Kelsey Davis ’19 G ’20, founder and CEO of CLLCTVE, a platform connecting college creators and brands targeting Gen-Z consumers, is joining the LaunchPad as an Alumni Entrepreneur in Residence (EIR). She was recently named to Forbes 30 Under 30, as well as Adweek’s 2020 list of Young Influentials Who Are Shaping Media, Marketing and Tech.
Davis recently graduated from Techstars Los Angeles where she is now scaling her company after incubating at the LaunchPad while completing her undergraduate degree in the Newhouse School of Public Communications and her master’s degree in entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises at the Whitman School of Management. Davis peer mentored other student startups as a LaunchPad Rubin Family Innovation Mentor while also participating in the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars Propel program and the LaunchPad Lift program. Under her leadership, the CLLCTVE team won numerous Syracuse University competitions and is now raising significant seed funding to scale in Los Angeles.
Prior to forming CLLCTVE, Kelsey produced digital content for brands like Coca Cola, Puma and Land Rover, as well as agencies such as Conde Nast Entertainment and Uniworld Group. Hailing from Atlanta, Davis is often featured as a next-gen leader in Forbes, the New York Times and Adweek who calls her a leading Gen ZEO.
She joins a team of other distinguished alumni who are Alumni EIRs who are providing virtual services. Read about them here.
An EIR is an accomplished executive who helps provides insight to promising portfolio ventures, bringing both subject matter expertise and functional skills to help commercialize an idea. An EIR helps guide a startup through discovery, market research, value proposition, and investment thesis. An EIR typically has had a founding role as part of a high-growth company and has experience with new-product development, raising capital, building and managing a team and scaling a company.
EIRs graciously volunteer their time on a regular basis to the LaunchPad to help coach startups and make connections. LaunchPad members have free access to our Entrepreneurs in Residence. If you are not a LaunchPad member, join here.
Student startups who would like to meet with an EIR can make an appointment by e-mailing LaunchPad@syr.edu