COVID-19 has challenged millions of people to adapt to working remotely. This fall, it will be common to split time between working from home and going into an office. That may be a change that’s permanent, even post-pandemic, as people appreciate the flexibility that comes with a hybrid model. In fact, a recent two-year Stanford study shows and astonishing productivity boost that comes from working from home, especially in a hybrid model. As businesses contemplate the future of physical locations and embrace a workforce that is partly remote, one thing is still certain. People still want a way to connect and be part of a community. Not surprisingly, co-working spaces are creating ways to do that by moving networking online. The LaunchPad is doing that this fall through a new platform that can help innovators expand networks without going into an office every day.
Enter Discord, the Syracuse LaunchPad’s new digital networking platform, chat room and resource network that allows SU innovators to communicate over voice, video, and text. Discord can connect like-minded innovators and creatives with peer mentors to get advice, build their network, or just hang out with fellow like-minded entrepreneurs. It’s Slack meets Zoom with a pinch of Reddit, all in one place, curated on LaunchPad Discord.
Start by joining the LaunchPad here and then hop on LaunchPad Discord here.
Discord is a freeware instant messaging, VoIP application and digital software platform that features integrated text, image, video and audio communication that a chat channel that can run on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and in web browsers. More than 250 million people are currently on the platform which launched in 2011 and has become the space for building community in a digital environment.
The Syracuse LaunchPad Discord channel is organized by categories such as onboarding, announcements, community space, discussion rooms and mentor network with voice, text and video channels. If you are looking to collaborate with others, exploring the channels is a great way to build a team, find help, connect with a mentor or other entrepreneurs, and follow what other members of the LaunchPad are up.
Nick Barba ‘20 helped spearhead the new Syracuse LaunchPad Discord platform and will coordinate it in his new role as a project manager for the LaunchPad. For questions about how it works, reach out to Nick directly at ntbarba@syr.edu if you need help getting on-boarded.
We’re excited to see how much digital harmony we can foster with a little creative “discord.” Click here to get started using the new Syracuse LaunchPad Discord.