is constantly evolving which requires us to constantly keep up and understand new developments. Thus, it can bring forward new opportunities. Colleen and her team would not be able to make the sounds if the tech were not currently out.

When considering distribution, none of her artists would have music out on the platforms that promote growth if it weren’t for today’s modern technology. Consider Lil Uzi Vert who began as a sound cloud artist and now fills concerts and stadiums to see him perform for thirty minutes. The Internet is a great equalizer.

Colleen became an entrepreneur by solving issues to problems and then taking that mindset towards issues going forward. She became one through practice. Throughout her life, Colleen has found freedom in the autonomy of creating things on her terms.

Colleen’s Pillars of Wisdom are:

1. Consistency is important

2. Communication is important

3. Customer Discovery is vital before you reach out to anyone

When looking at other managers and the way they do business, Colleen believes understanding the advantage of each artist under management can allow for better deals. She gained feedback from artists, engineers, and producers about their problems and struggles along the way.

Colleen manages four rap and r&b artists each with their own unique sound and distinct lane. The first artist signed under VVS was Lav.Lew, a melodic rapper that wears his heart on his sleeve and reps his hometown proud, he is a storyteller and embraces the Florida sound, with a style like Lil Durk, Rod Wave, or Roddy Ricch.

The next artist VVS signed is Shan.X, an r&b singer from NY that has created her own unique sound by blending elements of hip hop with r&b, her sound resembles both Summer Walker and Rico Nasty styles.

Cay Slatt was the third artist to join the team, with a strong New York sound Cay attacks drill rap with his own approach focusing on versatility and work ethic, every song goes hard, his style resembles Pop Smokes and Kay Flocks.

The last artist to be signed is Noso1o, reigning from Baltimore, Noso1o is extremely versatile in styles, more recently embracing the Emo rap subgenre but he switches up to pick up the intensity on a few tracks, his style resembles Juice Wrld, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, Lil Baby, and Lil TJay.

Collaborative communities are incubators, and progress is made through growth and experimenting with innovative ideas and new ways of doing things that require a supportive environment. For her to manage her label, Colleen keeps her eyes open, and she listens to people telling her what they want to do and tries to think of a way for them to do that thing while working with others. She emphasized trying to tackle problems with unique solutions. Colleen leaves readers with one quote: “Live life each day so that you won’t regret it tomorrow.”

Story by Brandon Henry, Blackstone LaunchPad; photo supplied

Christine Wu’22 wants to bring your favorite Asian snacks to you

February 14, 2022

Many Asian students on campus, both international students and Asian Americans, have a special place in their hearts for the Asian snacks they grew up with. Oreos and Capri Suns are great, but mochis and boba are especially delicious. However, Asian snacks are not as accessible around campus. Knowing this problem all too well, Christine Wu ’22 started Phantom Tea as a class project.

As an Information Technology, Design, and Startups minor at the iSchool she met classmate Stacy Kim who then joined Phantom Tea.

Phantom Tea is inspired from the lack of accessibility that predominantly white institutions have when accessing Asian snacks or drinks. Although you can get your favorite American snack in the school vending machines or your closest CVS, it is not easy to get a hold of Asian snacks. Usually, students will ask their families to ship their favorite snacks from home, wait to get it on Amazon or drive ten minutes to the closest Asian market. Sure, driving ten minutes away does not sound too bad, but a lot of students don’t have cars.

With Phantom Tea, it won’t be necessary to drive to your local Asian market – this Asian snack store will drive itself to you! The snack truck would park in areas on the campus for students to catch throughout the day – allowing students to get a quick grab of their favorite snacks, especially boba.

After entering a LaunchPad pitch competition that Wu’s professor encouraged her to take part in, Wu connected to the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries, located in the Bird Library and has continued to refine her idea.

When Wu isn’t busy studying for both her Psychology major at the College of Arts and Science and her Economics major at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, or running Phantom Tea, she loves catching up Netflix shows with her friends. Wu and her friends also started a side business one summer to make designs on Nike Air Forces.

