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Fresh Air

river landscape
By: ZULUECHO Initiative

This blog was originally posted on the Zuluecho Initiative website on April 21, 2020. Click the link to see the original post.

I’ve been quiet for some time. Seems like just yesterday I was writing an article a week with conviction and drive… what happened?

Well I needed a break. I needed to remember why I write. I needed to ensure that I felt my writing was bringing value to my life and to yours, not simply the result of an empty commitment to myself to put out “content” every week. Yes, I put “content” in quotations because I think content is tied strongly to what I want to discuss today. It goes without saying that the last two months have been challenging. Not only for me, not only for you, but for all of us. For humanity at large.

I couldn’t tell you what it was, but I’ve had this feeling in my gut the last couple of months. 2020 came around and suddenly everyone’s vision for their future became hyper focused. The freshness of “new years” resolutions was still in the air, and you could feel its presence everywhere. Then something happened. Something none of us “saw” with our “2020 vision”. Something that took us a while to understand. Something we were not ready for. Suddenly, our lives as we knew them were tested, replaced, challenged, substituted. The simple things became of the most value to us. The smile you gave a stranger while walking on the street became a luxury none of us could afford. What happened? I’ve still not quite figured it out…

“COVID-19” they say. That’s what happened..

Yeah – that’s the obvious answer. But what really happened? I could sit here and discuss the calamities and the implications of devastation that this pandemic has caused, and will continue to cause for some time, but in today’s media climate, both national and social, I am sure you already know that stuff. The answer I think, lies in something almost MORE obvious than “COVID-19”.

I’m struggling to write this because I too have never lived through something like this. I’m struggling to write this because I too feel trapped and stuck. I’m struggling to write this because I too have had anxiety attacks, and breakdowns, and have had trouble adjusting to this way of life. A life in constant fear – the fear that by simply breathing you may become ill or worse, be responsible for somebody else becoming ill. I’m struggling to write this because I too, am human … and THAT is the answer.

Humanity.

This phrase we’ve become accustomed to saying – “Social Distancing” – has prevented us from encountering eachother and sharing physical experiences. But as the strong beings that we are, that has not taken away from our humanity. What I’ve witnessed in the last few weeks has been a phenomenon like no other. A phenomenon that PROVES that in our greatest times of crisis, we are each other’s most valuable resources. A phenomenon that shows us through DATA, that we are stronger when we work as a team, each playing our roles in the bigger picture. What I’ve witnessed in the last few weeks have been some of the most incredible displays of humanity I’ve ever seen. The power and the brilliance of how I’ve seen people respond to this goes beyond “social distancing” because truthfully, we are closer now than we ever were.

This whole situation has helped us realize how important we are to each other. This whole situation has made us appreciate the small things we’ve taken for granted for so long. Social media has become an environment where everyone has the ability to connect but not only that… it has become an opportunity to show the world that YOU are HUMAN… FIRST.

Artists are creating art live on their feeds. Musicians are throwing “virtual” concerts. People are teaching one another how to cook foods from various global cuisines. Gym classes are unifying people across cities, countries and continents. We sing together off of balconies now…. We are calling each other more, rather than texting. We are appreciating people who put their lives on the line every day to SAVE the lives of others. Countless charities have emerged to help those affected by any means necessary. I’ve heard the phrase “the virus does not discriminate” and I find this remarkably true. And in the same way that the virus does not, humanity at its truest form does not either. Our answer by instinct was to turn to humanity to find solace and peace in this testing time. If there was ever a doubt in your mind that you can do something, or accomplish something, or start something, now is the time to reach out to ANYONE you see and show them your humanity. People are learning new things every day, because they CARE about eachother. You can too. Even if that means learning how to manage your anxiety in a healthy way – find what it is you need to learn about yourself during this quarantine. Because you are human, first.

You don’t have to speak the same language to understand the pain and suffering of others. Acts of kindness towards others does not depend on whether or not you know them. Borders are closed but we are more connected now than EVER. Take a moment to comprehend that. What does that mean? What does it really mean?!

The answer was always humanity. We just needed a reminder….

2020 is not YOUR year. It’s OUR year. It’s the year we are reminded to empower each other, to support one another, to care for eachother unconditionally. It is the year that taught us to be grateful for the company we have, the friends we’ve made, and the love we have the potential of showing even to those we don’t know.

