Startup Spotlights

Shameek Hargrave on bridging the gap between theory and application

headshot of a man in a suit

Shameek Hargrave hails from the great state of New Jersey where he is studying computer science and pursuing an engineering degree at Princeton University. He is a close friend and colleague with Brandon Henry ’24, an economics major at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University who is part of the LaunchPad’s student team.  Together, they are working to leverage their strategic, technical, and entrepreneurial skills for venture development.

Their goal is to create a software platform to enable college students to monetize services they could offer within the college ecosystem. They feel that the target market of college students is especially interesting because it offers an opportunity for a double-sided market. And between them, they hope to bring the idea to both Syracuse University and Princeton.

At his core, Shameek wants to build things that connect the gap between a textbook and an application. He is fascinated by the intersection of computing and consciousness, and finds reverse engineering, taking hardware apart, and reading intellectually rewarding. Outside of school, Shameek enjoys reading, basketball, and building things. Philosophy and political theory are also keen interests and he reflect that maybe in another life, he would have entered politics.

Shameek is not only ambitious and confident but also personable as well as open-minded because he has a wide range of experiences. Between boarding school and his hometown of East Orange, he has had a good mix of the melting pot of American culture.

He considers curiosity as his superpower because his passion for constant growth plays a role in how he conducts himself toward personal relationships and his studies.

Possessing an interdisciplinary mindset towards issues allows for a more rounded response to a problem. He sees entrepreneurship as a mindset being embodied by changing the world through innovation that has wide reach and capability. Building products that will augment the human experience are one of the reasons he wants to keep innovating in tech spaces. He finds artificial intelligence concerning computing power and the analysis of neurons in the brain especially interesting because it begins with understanding the human mind and incorporating other aspects of human experience.  

He feels that in our study of the brain and its function, we cannot create a feasible representation of neural pathways and how synapses connect; the gap in our understanding of ourselves makes it almost uncharted territory, and yet it defines our reality.

Another computing issue he finds interesting is the polynomial vs nonpolynomial problems which in computing is the idea that some problems can be solved in a period. Shameek considers novel solutions to nonpolynomial problems in a discernible amount of time as pivotal to advancement into technology.

Shameek was born into a culture of entrepreneurs, people to guide you in the path. Along the way, Shameek says the one thing that will always stay with him is having gratitude. Living in the moment and appreciating the infinitesimal ways of what could transpire within a moment is key. Life is fleeting, everything is temporary which requires you to let things go. Failure is a cog in the wheel, so the only step is to learn.

One of Shameek’s most meaningful experiences was building a nonprofit organization known as Escape Vape. To incentivize kids to stop vaping, an application would monitor usage levels and set goals to decrease vaping.

Along the way, he and his team are realizing it is about understanding the right questions to ask which bring the most value to a pursuit. Finding someone who can give their time holds a special place in his heart which is why mentors play a long-term role in a startup’s success or failure. Collaborative communities are important because they allow people to produce a new idea. Collaboration is a critical part of development. Better holistic and well-rounded perspective is the product of diverse thinkers which can result in accelerated growth.

Shameek’s formula for success includes:

  1. Identify a need
  2. Validate it
  3. Do the research and be willing to identify a target market
  4. Don’t manufacture a need from anything

From Shameek’s personal experience in building a team, he has learned that is key to find people who are good at things you are not.  Identifying shortcomings is crucial because having people fill in the gaps you are deficient in makes for a more well-rounded perspective across the board.

In terms of capability, identifying the skillset you need for a team number becomes more vital as you look into your network. More critical to developing a relationship with the people you are looking to add to your team

Shameek defines innovation as making an idea better through constantly refining and assess the solution

Patrick Prioletti G’21 is creating new wellness applications

young man in snowy woods

When someone says “wellness app” what comes up to mind? Yoga? Guided meditation? Tracking your calories? Counting your steps?

Patrick Prioletti G’21 is creating two wellness apps, but they are a little different from the wellness apps you have on your phone right now.

