Fall is already shaping up to to be a busy season for campus innovation events. Here are key dates to book now for speakers, activities and competitions with cash prizes. Stay tuned across all social media channels @LaunchPadSYR for program details and links news stories about each event.
Annual campus wide events that will be virtual
September 11 – 12, 2020 – Panasci Business Plan Competition sponsored by Whitman with $20,000 in prizes
October 16, 2020 – Cuse Tank sponsored by the LaunchPad as part of Family Weekend that features parent entrepreneurs as judges with $10,000 in prizes. Watch for details.
October 23, 2020 – Orange Tank, Whitman student and recent alumni competition, featuring distinguished alumni as judges, $20,000 in prizes. Applications opening soon. Watch for details.
October 23 – 25, 2020 – LaunchPad Startup Weekend co-sponsored by the LaunchPads at SUNY Buffalo, Syracuse University and Cornell University, sponsored by The Blackstone Charitable Foundation and Techstars. Applications opening soon. Watch for details.
October 29 – November 1, 2020 – Special LaunchPad events as part of Orange Central Weekend, with Founders Circle alumni events, panel presentations and guest speakers who are alumni entrepreneurs. Watch for details.
November 13, 2020 – Impact Prize Competition, social impact entrepreneurship event, with social impact entrepreneurs as judges, $15,000 in prizes. Applications opening soon. Watch for details.
November 16 – 22, 2020 — Global Entrepreneurship Week (a series of panel discussions during the week with international entrepreneur alumni Zooming in from around the world, co-presented this year with WeMedia Lab, Globalists, and Blended. Watch for details.
December 4, 2020 – Syracuse University Hult Prize competition. Applications open later this fall based on the global competition schedule. Watch for details.
New special virtual events this fall:
Syracuse LaunchPad IdeaX, tentatively set for Saturday, September 26, a virtual mini startup “rocket lab” co-hosted with student organizations to jumpstart new ideas and build the pipeline for new students. Built on the idea of jumpstarting ideas and teams.
Virtual Mentor Week, set for November 9 -13, in partnership with the Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars global network. Network with top advisors, mentors, founders and industry executives from across Techstars who will be generously volunteering for a week of virtual meetings to help start, seed and grow ideas that are coming out of the 32 universities now in the network. Watch for details to be invited to participate.
Diversity and Inclusion programming with SOYL (Supporting Our Young Leaders), a Black and Latinx youth leadership venture that started in the Syracuse LaunchPad, now a community-based diversity initiative. Kicks off at the Commonspace in downtown Syracuse, and runs once a month through the fall. Dates and topics to be announced. Follow Instagram: soyltalks; Twitter: soyltalks; and Facebook: SOYL Talks for great posts and program details.
Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars Social Impact Fellowship, from October 19 to December 11, will be stipend-based opportunities for the top 50 students at each of the 32 universities in the global network who are working on social impact ventures. Nominations are open to all active LaunchPad members who are currently enrolled as graduate or undergraduate students working on a product, technology, service or non-profit venture idea with a deep civic or social impact. Applicants must be a founder or co-founder. Requires a strong recommendation letter from the campus LaunchPad executive director. Programming is provided by Techstars with support from each campus. Fellowship awards are made by Techstars, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and the program partners, and not by campus directors. Nominations are primarily by campus directors, although open applications will be accepted. Applications will be open August 31 and close on September 18.
Future Founders U.Pitch College Startup Pitch Competition in partnership with the Blackstone LaunchPad and Techstars global network, with $10,000 in prizes. Applications will be due September 30. Watch for details.
LaunchPad Friday Fireside Chats, 3 p.m. weekly, coordinated by the Syracuse University LaunchPad at SU Libraries, with inspirational business leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs in virtual sessions. Dates: September 4, 11, 18, 25; October 2, 9, 23, 30; November 6, 20. Open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community. Watch for details.
LaunchPad Thursday Technical Workshops, 3 p.m. weekly, coordinated by the Syracuse University LaunchPad at SU Libraries, with subject matter experts offering practical advice on the most common questions asked by those exploring the startup world. Open to faculty, staff, students, alumni and the community. Dates: September 4, 10, 17, 24: October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; November 5, 12, 19.
In keeping with good public health guidelines, all of these events will be virtual this fall. We encourage you to stay engaged by reading our newsletter, following us on social media, and checking our website and news page for weekly updates.