The Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University is pleased to invite all designers, creators, producers, artisans, and small business owners to apply to its first Freelance & Small Business Competition on Friday, April 21st from 12-3pm with $600 in prize funding. 

This competition is specifically designed for students who are building a career or side hustle providing services or creating products. The competition will be judged in two different categories: Freelancing and Small Business. Freelancing includes individuals specializing in services such as graphic design, web development, videography, photography, software development, writing, and any other professional service. Small Business focuses on artisans hoping to sell their artwork, craft, and creations of all forms. 

The application asks students to submit an executive summary of their business (templates found here) with a portfolio or photo examples of their work.

The competition asks students to present a 4 minute pitch of their business, focusing on their previous work and the unique value they bring to their product or service market. While competitors are not required to have an established business before entering in the competition they are expected to show previous work. Competitors will be asked to present a plan for the awarded funds in the case of winning the competition.

Judges will pick winners based on categories of professionalism, targeted market focus, portfolio, creative ability, and unique market value. There will be two winners in the Freelancer category and two winners in the Small Business category, with each winner receiving up to $200!

Applications close for the competition on Friday, April 16th. The application can be submitted here, and further competition information will be forwarded to all applicants. Please visit the LaunchPad on the first floor of Bird Library if you would like mentorship while preparing your executive summary or pitch. 

For any additional information or questions please contact competition directors Sasha Temerte atemerte@syr.edu or Claire Howard clhoward@syr.edu. 

The LaunchPad is the university’s resource center and accelerator for students looking to pursue owning their own business or building a side hustle. We warmly welcome all student freelancers and artisans to enter the Freelance & Small Business Competition for a chance to showcase their talent and receive funding for their future. 

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

Twenty-nine Syracuse student startup teams captured $30,000 in combined funding from this year’s RvD iPrize Competition and Spirit of Excellence Awards sponsored by the iSchool and hosted by the Blackstone LaunchPad. Associate Dean of Syracuse University Libraries, Scott Warren and Bruce Kingma, Professor of Entrepreneurship, Syracuse University School of Information Studies joined in making the awards. The event support innovation and student entrepreneurship which is an excellent reflection of both iSchool dean Von Dran and Hunter Brooks Watson legacies.

iSchool dean Raymond Von Dran, who served from 1995 until his passing in 2007, was a longtime academic entrepreneur and staunch supporter of student innovation.

The Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund, also known as Hunter’s Fund, was founded in honor of Hunter, a young man whose life was tragically cut short in a car accident. The Spirit of Excellence Awards recognize young people working on innovative ideas that can make our lives better.

This year’s iPrize winners included nine student startup teams who won $2,000 each:

This year’s Spirit of Excellence Awardees were four student entrepreneurs who won $2,500 each:

We’re so incredibly thankful to Jack Rose, our Hunter Brooks Watson Scholar, volunteers Jack Ramza, Claire Howard, and Ciana Steller, and a stellar group of judges for their contributions to this event.

Students and young alumni from across the campus and community shared how being entrepreneurs has helped them knock down personal and professional goals. Afropreneurship, a celebration of black entrepreneurs during Black History Month, was organized by Todd B. Rubin Diversity and Inclusion Scholar, Ud Joseph, and sponsored by the LaunchPad.

Ud Joseph guided panelists that included Brandon Henry ’24 (Maxwell), Adore Ellis ’23 (VPA), Jordan Pierre ’23 (Whitman), and Zebedayo Masongo ’23 (School of Law), Syracuse University Alumni Lisa Newcomb, CEO of Thrive in Healing, and LaunchPad Alum Damaris (Koi) Munyua G’22 (Whitman), and community entrepreneur Eli Smith, CEO of So Gone Trash Removal and Eli Smith Contractors — through a dialogue about what Afropreneurs need to succeed.

The panelists explored how generations have defined success, how it is evolving, and where startups can find resources and build networks to succeed. They also discussed why it is vital to help develop businesses in the Black community, and the importance of civic participation.