Prioletti began working on Your Perfect Dose by chance. Retired chief neurosurgeon at Upstate, Gary Rodziewicz, needed someone to make an application for the perfect system he had formulated. After years of being a consultant in prescribing people dosages of cannabis for medical usage, Rodziewicz’s system proved to bring the efficacy of his patients from 40% to 75%.

As a student in the graduate program at the School of Information Studies, studying Applied Data Science, Prioletti was the perfect candidate for Rodziewicz.

After the two met at the Blackstone LaunchPad at the Syracuse University Libraries at the Bird Library, where Prioletti mentors, provided tech support, and had launched his own tech platform as a graduate student, Rodziewicz and Prioletti started working together.

Prioletti wrote an automation system to replicate what Rodziewicz was doing in his office. Your Perfect Dose started off as a website, but there weren’t enough users. Now, Prioletti is working on the app version of Your Perfect Dose to make it more accessible to people. Users can input their problems and check in to see how the recommended cannabis works for them. Think of the app as less of a prescription, more of a guide – like your local dispensary guy. It’s only three months till the testing stages of the app will begin.

This work made Prioletti more curious about wellness apps. After coming across a subreddit called r/micro-dosing, Prioletti went down a rabbit hole of psilocybin and psychedelic studies, and how they can help with personal wellness when used it right amounts.

The subreddit was full of people talking about studies and personal experiences of cases of depression – even end of life care terminal depression being helped with only one psilocybin trip. There have also been researches about people micro-dosing psilocybin and psychedelics under controlled environment with a therapist to treat their mental health as well.

Curious, Prioletti asked the subreddit if there is a website or application that they use to figure out how to micro dose properly. Since the answer was no, Prioletti decided he had to make one called Psily.

Prioletti’s goal with the application is not to guide people. The topic of psilocybin and psychedelics are still taboo and there is a lot of research to be done. Psily will allow users to track and record their usage, wellness, and other factors to help people find out what ideally works for their well-being.

The world of psychedelics and psilocybin may even likely become less taboo over the next decade with the data that Prioletti finds through his app. This would certainly be revolutionary for the world of health and well-being.

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

Tanya Mir ’22, founder of Slice Consulting

headshot of a woman in a blue blouse outdoors

Tanya Mir’s eyes quickly flitter across the screen as she scrolls through job postings, the blue light of her laptop reflecting in her eyes. It is 1 a.m., and she has spent the rest of her day hopping between classes, work, and extracurricular activities. Restless and passionate, Tanya is committed to applying to her dream consulting positions.

Because Tanya is pursuing a policy studies major though the Maxwell School of Citizenship, Tanya lacked the same opportunities available to more traditional business students to prove to consulting companies that she’s capable of success. And compared to other universities with extensive consulting club networks, Syracuse University didn’t have a student consulting club that matched her skills and interests.

Without already having relevant internship experience, Tanya felt at a disadvantage compared to students who had clubs that provided them with the necessary skills and connections that are so pertinent to the job market today.

“The job market is so competitive — not just in consulting but in general. Now, you’re expected to already have extensive experience, even for entry-level jobs,” Tanya, a senior, lamented.

After running the idea by her close friend, Bailey Klemm, Tanya began Slice Consulting to provide students with the opportunity to gain real-world experience in the field. Together, the two women built the club from the ground up, modeling it as closely as possible to what real consulting recruitment and work looks like.

“I could not have done it without Bailey,” Tanya said. “She deserves a lot of credit for keeping me in check and giving me the truth when I needed it.”

Teams are a major part of consulting, so Tanya stressed that the executive team she and Bailey had selected became the foundation for the club’s success and creative drive. The team keeps each other accountable, and Bailey helps Tanya decide what club initiatives need to be prioritized most.

Tanya also expressed how the growth of Slice allowed her to strengthen her ability to leverage a team dynamic for long-term success: “The larger we grow as a club, the more I have to learn my limits and delegate tasks to others. This is good because it also creates new leadership positions for more people.”

She added, “Teamwork makes the dream work. You have to know how to be not only a great leader but also a great team member, which can sometimes mean stepping back and letting someone else take the lead.”

When Slice launched in the fall, Tanya was blown away by the caliber of the applications. This semester, she is expecting to bring on even more members for their growing client base.

