The LaunchPad welcomes back Josh Aviv, one of Syracuse University’s most successful entrepreneurial startups, on Tuesday, February 15 at 5 p.m. for a founders chat in the LaunchPad. Aviv is founder and CEO of SparkCharge, a company specializing in portable electric vehicle chargers. He launched the startup at Syracuse University, and since graduation has become a dynamic figure in the cleantech community. His company is valued at $100 million and has operations across the country.
Aviv launched SparkCharge as a student, working closely with the Blackstone LaunchPad to develop his business roadmap. He incubated after graduation at the Syracuse Center of Excellence (CoE) , where he built his prototype.
As a student, Aviv won the grand prize in the New York Business Plan Competition, as well as top honors in more than seven business competitions. He won the top prize of $1 million at 43North, a Buffalo, New York-based startup competition, receiving his trophy from New York Lieutenant Governor and Syracuse University alumna Kathy Hochul at the 43North awards ceremony. He was also the recipient of a New York State FuzeHub Commercialization Competition award. He then went on to Techstars Boston and became part of Greentown Labs, the largest clean energy incubator in the world, as well as the LACI clean tech accelerator in Los Angeles.
Most recently, he captured a $1 million investment on the season 13 premiere of Shark Tank.
Aviv earned a bachelor’s in economics through the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and refined his concept through graduate coursework in information management at the School of Information Studies.
Aviv is a member of the LaunchPad’s Founders Circle and serves as a LaunchPad Entrepreneur in Residence.
He is the recipient of the 2019 Generation Orange Award.
Here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Josh Aviv from Money, Inc. magazine.
Aviv will be joining virtually for this founder’s chat. E-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu for the Zoom link.