Although Phantom Tea is a great idea, the actual business is on hiatus until Wu finishes navigating through her post graduate plans to work in the tech industry. Phantom Tea was a great project and Wu gained a lot of experiences working on it. Developing as many skills as one can and taking advantages of resources on campus like Wu is a very smart thing to do as student

Story by LaunchPad Global Fellow Natalie Lui ‘22; photo supplied

Julianna Mercado ’23 launches a nonprofit venture, UpSkill

February 14, 2022

Julianna Mercado, class of ‘23, a biochemistry and forensic science major, is working hard to make a long-lasting impact on her college and community. Born and raised on Long Island, she wasn’t exposed often to inequities in the U.S. because she grew up in a predominantly white, middle class family. After coming to Syracuse, she had an eye-opening experience of the inequities the surrounding community faced. Throughout her time working as an EMT, she was exposed to children living in poor conditions and realized she wanted to use her knowledge and privilege to become a support system for those in need. She created a tutoring and mentoring program, UpSkill. UpSkill as a 501(c) nonprofit and registered student organization designed to support educational equity through accessible academic resources.

Julianna understood the difficulties communities struggled to obtain the same educational and financial means to learn. Driven by her empathy, her goal was to provide a resource that offered academic assistance, financial capability, and guidance. Julianna states. “I want to change this. In whatever capacity I can, I want to ensure that socioeconomic barriers do not prevent students from reaching their educational goals.” UpSkill is an academic resource at no cost for students, and they receive tutoring and mentoring assistance through the guidance of Syracuse students. Her idea began while the rest of the world was battling the difficulties of academic life through the pandemic. Julianna was aware of the difficulties previously faced before Covid-19 and knew the pandemic put a major burden on the educational system. UpSkill is fairly new, but she aspires to offer support so students through their educational journeys and goals.

An admirable trait about Julianna is her ability to create and excel in all her activities from school, to work, to clubs. In her determination to make UpSkill a success, she became president and established committees that uniquely support educational equity.

Her first committee is Fundraising/ Philanthropy which designs events centered on engaging SU and ESF students with the surrounding community to improve educational equity. Julianna says, “The money raised from these events is used to offer academic resources through UpSkill, support other educational organizations, and offer scholarships to students with financial needs.”

The tutoring and mentoring committee provides tutoring to students in the Syracuse district and designated to helping improve students academic and leadership skills. Moreover, they work specifically with the North Side Learning Center which assists refugee students become acclimated with education in the U.S.

Additionally, the Raising Awareness/ Community Education committee is designed to educate members and students about educational equity.

Their role would be to propose ideas for guest speakers and workshops related to social and education issues in the local and larger communities. As a result, this would allow for educators to be updated with the up most recent educational disadvantages and utilize their knowledge to reduce inequities. Furthermore, they would also be responsible for creating fun graphics for social media. Lastly, the College Preparation Program for First-Generation Students committee was designed to support and assist first-generation students in applying for colleges; activities include working on the common application as well as FASFA.

To ensure the success of their new program, Julianna plans to serve as president through spring 2023. Her successes include being approved as a 501c non-profit, securing a collaboration with North Side Learning Center, creating a new website, doubling membership size, and creating strong committees.

Her goals are to increase involvement with NSLC, become engaged with other organizations like the Catholic Charities as well as the Boys and Girls Club. She will continue making a more accessible and interactive media platform while maintaining her excellence in all other departments.

Julianna exceeds the definition of success, between managing school, applying for medical school, volunteering at the hospital, and more; she manages to create an amazing resource for others. A dedication like hers is hard to find, and with her focus, UpSkill will always be on its way up.

Story by LaunchPad Zaccai Foundation Fellow Sydney Grosso ’23; photo supplied

David Williams ’22 puts students first in education technology

February 14, 2022

For most Syracuse University students, an honors thesis is a means of testing what they learned throughout their undergraduate experience through research on a pressing topic, effectively a culmination of their academic experience in their home college and the Renée Crown University Honors Program. Yet for David Williams ’22, a Policy Studies major in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and an Information Management and Technology minor in the School of Information Studies, the honors thesis has been far more than merely an academic exercise. It has been a driving source of entrepreneurial spirit and inspiration, and ultimately the spark he needed to launch e-Kits, his startup venture.

Williams has always had a passion for technology in the education space. While finishing his freshman year at Syracuse University, he came across a question to which he couldn’t find a satisfying answer: why weren’t student opinions being considered in the development of technologies that were being built to serve their wants and needs?

“There are two approaches to developing education technologies,” said Williams. “One is where vendors go to principals to get information on student issues and needs. Another is going to teachers and asking them the same thing to understand the problems in the classroom. But there aren’t really any approaches that go directly to students to receive feedback. So, we don’t really know if we’re solving true student needs.”