To join Slice, students must partake in an interview and case study that mirrors the application process of many well-known consulting firms. Once they are accepted as consultants, the students work on projects for clients, most of which so far have been nonprofits in the Syracuse area. For each project, one consultant is appointed as the project manager. Following this, the project team meets with the client to discuss their needs. The teams use real project management tools to meet deadlines and ultimately help their client succeed. 

One of Slice’s first clients is the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University.

Outside of Slice, Tanya also works as a teaching assistant in the political science department, where she is starting a new program to engage more political science students in civic engagement. She has also worked on grant writing for Upskill Education and fosters discourse on effective club leadership through the South Asian Student Association.

After graduating this spring, Tanya will be kickstarting her consulting career by working for Deloitte as a business technology analyst for the summer, and she is also applying to a master’s degree program in entrepreneurship through the Whitman School of Management.

Tanya’s projects can be found on her LinkedIn, and more information about Slice Consulting can be found on the club’s website and Instagram.

There will be two general interest meetings for students looking to join Slice in Spring 2022:

  • Tuesday, February 1st at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom
  • Wednesday, February 2nd at 7:30 p.m. on Zoom

Interested students should also fill out Slice’s application form, which is due February 7th.

See the below image for the general interest meeting ID’s and QR code.

Story by Sasha Temerte ’23, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photo supplied

Paul Franco ’22 is building a team to help commercialize an innovative wearable dehydration monitor

headshot of a student against a white wall

Growing up in New Providence, New Jersey, Paul Franco ‘22 candidly describes himself as being “always a little bit on the weird side.” He says, “I was always quick witted and light on my feet. I tried to figure things out faster than other people.” However, Franco, now a senior at Syracuse University majoring in physics, never saw himself using his quick wit as an entrepreneur. “Overall, I liked the idea of taking ownership of a company or an idea, but I didn’t know how to do that or where to start.” That has all changed, as he now has become an award winner innovator and inventor.

Funny enough, Franco started as an accounting major in Whitman because his father worked in finance. After freshman year, he realized he wasn’t passionate about the field and switched to physics where he has blossomed since.

During the summer of 2020, Franco was looking to apply his science skills in a way that was challenging and exciting. He signed up for the Invent@SU program, a program that helps transform undergraduate students into inventors as they design, prototype and pitch original devices. The program was pushed back to the next year due to COVID-19, but Franco was still excited to get involved. After meeting his co-founders Zach Stahl and Anthony Mazzacane, the team went to work coming up with an invention and prototyping.

Franco says, “We had only 48 hours to come up with an idea, but we felt we found a good idea that has a real impact.”

They came up with HydroHealth, a wearable dehydration monitor. Dehydration stood out as a concern for their team as 80% of NCAA athletes had suffered from dehydration. They wanted to design a wearable device that could monitor an athlete’s hydration level so coaches and trainers would have better information and keep athletes safe. They tried to compile as much data as possible to prove the product’s validity, even having co-founder Zach Stahl go on the treadmill for hours on end to conduct trials.  After winning 1st place at Invent@SU, they felt that their product was validated and there were looking for a way to continue their work and explore commercialization opportunities.

Franco and his team found the Blackstone LaunchPad, which he says has really helped push HydroHealth to what it is today. He says, “What has really pushed us is connecting with LaunchPad mentors and preparing for venture competitions held by the LaunchPad. As a physics student I have presented academic research I’ve conducted but pitching a product and business roadmap is a whole other nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience.”  He also mentions how the business resources in the LaunchPad from branding to finance has really helped HydroHealth solidify themselves as legitimate business.  The group is also the recipient of LaunchPad Innovation Grants which is helping with prototyping and legal incorporation costs.

Franco and HydroHealth are excited to be participating in the upcoming 2022 ACC InVenture Prize competition hosted by the LaunchPad in February and vying for a chance to make it the ACC finals.  He says, “I’m excited to take this company as far as possible. We’ve made a ton of progress and I’m just excited to see where it leads.”