Following the panel presentation, 10 teams presented ideas to solve challenges on campus and in the community. The winner of the $500 Pitch Challenge was Motolani Oladitan for her venture, Ta, a virtual marketplace connecting African beauty and wellness brands with the diaspora, making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase high-quality, authentic African products. Learn more

Doctor of law and institutional trading technology executive Tim Geannopulos visited Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad at SU Libraries on January 30, 2023

Tim Geannopulos is no stranger to entrepreneurship and taking risk. He originally joined Trading Technologies (TT) in 1999 and left in 2014 to launch technology firm Neurensic in Chicago. He left the firm, which was focused on compliance and operations software for firms in the financial industry, in 2016.

Geannopulos held the position of Executive Vice President and Head of Sales for more than 15 years before becoming Chairman and CEO. Indeed, the financial technology veteran shared that story, and lessons from more than 20 years in the fields of finance, investment, and software, at the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad to student entrepreneurs.

He joined an intimate roundtable that included Aidan Mickleburgh ’22 G’23 (College of Engineering and Computer Science and an MBA from the Whitman), Justin Gluska ’23 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) of The ChatGPT Promptbook, Brandon Henry ‘24 (Maxwell School of Citizenship of Public Affairs) of Beyond the Box, Ud Joseph ‘25 (iSchool), Ryan Joaquin Sylvester ’25 (College of Arts and Sciences) and more.

“Find your X-men power at the intersection of what you’re doing and your passion,” said Geannopulos.

Geannopulos provided inspiration to the student entrepreneurs attending the event and shared future opportunities to stay connected. As Chairman and CEO his responsibilities include managing key partner transactions and guide TT through the next chapter of growth and expansion. The role he is most proud of is father to his children, one of which is a student at Syracuse University.

Trading Technologies (TT) creates professional trading software infrastructure and data solutions for a wide variety of users, including proprietary traders, brokers, money managers, CTAs, hedge funds, commercial hedgers and risk managers. In addition to providing access to the world’s major international exchanges and liquidity venues via its TT® trading platform, TT offers domain-specific technology for cryptocurrency trading and machine-learning tools for trade surveillance.

The event was organized by Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad at SU Libraries in partnership with Advancement and External Affairs (AEA).

Source: Trading Technologies

Join Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad on Friday, February 24 from 1:00 to 3:00 PM in the Peter Graham Scholarly Commons, first floor of Bird Library, for Afropreneurship, a celebration of black entrepreneurs. Register now

The event will include panel discussions. an open pitch competition, and a networking reception. It is being organized by Todd B. Rubin Diversity and Inclusion Scholar, Ud Joseph ’25 (iSchool), along with Brandon Henry ’24 (Maxwell), Adore Ellis ’23 (VPA), Jordan Pierre ’23 (Whitman), and Zebedayo Masongo ’23 (School of Law).

It will feature entrepreneurs such as Eli Smith, CEO of So Gone Trash Removal and Eli Smith Contractors, Lisa Newcomb, CEO of Thrive in Healing, and LaunchPad Alum Damaris (Koi) Munyua G’22 (Whitman).

A “Fast Pitch Challenge” will offer a $500 first prize for a creative and realistic solution to solve a problem in our community.  The program will be moderated by Ud Joseph, and will showcase a number of Syracuse campus and community black entrepreneurs who are launching ventures.

A highlight of the program will be a feature from a rockstar LaunchPad Alum, Kelsey Davis. It will conclude with a networking reception. All are welcome to attend and commemorate Black History Month at this second annual event.

Register now

Justin Gluska ’23 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), LaunchPad digital innovation team specialist, LaunchPad webmaster and Posse Scholar, has just published his first book, “The ChatGPT Promptbook.” He will be giving an author’s talk about researching, creating, and promoting engaging content with ChatGPT on Wednesday, February 8 at noon at the LaunchPad in Bird Library.

The Blackstone LaunchPad has just acquired the book as part of its innovation and entrepreneurship collection at Bird Library. It can also be purchased on-line here.

“ChatGPT revolutionary technology is here to help people across the globe streamline their workflows, improve productivity, and generate new opportunities for success,” says Gluska. “Whether you’re an entrepreneur, small business owner, teacher, software engineer, digital marketer, student, or content creator, this book will provide you with creative techniques and examples you need to unlock the full potential of ChatGPT. With 52 real-world examples and actionable techniques, you’ll be able to start using ChatGPT to improve productivity in no time.”