2020 is the year we remember what it means to be part of humanity. That’s what will get us through this… and that, to me, is a breath of Fresh Air.

Below is a film I made that brought together people from all over the world in a unifying voice. I asked everyone who follows me on Instagram to tell me in one word how they’re feeling given everything going on… I compiled the results in this film. YOU made this film. I simply gave you the platform. HUMANITY made this film, I’m merely shedding a light on it. You’re not alone.

If this post resonated with you in any way, PLEASE share it with those who might need to hear it. These are testing times, we need to be there for one another, and also for ourselves.

Believe in the power of our dreams… #zuluechoinitiative

PAANI launches crowdfunding campaign to make COVID-19 masks and support the women of India

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PAANI, LLC. invites you to join their crowdfunding effort to produce masks for the prevention of COVID-19 in the United States and in India. To help, visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/paani–covid19-masks

“We understand that there is currently a shortage of personal protective equipment across the globe and want to be a part of helping the many communities in need,” says co-founder Nikita Chatterjee ’20 (Maxwell). 

PAANI is a global health company that focuses on providing access to clean water in low-income communities starting in India. It started as a project that won first prize in the Invent@SU program and then continued its product and business development working the LaunchPad.

“We have engineered a filtration system into the traditional sari cloth and are refining the traditional water practices that exist in India,” says Chatterjee. “Although we are focused on providing access to clean water, in an uncertain time like now, we must ask ourselves questions. What does washing hands mean for people with no access to clean water? How do we stay safe in an environment where resources are not readily available?”

She continues, “We also have to consider the millions of people who are currently out of work during this time. Urban unemployment rates rose to 30.9%, bringing the overall unemployment rate to 23.4% in India. Common household jobs for women have been removed, and families are struggling. We want to support these women, so a portion of donations will go towards supporting the salary of women in India.”

“We have recently partnered with a local NGO in Mumbai, India with over 20,000 women working together to provide safe and environmental friendly, reusable face masks using traditional cotton material,” said PAANI co-founder Brianna Howard ‘20 (Falk). “With your donation, you can help us support the salaries of women who are currently working to create these masks.”

“We are asking that you please donate what you can to buy materials for the cloth masks to be made,” added Chatterjee. “We are aiming to raise $7,500 to produce thousands of masks. An air filter will also be included to filter out viruses and bacteria. It is an important time for us to come together and help communities survive this pandemic.”

Donations to PAANI’s crowdfunding campaign will help in the production of masks which will be donated to local organization in the Tri-State Area and India, and also help support the salaries of women in India.

Learn more about PAANI initiatives at www.paanisolutions.com or @paanisolutions on Instagram. 

Syracuse innovators win top honors at Techstars Startup Weekend Remote USA

Syracuse’s Global CoPower team

A Syracuse University group of students created one of top solutions at Techstars Startup Weekend Remote USA. The event, April 24-26, was an online, high-energy experience with 1,000 participants working over 54 hours to develop solutions that directly tackle COVID-19 related challenges.

Their solution, Global CoPower, was selected a top ten team in the east division, moving on to compete as a finalist in the national competition.  The team was comprised of Matt Shumer ’22 (Whitman), Sam Hollander ’22 (Whitman and Newhouse), David Adler ’22 (VPA), Miles Feldstein ’23 (Whitman), Clarie Howard ’23 (Maxwell) and Brian Kam ’16 (Maxwell). The team are members of the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries, and are all also founders of their own startups.

The team addressed a challenge by scientists to harness massive distributed computing power to process vast information, using extraction and analysis in the race to tackle COVID-19.  Getting there faster can help researchers more rapidly design therapeutics to beat the disease in what is the biggest research moonshot of our time.  Global CoPower is a simple app integration that enables the addition of code to other apps, allowing users to donate unused cell phone capacity to initiatives such as Folding@Home which is leading this effort.

Over the course of the Startup Weekend, scientists and researchers, inventors and investors, entrepreneurs and educators, health and human service experts, and technologists worked virtually across time zones and geographies in distributed teams. They tackled challenges such as supporting front line health workers, contact tracing, accelerating diagnosis, helping vulnerable populations, addressing food supply and delivery, digitizing tools to connect and inform communities, addressing mental health and challenges of isolation, and re-energizing businesses and local economies. 