HydroHealth is looking for help with branding, packaging design, graphic design, and other skills, so if you’re interested in helping this dynamic team, reach out to pgfranco@syr.edu

Story by Jack Lyons ‘22, LaunchPad Global Fellow; photo supplied

Maya Tsimmer ’23 turns her passion for beekeeping into an organic honey business

headshot of a student in a white blouse

In the solitude of the spring 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, a passion for beekeeping was born. Maya Tsimmer ’23, studying advertising in the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with marketing minor in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, created Bethel Sweet Honey during the pandemic and launched herself into the world of locally sourced honey.

Tsimmer’s interest in locally sourced honey begins as a love story to the upstate New York countryside.  Raised in New York City, her family owned a country house in Bethel, New York complete with floor-to-ceiling glass windows to capture the surrounding rolling wooded hills. 

When the family house unfortunately burned down in 2008, her family was devastated but Tsimmer always maintained her love for the beauty of Upstate New York and an appreciation for its rich biodiversity and agricultural produce.

“We spent so much time working the land — planting pine seedlings so that pine trees would grow and keep on growing with the family history,” Tsimmer recalled of the home she lost in the fire. “People overlook Upstate New York.  But it has so many incredible foods and it remains undiscovered when it comes to organic food.”

Tsimmer began to fully appreciate the agricultural richness of New York when she took up beekeeping as a hobby during COVID-19 isolation. While her family did not rebuild the home, they still visited the land often and stayed with family nearby. As she taught herself to tend bees and harvest honey on the family land, she began to see honey as more than product but as a storytelling of the New York ecosystem and an experiential joy.

 “Our goal is to elevate honey, to go beyond honey as an accessory to tea or coffee, and to bring appreciation of seasonal varieties with uniquely local taste profiles and multiple uses that take a front row seat as a healthier alternative to sugar-rich spreadables, candy and much more,” said Tsimmer regarding the experience of honey. “When you take a spoonful of Bethel Sweet, you will think of your best summers, the lakes, the woods and Catskill mountains.”

With the desire to share honey as a joy and homage to the nature of New York, Tsimmer along with the help of her brother launched Bethel Sweet Honey, selling small batch unprocessed honey.  The unique element of Bethel Sweet Honey lies in Tsimmer’s self-discovered straining process which creates tiny sugar crystals in the honey, creating a more interesting flavor profile and silky-smooth buttery texture.

In addition to regular honey harvested from her bees, she also created a wildflower honey, which includes berries natural to New York State as a tribute to its local environment.  She also hopes to highlight the remarkable health benefits of honey, from immunity support, anti-allergen, and healing properties to increased nutrition compared to other refined sugars.

At present Bethel Sweet Honey is sold mainly through private markets and through a partnership with VR World, the US largest virtual reality entertainment center in New York City.

While Tsimmer right now must balance her passion for beekeeping with academic life in Syracuse, she hopes to expand Bethel Sweet Honey’s market and pursue its growth fulltime after graduation. Bethel Sweet at present is managed and operated by Tsimmer and her brother, but she’s currently looking to outsource more of the honey production to other local beekeepers, dedicated on preserving the local roots and artisanal quality of Bethel Sweet Honey.

Tsimmer’s story of starting her own business during the pandemic echoes experiences of many who found new directions in a time that fostered creativity during a period of isolation and stillness. For Tsimmer, her redirection pointed her back towards the childhood land she felt deeply connected to. Bethel Sweet Honey is a celebration of the beauty and farming of upstate New York and reflects Tsimmer’s desire to share the life of New York’s land with others.

“In a lot of ways, Bethel Sweet is a part of the land that was lost,” said Tsimmer.

Story by Claire Howard ’23, LaunchPad Global Fellow

Jacob Hewlett ’24 creates a premier digital marketing agency

headshot of a student against a lake and hills at sunset

Like many of us when the pandemic arrived Jacob Howlett was left contemplating “What’s next?” After graduating from high school in the spring of 2020, Howlett—now a sophomore computer science major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science—noticed how quickly everyone and everything was transitioning online. Howlett realized this transition presented a big opportunity and he wanted to capitalize on it. He just wasn’t sure how.