Williams immediately began to consider ways he could leverage his interest in education and inclination for technology to develop a solution to this pervasive issue. However, with his busy class schedule and commitments to numerous campus organizations, he lacked the time required to build out a viable solution. So, when it came time to start building out a plan for his honors thesis in the spring of 2021, Williams knew the precise direction he wanted to take it.

Williams commenced his thesis preparation by researching the ins and outs of the education technology space, conducting literature reviews and perusing academic journals for viable ways to improve the development and implementation of these technologies. As he continued his research, he also began to build out his own education technology applications, working with students from his former high school in Bucks County, PA to guide product vision and functionality.

“I started to realize I could go beyond my thesis and broaden this to something more creative,” Williams explained. “That’s when I decided that I really wanted to try to actually initiate this idea and actually put pen to paper.”

Soon after, e-Kits was born, producing codeless education technologies centered around finding the most effective online learning methods for high school students by gathering their inputs.

“My goal with e-Kits is really to build this approach of going to students directly to get ideas and get feedback on different things that e-Kits is building,” said Williams. “We want all of our products and technologies to solve student needs.”

At the urging of his academic advisor, Williams became involved with the Blackstone LaunchPad at Bird Library in the fall of 2021 with hopes of scaling his applications and involving a higher number of students from a variety of high schools in his development process. He competed in the fall’s Impact Prize and is presently enrolled in the iLaunchPad class, a course dedicated to business incubation and pairing student founders with experienced mentors and coaches.

“In (the iLaunchPad course), I’ve had the opportunity to actually figure out what a full long-term plan for e-Kits could look like,” said Williams.

Though being a first-time founder has had its fair share of challenges and steep learning curves, Williams has found his experience as an entrepreneur to be enriching and rewarding. He relishes the chance to focus much of his energy into something that interests and excites him and feels as though being a founder offers a form of education that is impossible to capture in a classroom setting.

Williams continues to find daily motivation by the lasting influence he feels like e-Kits can make on the education technology space.

“My main motivation is the impact,” Williams explained. “Working with the different technologies that we already have available to us, it’s not always the best experience. The long-term impact of creating an industry that is more student-centric is really what I’m going for.”

After graduating from Syracuse University in May, Williams plans to accept a full-time offer from IBM to work as a tech consultant. However, Williams doesn’t plan on letting this newfound role interfere with his long-term vision for e-Kits.

“I really want to take time to dedicate towards e-Kits,” said Williams. “I have plans to continue working on it and dedicating my free time.”

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellow Matt Keenan ’22; photo supplied

Noah Mechnig-Giordano is brewing innovation in the loose leaf tea industry

February 2, 2022

Noah Mechnig-Giordano spent most of his life in Switzerland and Germany and has only lived in the U.S. for six years. Noah is in the middle of a five-year combined computer science bachelors and MBA program. In his free time, Noah can be found streaming video game content on Twitch. He also works as a cyber security analyst in Indiana, and market research strategist in Italy.

Noah’s interest in the evolution of technology has deeply impacted his drive to create and counter some of the dangers of technology. His interest and expertise in cybersecurity stems from his realization of the fast-paced advancement of cybercrime.

Noah’s superpower as an entrepreneur is the ability to transform his realization of an issue into a drive to innovate. Noah’s drive comes from his desire to “simply not work for someone else.”

Over the past few months, Noah has launched the Happy Loose Leaf company. As founder and CEO, his goal for the company is to be “a part of the progression forward” in the tea industry.

Noah’s creation is a tea brewing device that automatically controls the inflow and outflow of water once the tea is brewed. It is essentially a tea ball that automatically stops brewing tea and encloses itself as opposed to setting a timer to remember to take it out. Ultimately the purpose is to help encourage people to drink tea and to give up coffee and energy drinks that have been proven to have negative health effects. By making an accessible and efficient tool, he wants to help grow the loose-leaf tea industry.

After an extensive patent search, Noah has completed the process to become patent pending. Furthermore, the Happy Loose Leaf Tea company is now a C corporation. He worked through the LaunchPad to secure Innovation Fund grants to help with these steps. In only a few months Noah was able to accomplish so much which he accredits to taking advantage of the resources around him to “just get started.”