The book explores how to use ChatGPT to create new opportunities, save time, and supercharge your ideas across a number of applications for personal life and business. Featured categories include:

• Creative Writing
• Academia and Education
• Planning and Assistance
• Marketing and Sales
• General Business
• Career Development
• Coding and Software Development
• Technical Debugging
• Entertainment and Lifestyle
• General Language
• Music + Song Lyrics
• Health and Food

Gluska is a well-known website blogger and founder of Gold Penguin, a Miami, Florida-based digital marketing agency. He has leveraged online tools and software to create his own business and decided to author a book to share useful AI tools he has used.

“From ChatGPT to tiny SaaS tools, there are so many new products popping up that anyone can use to optimize their work and personal tasks,” he says. “You don’t have to be a programmer to benefit from ChatGPT. You can be an educator, marketer, student, historian, or digital content creator operating from anywhere.”  

 ChatGPT acts as a conversational chatbot filled with helpful knowledge. Users find it handy for applications as far ranging as from asking life advice to debugging broken code. Gluska’s book explores examples of those uses. It also provides real life examples, including prompts and responses. He suggests that readers pay key attention to how things are being asked: In what order, with what verbiage, and in what requested tone because those variations in prompts result in variations around answers. This book helps readers to better develop prompt engineering skills to produce the most effective results.

“I’ve been using ChatGPT since the day it was released and truly believe our society is on the brink of the next technological breakthrough which will be the Artificial Intelligence revolution.”

The event is open to anyone in the Syracuse University community interested in learning more about ChatGPT. It is free of charge and pizza will be served. To help with planning, or request a link to the recorded session, please e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu

Judy “JB” McEnany will join the Syracuse University Blackstone LaunchPad for office hours to help student entrepreneurs improve their pitch and presentation skills starting February 2 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM. 

McEnany, received a BA from University of Southwestern Louisiana in Speech and Theater, MA from University of Arkansas in Speech and Children’s Theater, and Ph.D. From Kansas State University in Curriculum and Instruction. She retired from Montana State University Billings College of Education in 2015.

Since retirement, McEnany has taught several innovative English and public speaking courses surrounding topics such as body language, persuasion, psychology of color, and more. She is the House Director at Syracuse University Alpha XI Delta sorority.

Ventures who would like to meet Judy McEnany can stop in during office hours:

• Thursday, February 2 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
• Wednesday, February 8 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
• Thursday, February 9 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
• Thursday, February 16 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM

Click here to view upcoming Spring competitions and deadlines.

Through the philanthropic gift of Syracuse University alumni and prominent artists Luise ’46, G’51 and Morton Kaish ’49, the Kaish Fellowship program was established in 2021. The program provides funding for undergraduate students from every discipline to undertake original research on the permanent art collection and to work with museum staff on exhibitions, scholarly publications and public programming.

Temerte is a senior at Syracuse University, double majoring in economics and writing and rhetoric studies, with minors in Spanish and strategic management. She is a Coronat Scholar, a member of the Renée Crown Honors Program and a 2022-23 Remembrance Scholar. She has been a LaunchPad Global Fellow throughout her tenure at Syracuse University and is also an entrepreneur. Her LaunchPad writing archive is here.

As a writer, Temerte has been interested in the concept of storytelling through fragments. Through her courses at Syracuse University, her fragmented storytelling approach continues to take shape in prose, depicting stories through the lens of passing moments and snippets of meaning that tell a greater narrative.

Recently, she has explored writing in multimedia forms, often combining prose, poetry, images, and video together. Temerte’s interest in the abstract and the surreal drew her to apply for the Kaish fellowship, and she envisions creating a small booklet of poems for her final project.

Through this opportunity, Temerte plans to work alongside interim Chief Curator Melissa Yuen to explore works of art by both Luise and Morton Kaish, as well as other artists in the permanent collection, which engage with collision and interruption.

The original story appears here.