Techstars mentors and facilitators joined in, working in real time over 54 straight hours through digital platforms such as Discord, a voice, video, and text chat app, and video conferencing tools like Zoom. Teams formed to engage in design thinking, user discovery and rapid iteration to develop MVP products, services or technologies, and then pitch their solutions. Projects could be fundable startup businesses, community-based initiatives or open-source solutions.  The goal was to unleash the entrepreneurial skills and mindsets of the world’s best innovators to “unite to fight” COVID-19.  

The Syracuse team started with exhaustive research on challenges associated with COVID-19.  Using a “divide and conquer” approach, they explored problems facing communities, seniors, vulnerable families, businesses, and the health care and research community.  They looked for meaningful gaps they could address while conducting scores of interviews with subject matter experts and potential users.  They combed through research reports and quickly realized the magnitude of this as a “wicked” problem.” 

By discarding approaches that were too big or complicated to accomplish over a weekend, they pivoted with resilience and determination. At the 30-hour point, just as they were hitting exhaustion from the process, their eureka solution, Global CoPower, emerged. From there, they stayed up all night executing their idea, and creating a compelling pitch which led them to the finals.

Shumer pitching for the team in the finalist round

The experience was memorable for the Syracuse student team.

“Our team literally didn’t sleep” said Shumer. “We were driven. We went from many ideas to customer discovery, iteration, and complete pivots.  When we arrived at the ultimate solution, we raced against an impossible timeclock to execute it.  We were able to accomplish so much because we had diversified skill sets that allowed each of us to run full speed independently, while working within a team framework.  Early on, we decided we wanted to do something that would create a meaningful impact.  That’s what kept us motivated and focused.”

After discarding nearly two dozen potential approaches, the team came back to an idea that Shumer had when he first walked into the LaunchPad.  “Day one, when I arrived, I was fascinated with two technologies. One was virtual reality, which led to the creation of my venture Visos, a VR tool in the healthcare space.  The second was distributed computing.”

After 30 hours of inventing from scratch, the team realized that breakthroughs can also come from improving upon existing ideas.  They had been following Folding@Home, a distributed computing project to accelerate therapeutics for diseases like Alzheimers and Huntington’s.  They saw the project was beginning to address COVID-19 with protein folding, which studies how viral proteins reproduce and suppress our immune systems.  They knew it could help accelerate the development of targeted therapeutics. 

Folding@Home is currently based at Washington University in St. Louis and led by Dr. Greg Bowman.  The Syracuse team knew that Folding@Home’s progress is dependent on the simulations run on volunteers’ personal computers, in the race to create one of the world’s fastest computing systems.  They also realized there wasn’t enough volunteer desktop power to get to a COVID-19 solution faster. Shumer hypothesized that power could be leveraged on mobile devices and the team created an app to unleash unused capacity on user phones around the world.  That led to the name, Global CoPower, reflecting a cooperative approach to co-powering a COVID-19 solution.  

The business model, like other distributed computing projects, is a social impact venture in which companies, brands and individuals can easily participate. Students around the world could be recruited, using gamification, corporate and brand partnerships for mutual global gain.  The goal was not monetization.  It was getting to a scientific breakthrough faster.

“In the end, we realized we could easily code a solution that would make a huge impact,” said Shumer.

“It was an incredible experience that honed our ability to think on our feet as a team,” said Hollander. “In a classroom setting, you work with people in a project team that is mostly drawn from your own discipline.  It was amazing to work with people who come from different interdisciplinary perspectives, working across campus and around the country, to explore, iterate and rapidly create a solution.  It was really exhilarating.”

Schumer and Hollander participated in Techstars LaunchPad Startup Weekend in LA last spring and helped organize the first Syracuse University Techstars LaunchPad Startup Weekend in September 2019.  They led the Global CoPower pitches for two rounds of Startup Weekend Remote USA.

Other team members also played instrumental roles and came away with profound experiences.

Howard gleaned a great deal about both the challenge and the creative energy that comes with problem solving.  “This experience gave me a unique perspective on how the world is coming together to solve this problem.  We saw how hard we were working, and through our discovery process, we learned how hard the world is working on so many fronts.  This made me very hopeful for the future.  It was amazing how much we could accomplish is a short period of time.  We made so many pivots as we explored various facets of the problem, we became constant idea machines for the entire weekend.  That made it even more exciting.”

Feldstein said, “The weekend was really eye-opening, and taught me how innovation can be accelerated when great minds come together.”