He has been competing in LaunchPad sponsored campus business plan competitions and in the future, Noah hopes to grow into a dominant force in the loose-leaf tea industry, expanding his reach through the creation of more tea accessories and products.

Noah advises aspiring innovators to innovate with the intention to benefit others. It is easy to create for the fun of it, however with Noah’s tea brewing device it is intended for greater good which is the promotion of healthy choices.

Story by LaunchPad Zaccai Foundation Fellow Samba Soumare ’24

Samba Soumare ’24 on creative immersion and innovation

February 2, 2022

Samba Soumare ’24, a Maxwell student majoring in international relations, has a superpower. It is the unique skill of being able to immerse himself in various cultures, whether it be a French or American linguistic context. Language is a tool to understand, a bridge between people. Traveling through Mali, Senegal, Greece, and India, while calling Brooklyn home, equipped him with the tools to understand the experiences of people in these regions on a more personal level. Being analytical and having cultural humility opened his eyes to the fact that we are dependent on each other which can lead to great human flourishing or disaster. His linguistic, cultural, and analytical skills have allowed him to understand contemporary international affairs.

One interesting area of the international realm is the growing investment of China in foreign countries into foreign projects, more specifically infrastructure and land development. It is evident in Ethiopia, one of his home countries’ neighbors, that the Chinese government is expanding its influence into Africa. The international realm is growing ever complex and as a result is a dynamic landscape. This context is the reason he would like to be a diplomat at the United Nations. The growing connectedness of our world through the digital space and growth of children being able to speak multiple languages creates the context for globalism to grow.

As a diplomat, he wants to play a role at the government level.

Mentors help with constructive feedback and help building interpersonal skills. A trusting and honest mentorship relationship provides transparent feedback. It aims to stimulate growth by identifying weaknesses and advising them on ways to improve. Interactions with mentors serve as a medium to build communication such as active listening. Empathy and the greatest virtue which is patience. These skills have allowed me to collaborate more effectively. A creative collaborative community is a great way to meet other students considering emerging ideas and enterprises and gain a more informed perspective.

A new Zaccai Foundation Fellow at the LaunchPad, working with the Intelligence ++ program, he was referred by a fellow LaunchPad student team member Brandon Henry. With a background and empathy for working with young adults with disabilities, he brings both skills and compassion to his new role as a peer mentor.

“My entrepreneurial strength aspect isn’t necessarily the ideas or project I have thought of, but instead my adaptive nature in dialogue,” says Soumare. “I wouldn’t consider myself an extrovert however I have the ability to find common ground with many people who might be completely different from me.”

Story by Brandon Henry ’24; photo supplied

Andreea Merloiu uses her experience and skills to create medical equipment innovation

February 1, 2022

Andreea Merloiu is a recent graduate of Syracuse University with a degree in biomedical engineering who intends to continue her studies in the pre-med track while also tackling her innate passion for innovation. Andreea was born and raised in Romania and bravely took the opportunity to come study in the United States, 5,000 miles away from home.

Andreea’s inspiration to create derives from her family’s malignant history with health complications. A significant instance of these complications for Andreea was the growing sickness in her godfather with morbid obesity and her grandmother’s diagnosis with breast cancer. Her godfather was battling these issues for a long period of time, and this ultimately was the driving force behind Andreea’s creation of Lateral Assist. She used her godfather’s experience with sickness and improper procedures in the hospital to create the idea of an automatic device that allows people battling obesity to shift into a lateral position with no assistance from medical professionals. She ultimately lost trust in the nurses that were supposed to assist her godfather to properly adjust him into a lateral position. She recalls a time where these nurses attempted this procedure right after a surgery of his which resulted in the opening of his stitches leaving his chest cavity open.

To Andreea, an innovator, had to have purpose behind their innovations. She says help from a team and hard work remain factors in successful innovations however it is essential to have a “why”.

Andreea’s superpower is the way she leverages her “why” to innovate effectively.

Soon Andreea has plans to spread the use of computational research libraries for effective research on infections that have impacted her family and families alike. In her own words the implementations of these research libraries would “allow accessibility to more people, you wouldn’t need a lab, and it would require a lot less funding.

5,000 miles away from home and Andreea is still using her “why” as her fuel to make the changes that she deems necessary.

Story by Zaccai Foundation Fellow Samba Soumare