While quarantining at home in Post Falls, Idaho—Howlett came across a very long Twitter thread in which a successful graphic designer spoke openly about their career. This designer explained how investing in himself by mastering a skill at a young age was critical for his future career. 

Shortly after reading this story, Howlett stumbled upon a social media ad. Usually, Howlett would skip ads, but this video was so well constructed and enticing that he watched the entire 40-minute clip. Howlett wanted to learn how this digital advertiser captured his attention so seamlessly. The advertiser was selling a social media marketing course in which he taught individuals and companies how to advertise effectively on Instagram and Facebook. Howlett saw that this guy knew what he was doing, so he jumped at the opportunity.

After taking the course, Howlett launched Alpha Advertising Agency—a premier digital marketing agency that helps small businesses realize their full potential online. Nearly two years later, he is now a Facebook ads expert and has worked with more than ten companies —including service businesses such as landscapers, tree removers, and photographers. His job is to direct as much traffic to these businesses’ websites as much as possible while overseeing ad development and copywriting. For potential new clients, Howlett typically sets up a two-week trial period in which he charges the client a set-up fee and a percentage of the revenue that he generates for their business. In his first two-week trial, Howlett helped his client make $20,000, and he fondly recalls when a client messaged him, thanking him for generating $50,000 in revenue. Now, Howlett is working with the largest photography business within his home region.

Alpha Advertising Agency’s success has not come without its challenges and Howlett has learned several skills that go beyond mastering Facebook’s advertising formula. He notes that managing potential client relationships was especially difficult in the beginning. Having conducted over 30 sales calls, he now knows how to negotiate and communicate with clients as a business owner and has learned the importance of re-messaging leads to close sales. 

Howlett is a new member of the Blackstone LaunchPad at Bird Library. He describes a feeling of fulfillment after joining an on-campus community where he can talk about business and new venture development. “I remember leaving Start-up in a Day feeling so happy to be around my kind of people.  It’s rewarding being around those creative minds and having people who you can bounce things off and they’ll bounce stuff right back.”

Moving forward for Alpha Advertising—Howlett is focused on improving his organic marketing tactics, strengthening his relationship with the new photography company, and getting more clients. On the horizon for the digital advertising industry, Howlett says that the Apple ios15 update has made re-targeting and tracking people a lot harder for social marketers. However, he is bullish that the future of digital advertising will center around content creation.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Howlett recommends that you act. It is okay if you don’t always know where you are going; you will get somewhere just by putting one foot in front of the other.

For more information on Alpha Advertising Agency, check out their website: https://alphaadvert.com/ .  Additionally, to get in contact with Howlett, reach out to the Blackstone LaunchPad at Bird Library (launchpad@syr.edu).

Story by Selim Dangoor ’23, Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow

Yaoxu Zong ’22 is making independent travel possible for everyone

headshot of a student

Being stunned by the Great Pyramids of Giza, getting the best sushi in Japan and tanning on the beaches of Pattaya are on a lot of people’s bucket lists. In fact, when asked, people will say traveling is one of their favorite hobbies. Yaoxu Zong ’22, an Industrial and Interactions Design student in the School of Design, loves traveling as well, especially the experience of independent solo traveling.

With a shared love for travel, Zong and his teammate Emme Perkins used their hobby as an inspiration for the DES 400 Intelligence ++ program. Zong and Perkins came up with Rethinking Travel – an app that could help people, especially people with intellectual disabilities, to be able to travel independently.

Usually, people with intellectual disabilities travel with friends, family or someone who can provide them guidance. With Rethinking Travel, people can schedule a support group or a guide ahead of time in the areas that they would need help with. Most people do not need someone to help them all the time – it could only be to communicate or for getting to places. The help they need can be tailored to anything they need along the trip.

Zong has been talking to Micah and Augus from the Intelligence ++ program to give him insight on what people with disabilities really need and want. Rethinking Travels aims to empower people with disabilities and provide their worried loved ones a peace of mind.

Currrently, the team is also working with the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries at Bird Library. Zong and Perkins also won a $500 Impact Prize – Intelligence ++ prize award recently for their work.