Adler participated from Brazil, where he lives.  “I’ve always been in love with the startup way of working.  One of my dreams has always been to work hard on something that could change the world.  But honestly, I never seemed to find people as passionate as me.  This weekend that changed.  It was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.”

Serving as facilitator was Brian Kam ’16 founder of Thrive Projects and an original LaunchPad student when it opened in SU Libraries four years ago.  The LaunchPad called him back into service to work with the freshmen and sophomores engaged in the challenge.  He is a veteran entrepreneur who has devoted his life to public service, serving as a combat Marine in the Iraq War, and now in the trenches fighting COVID-19 as a frontline health care worker.

“The weekend was fast and furious,” said Kam. “I was amazed at how much the tech landscape has transformed the entrepreneurial space.  Things that took us weeks just a few years ago can now be done in minutes using AI, machine learning, and other tools that weren’t mainstream then. I was blown away by how smart this next generation of entrepreneurs are. I truly enjoyed working with this team.  They were laser focused, as they kept ideating and iterating.” 

Kam’s medical research and experience working with COVID-19 patients was indispensable throughout the weekend, helping them balance tech solutions with human needs.

Working with the team through the weekend was LaunchPad executive director Linda Hartsock, who was selected by Techstars to be a mentor for the U.S.A. event.  “When Syracuse innovators put their hearts and heads to work on a problem, their hard work, intellect and ingenuity always rises to the top.  We couldn’t be prouder of them.”

Omar Ebraheem ‘20 on the subliminal form and function of good design

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What comes to mind when one thinks of industrial design?  A design student will point out that industrial design encompasses everything. From cars to microwaves, hairdryers, streetlamps and laptop computers, an industrial designer has surely been engaged in the product development. Jony Ive, a British-American industrial, product and architectural designer was the former Chief Design Officer of Apple, whose Apple products still inspire today.  Marcello Gandini, an Italian car designer, who worked with the automotive design house Gruppo Bertone, designed the Lamborghini.  Both are design icons. But industrial design is not all about iconic style and art, though, says Omar Ebraheem ‘20, a 5th year student studying Industrial and Interaction Design at the College of Visual and Performing Arts Syracuse University  “The best designs in the world are often the ones that are overlooked,” he says.

Ebraheem points out the industrial design is at the core of any product or service.  This can include phones, TV’s, furniture, ceramics and even online User Interface (UI) and User experience (UX).  Design contributes significantly to the way a society functions. To view the significance of design in a context, an entire society has been accustomed and shaped around the function and form of specific products. For instance, since the Model T Ford, the mass-produced car has always had four wheels, three peddles and about a similar number of seats. This design was carried forward for so many years because of ease of use. Ebraheem notes, design is judged by “how easy life becomes when someone uses a designer’s product or service.”

According to Ebraheem, subliminal design, which increases the utility of itself, is considered a successful design. So, good design is one that does not really affect its user, but one that facilitates their routine and activity. Derivatively, Ebraheem notes, “Design can affect people in negative ways also, especially when there is a learning curve associated with it.” Famed automotive critic, Chris Harris shared a similar sentiment when he was discussing the design and form factor of the modern electric vehicle. He says, “They are being sold as the future and they don’t seem to fit into anyone’s lives.  You have to fit into the car’s life and at the point, I think take the taxi.”

However, design is not something that is restricted to its utility. Ebraheem believes that design can drive sustainable living and environmental awareness. “Sustainable materials and design are at the forefront of design, and designers can increase sustainability with the materials that are being incorporated into the products.”

Given how important the designer’s job can be, the field has recently started enjoying deserved recognition. “More recently, design is being taken seriously,” notes Ebraheem. As a designer with a particular eye towards UI and UX, Ebraheem believes that industrial design today is in the process of being fully recognized for its contributions to society. “To me, industrial design is a way to help people by making their lives easier.  Designers are behind the curtains, trying to better society, and people don’t give them enough recognition.”

Historically, design was associated with form and beauty, and is now being recognized for the impact it can also make on function.  “I think that design has come a long way. It was definitely the case where the engineers would create the system and the designer would come in periodically to make it look better and make it appealing. As time progresses, the designer’s job is to make sure things function and that the product works in its given environment”

Ebraheem, who grew up in Kuwait, migrated to the United States after high school to pursue a degree in industrial design. As a designer, he hopes to gain more experience in the field before returning to Kuwait. “I want to use our culture and traditions to guide the way we design. While there are designers in Kuwait, there’s not a big presence,” he says. He hopes to bring industrial design to the forefront, and to influence the perspective of industrial design in Kuwait by starting his own design firm.

He credits fellow fifth year VPA Industrial and Interaction students Alec Gillinder ’20 and Quinn King ’20 for introducing him to the industrial design world at Syracuse University, as well as the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars. Both Gillinder and King are award winning entrepreneurs and designers at the LaunchPad, as well as Rubin Family Innovation Mentors at the LaunchPad.  Ebraheem describes the LaunchPad as inviting and stimulating environment where he has met driven entrepreneurs. “The main thing the LaunchPad has done is made me think about what a person is capable of, when he puts his mind to something. It’s incredible,” he says.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Krisha Pamidi Photo supplied

Brian Kam ’16, veteran entrepreneur back at the frontline

Brian Kam, ‘16, a Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs graduate, is a veteran entrepreneur who has devoted his life to public service.  From working on the frontline in the United States Marines Corps, where he enlisted after high school, to his work now in the trenches fighting COVID-19, he is the first to step in when there is a crisis.

Profoundly affected by seeing 9/11 unfolding on television when he was younger, he felt compelled to serve. He joined the Marine Corps delayed entry program at age 16, enlisted at 18, and served in the Iraq War and post-Katrina New Orleans. After completing his US Marine Corps service in 2007, Kam studied Arabic languages at the University of Jordan and competed an intensive language program training with the Middlebury Language School.  He enrolled at SU in 2012 and double majored in International Relations and Middle Eastern Studies, where during his senior year he participated in Maxwell in Washington.

While in DC, Kam optimized a connection he made at his senior year internship and traveled to Nepal where he volunteered after the destructive earthquake there in 2015.  The Gorkha earthquake, which happened in seconds, killing 9,000 people, injuring 21,000, and leaving 3.5 million homeless. Kam saw vivid images of people suffering and dying, which moved him to action.

Coming back to campus, he used that experience to put his passion for service to work, combined with his sense of adventure through entrepreneurship.  Working with the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries, he founded a nonprofit called Thrive Projects Inc. with fellow students Ryan Brinkerhoff, ’16 (Maxwell) and Joshua Moon ’16 (Arts and Sciences).  Thrive worked with communities, high schools and colleges in Nepal on sustainable development through hyper-localized vocational training programs and community-based projects for those in need.  In 2017, the team won first place in the impact entrepreneurship sector of the New York Business Plan Competition, and also went on to the regional finals of the prestigious Hult Prize, considered the Nobel Prize for student social impact ventures.  (www.thethriveproject.org).

This year the team is focusing on professional development to broaden their skill sets. Moon is in the MCAT process and Brinkerhoff is in law school.  Kam is finishing his Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Rochester. The past year and a half have led him to working on his capstone, and his final assignment.  This has led him to fight a very different frontline than his years in the Marines.

Kam recalls that the Marine Corps “gave him the mentality to do things he does now by helping to define his character.”

Starting this month, Kam has been working at the Monroe County Health Department in Rochester, New York testing people for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), engaging in contact tracing, education and follow up with sick patients. Simply put, Kam now back at the frontline as a medical worker for COVID-19.

Although Kam started to volunteer with the Health Department this month, he has been following the infectious pandemic since early January. As a full-time nursing student, he still made time to personally educate himself about the contact and spread of COVID-19.

He believes it is important to continuously fuel your passion and also to plan, to be prepared to succeed. “Victory loves preparation,” he says.

When Kam is not working at the Health Department, he also conducts product validation for Apiary Medical. Kam’s Marine Corps mentor asked Kam to translate some Chinese documents which led to a full-time job as the Sourcing Manager for the company. There could not be a more appropriate time to work for an American company that dispatches personal protective equipment (PPE). As Kam got more involved with Apiary, he was able to perfectly connect the work of the international medical supply chain with what he was seeing on the frontlines at the Health Department. That job inspires him to learn more about the equipment he and frontline workers use to stay safe.

He intrinsically believes that, “It is not enough to use this equipment. I want to understand the technical components of the PPE that is needed.” For example, because he has to understand the equipment to present it to government officials for registration numbers and for authenticity purposes.  He now knows the different filtration capacities and testing components of different protective masks and how different environments require different filtration capacities.