Rethinking Travel is now in the stages of prototyping and user testing. After it launches, Zong hopes the app the branch out to help elderly people or people with language barriers as well.

Zong says that the design school emphasizes on the importance of inclusivity in product designs and he is really enjoying learning more about the disability community and inclusivity through Rethinking Travel and Intelligence ++ class.

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

Emme

Emmeline Perkins ’22 creates an inclusive travel app

Student against a blue sky

When you think of design, you normally picture fashion, fancy clothes, and creativity. Emmeline Perkins, a fifth year VPA Industrial and Interactive Design major with a minor in fashion design, always envisioned using her design major to create products to help solve problems. While she has great ambitions to eventually create products geared to the outdoors, she is currently working on a project that can change the game for those who have an intellectual disability.

Ever since high school, Emme has always been the athletic, strong, independent, go- getter in life. She had a passion for the outdoors, design, and helping people with her creative mind, and so she knew Industrial and Interactive Design was for her. After high school, Emme attended Rochester Institute of Technology with hopes to gain her college experience and her degree; however, she realized that this school wasn’t the place she wished to achieve that. With great thought and consideration, Emme knew she wanted to transfer, but to where? She had consulted with many friends and heard amazing stories about Syracuse University, so with excitement, she transferred into the design program at Syracuse.

Since her time at Syracuse, she has kept herself busy not only with the projects she completes but also being part of Women in Design and Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Emme is currently enrolled in DES 400 led by VPA School of Design professor Don Carr, a collaboration with InclusiveU and the Blackstone LaunchPad.  The course has given her the opportunity to work with Inclusive U students as part of the Intelligence ++ Program.

As a result of her bubbly personality, and great listening skills, she has led herself and her team to be very successful. An admirable trait about Emme is her willingness to always improve herself, “I’ve been working on finding the balance between talking and listening and always making sure I’m engaging with people to provoke ideas for the project.” Furthermore, she is a great team leader who constantly engages in other people’s ideas to make sure they are working as a team and supporting one another.

Emme’s idea for the semester-long project was born when she and her partner, Robin, were on a walk talking with their TA, Micah, who has an intellectual disability. As they were discussing travel, they realized Micah only travels with people or to places he knows. They asked themselves, “What if he could travel by himself but still had support a different way?” She realized that traveling wasn’t a very inclusive activity and noticed those who may be physically impaired are more assisted, but those who are intellectually disabled don’t have the same support. She knew this had to change, and she wanted to create an app that allows individuals who have intellectual disabilities to travel more independently.

Emme and her Intelligence ++ teammates created Story by Sydney Grosso, Zaccai Foundation Fellow at the LaunchPad; photo supplied

a brilliant travel app, Parrot, which allows individuals with intellectual disabilities to travel and plan trips independently. The idea of Parrot originated from the symbolism that people with all abilities should be able to fly with freedom. It particularly supports people with intellectual disabilities. The app would include features on-call support through certified and background checks on individuals who would provide help with logistics as well as local recommendations. She hopes to start with teachers on this app that have certifications to work with a specialized group of individuals.

The presentation for Parrot won one of the three top prizes in the recent LaunchPad sponsored Impact Prize – Intelligence ++ competition.

There is no doubt Emme’s vision for Parrot could make a lifelong impact for the disability community and could have wider applications for elderly travelers or others who need extra support while traveling solo.

She aspires to, in the future, continue working on this thoughtful idea. If anyone could accomplish such a stellar idea, it would be Emmeline Perkins.

Josh Alter ’22 helps startups focus on their finances for growth

Personal finances are tricky enough. But managing finances for a business, particularly a new startup business, is an entirely different domain of stress and complexity. At the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University, Josh Alter ’22 works diligently to help startup teams keep track of finances and focus on growth.

The finance major in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management with a sports analytics minor in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, is the LaunchPad’s resident financial advisor and of this year’s Launchstars.  Alter has always loved tackling projects and leading business teams and this role is a perfect fit.

He connected to the LaunchPad in an uncommon way — through a chance friendship. In 2017, Alter met Sam Hollander, the LaunchPad’s Program Manager, on a trip to Australia. Alter and Hollander, who lived hundreds of miles away from each other, did not see each other again, but kept in touch.  When they both committed to Syracuse, their shared travel experience turned into a great college friendship.