Brian remains actively engaged with the Syracuse University LaunchPad as a mentor and advisor.  He still works closely with the LaunchPad and has actively re-engaged around the COVID-19 challenge.  This past weekend, April 24 to 26, he was the facilitative lead for a team of Syracuse University students who participated in the Techstars COVID-19 Online Startup Weekend:  Unite to Fight COVID-19.  Over a period of more than 55 hours the team rapidly assessed problems, explored solutions, conducted rapid research and discovery, and developed a MVP to pitch to judges.  More than 1,000 inventors and innovators came together from around the globe to be part of the challenge.  Kam lent his perspectives as a frontline health professional, as well as a disaster relief responder. The intensity of research and discovery that went into the process of creating a solution was extremely impressive, with Kam spearheading the discussions about needs in unprecedented times.

It is abundantly clear that Kam is living the University’s motto, “Suos Cultores Scientia Coronat,” — Knowledge Crowns Those Who Seek Her.

He genuinely believes that the more resources are invested in preparation — for example, studying or reaching out to past mentors — the more things will fall into place. Since leaving Syracuse University, Kam’s preparation has helped him create victories because he continues to pursue knowledge and help others.  He brings a warrior’s heart to that mission, each day.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Emma Tyler Rothman Photo supplied

What’s the future of entrepreneurship? Give us five minutes of feedback.

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The LaunchPad network is doing its first ever survey to learn about student views on entrepreneurship.  We’re inviting you to take five minutes to complete this survey so that we can understand your overall views on entrepreneurship, the challenges you experience, and your thoughts on whether entrepreneurship  will be part of your future.  As the next generation of American entrepreneurs, we want LaunchPad students deserve to be heard, especially in these challenging times.  Please note that this is an anonymous survey.  We are interested highlighting the importance of the views of student entrepreneurs to thought leaders, policy makers and the larger entrepreneurship community, working with our partners at the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars network.

You can find the survey link here

Students gear up for the New York Business Plan Competition

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The talent hunt for bright ideas is on. Syracuse students, and students from across New York State, are gearing up to pitch their student-led ventures at the 11th annual New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC) Finals, New York’s statewide intercollegiate business plan competition. The competition will be held virtually on May 1, and 2inners will be announced on May 22, 2020.

Student competitors competed at the semi-final competitions hosted by partner colleges and universities held in all 10 regions of New York State – Western New York, Finger Lakes, Southern Tier, Central New York, Mohawk Valley, North Country, Capital Region, Mid-Hudson, New York City, and Long Island. Top teams from each region advance to the statewide finals.  The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University coordinated the regional qualifier, Compete CNY, open to all students from Central New York colleges and universities.

Central New York teams going on to the state finals include:

Technology and Entertainment

  • Amabassadoor, Bruno Gonzalez Hauger (’21 Whitman), Syracuse University
  • Girl Power, Nancy Wang (’20 Whitman), Syracuse University

Consumer Products and Services

  • FSCL, Sam Hollander (’23 Whitman and Newhouse), Syracuse University
  • Finger Lakes Drone Services, Luke Didion, LeMoyne College

Energy and the Environment

  • EcoBamboo Living, Justin Diaz (’23 Engineering and Computer Science), Syracuse University
  • CLOVO, Megan Martis, Colgate University

Health and Well Being

  • Visos, Matt Shumer (’22 Whitman), Syracuse University
  • PAANI, Nikita Chatterjee (’20 Maxwell) and Brianna Howard (’20 Falk), Syracuse University

Military and First Responders:

  • Youth Government Services, Daniel McMurray (’19 and G ’20 Maxwell), Syracuse University

During the finals, the top finishers in each track, including NYSERDA’s Energy & Environment Track, AgTech & Food, MedTech & Well-Being, Technology & Entertainment, Military & First Responder, and Consumer Products & Services, will be selected.

Since 2010, over 5,000 students from more than 100 public and private New York colleges, community colleges, and universities have pitched their ventures at the NYBPC. Winners are selected each year by judging panels composed of venture capitalists, angel investors, investment bankers, business leaders and seasoned entrepreneurs. More than 150 companies and social ventures have been launched, contributing more than $100M in economic value over the past decade. 

Originally slated to be a live, in-person competition, the NYBPC has pivoted online. Due to the shutdown of colleges and universities across the state, students and organizers have used technology and innovation to move the competition forward.