Through Hollander’s connection to the LaunchPad, Alter himself began to work with one of LaunchPad’s businesses, Popcycle.  Run by Jackson Ensley and Paul Hultgren, two LaunchPad team members, Popcycle creates popups and spaces for student artists and creatives to sell their work, from woven tote bags to handprinted jean jackets. “The concept is amazing,” says Alter. “We have something we’re passionate about and so many talented student innovators are on campus. It was amazing to make a space for them.”

Alter worked with Popcycle to organize its finances, manage multiple revenue streams, and create budget forecasts for future projects. It was through this role that Alter was first immersed in the world of startups. He loved it. “A lot of the work I did then was a learning experience. Everyone who works in a startup wears all the hats,” says Alter.

Like most people, Alter’s college experience changed significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. The rapid shift from a packed academic schedule and rich social life to virtual Zoom classes within his bedroom was for him, like it many, debilitating for his mental health and wellbeing. After missing an on-campus fall 2020 semester, he needed a change. He said goodbye to his roommates, packed up his belongings, booked a flight to Honolulu, and spent the next semester alternating his time between a sunny Hawaiian beach and completing online coursework. “I kind of dropped everything,” says Alter. “There’s nothing like sun, water and warm weather to turn everything around. It was probably the best three months of my life.”

Alter’s biggest growth that happened in his time away from campus was independence. Away from the professional and social networks that a university provides, he was forced to form new networks independently and grow in a self-sustained way.

It’s this independence and self-courage that he applies to his work today and is part of what he loves about the LaunchPad.  “It’s such a real space,” says Alter about the LaunchPad. “In the classroom you’re doing a lot of theoretical work, but here these students have passion and ideas and I get to help develop those.” 

This drive to realize the grand ideas of others into reality through financial services has led Alter to create a career where he does just that. After graduation, he’ll be working for Deloitte on an account for a large sports-related client, where he’ll audit and advise the client on their financial model.

From financial forecasting for small student startups to a prestigious global company, Alter uses his financial knowledge to help people and companies cement their dreams into reality. His power lies not just in his passion, but his ability to create space and growth for himself through every difficulty, like his choice to spend a semester in Hawaii.

“We get very wrapped up in our jobs and our future and it’s important that we take a breath and look at what we’ve done to see that things are going well.”

Story by Claire Howard ’23, Global Fellow; photo supplied

Eunice Boateng ’22 should be your new favorite hair stylist

student in a white dress

For many, one of their favorite personal experiences is having a great conversation with their hair stylist. This experience is not new to Eunice Boateng’s clients at The Hair Thairapist.

Boateng has been doing her own hair and her teammates’ hairs for some time, and now, thanks to Boateng, the members of her track and field team at Syracuse all have great hair.

Although she has been doing hair for fun, she started taking her vocation seriously during the coronavirus lockdowns. Hair salons shut down as the virus swept the country, so Boateng started doing her friends’ hair, and a business idea blossomed.  

Hair styling skills run in the family. Boateng’s mother and sister owns a hair salon in Ontario, Canada. Although she did not dabble in the salon business back home, Boateng can now do anything from wigs to cornrows for both men and women’s hair.

Now, Boateng is planning her own hair business like her mother and sister, but with a twist.

As a pre health psychology student at the College of Arts and Sciences who knows the importance of mental health and wellness, and as an outgoing person, Boateng loved getting into deeper conversations with her clients and get to know them well. She has a great bond with her clients and had a tear-jerking talk with her client a few weeks back. Having this kind of relationship with her clients, she realized that The Hair Thairapist is definitely the right name for her business.

Boateng was one of the students participating in the Startup in a Day event hosted by Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries at the Bird Library this semester.  She felt it was wonderful to see a variety of businesses involved, including those like hers that are not solely technology based.

She has a big future ahead of her. Soon after graduation, Boateng will be busy thinking about graduate school and running The Hair Thairapist. There might even be her own salon popping up in the future!

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