“The NYBPC showcases the next generation of entrepreneurs. These students are the entrepreneurs who will solve our current problems. Supporting innovation at the earliest stages improves our local economies and addresses our global challenges,” said Noa Simons, Executive Director of Upstate Capital Association of New York. “This program enjoys significant support from major sponsors, philanthropic donors, and community leaders who work together to advance the mission. It is more important than ever to continue moving forward.”

NYBPC supporters include Chet Opalka, Vikram Agrawal, NYSERDA, NYSTAR, NY Ventures, FuzeHub, Saile Ackerman LLC, Eastern NY Angels, Innovate 518, the Sage Colleges and Syracuse University’s Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars.

Learn more at nybpc.org

Join Courtney Gras, engineer, entrepreneur, author, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, for our next “Tea Talk” on April 29

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Courtney Gras — Zoom link here

Courtney Gras, an engineer by training and entrepreneur by nature, published author, and Forbes 30 Under 30 recipient, joins the LaunchPad for our next “Tea Talk” on Wednesday, April 29 at 3 p.m. via Zoom at this link.  Courtney is Community Director of the Blackstone LaunchPad® powered by Techstars® network, helping student entrepreneurs succeed.  In 2014, she left her “real” job as a power systems engineer at NASA to work with the cleantech startup company she founded as a sophomore in college. Shortly after this decision, she discovered opportunities to build a startup community in Ohio and help other founders succeed. After spending eight years with her own company, she followed her passion and decided to work on startup community growth full time, leading program development, operations, advocacy, and bridge building for innovation hubs and other startup initiatives. Today, Courtney has the incredible honor of going back to her roots as a student founder to help student entrepreneurs succeed through the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars entrepreneurship program, which connects students across the globe to the Techstars network.  She has been a key partner in growing the LaunchPad at Syracuse University.

Courtney loves sharing stories of founding a company as a student, discovering the entrepreneur mindset, and finding her “dream” job. She published the book “Entrepreneur is a Verb” in 2018 for young professionals who are interested in a career in entrepreneurship. She has also presented a TED talk in Budapest, Hungary on the topic, and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work.

Courtney is at work on the V2.0 to her first book, “Entrepreneur is a Verb,” which is about applying the entrepreneur mindset to launch your dream career.  She will share insights from the book — from a startup-founder’s perspective, on what schools and movies don’t teach about careers. Whether starting a company or creatively search for a fulfilling 9-5 job, Courtney will touch on applying concepts from the entrepreneurial-mindset to your career in a practical way.

Tea Talks are virtual fireside chats, structured like good conversations over a cup of tea with thought leaders on topics related to innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership.  The LaunchPad at Syracuse University is pleased to present these conversations in partnership with The Republic of Tea.

Learn more about Courtney here www.courtneygras.com and follow her at @courtneyagras

Join the Zoom chat here.  If a password is required for admission, use LaunchPad.

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Take a minute to win some cash this month

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Got a minute to win some fast cash? Then get out your video cameras and smart phones, and send us a quick video pitch.  By popular demand, the deadline for the LaunchPad’s first ever Minute to Win It – Virtual Edition has been extended to Friday, May 1 at 11:59 p.m.  We invite you to send a one-minute idea pitch for a venture idea (product, service, technology or non-profit impact enterprise).  Amazing LaunchPad judges will pick the best pitches for $500 in prizes to the top three pitches. You don’t have to have experience pitching, but you do have to have an original idea. Submit here.

Use the link to provide your contact information and business idea as well as to upload your video (.mp4 or WAV files only). Judges will watch all of the pitches and rate each idea based on four criteria:

  • Creativity — Is this idea unique? Is the business providing a product or service that doesn’t exist? Are they approaching a traditional business with a new angle?
  • Market Opportunity – Is there likely a market for this product or service? Will consumers be motivated to purchase it? Are there platforms that the entrepreneur can sell through?
  • Problem Solving – Is the idea solving a definitive problem? Is this problem widespread or niche?
  • Feasibility – Is this a business that the entrepreneur can reasonably start up? Does the idea require an unrealistic amount of startup capital?

Judges for this competition will be Kelsey Davis, Founder of CLLCTVE, Matt Shumer, Founder of Visos, Sam Hollander, Founder of FSCL, and Phil McKnight, Co-Founder of Promptous.

May the force be with you, and the best pitch win!

Matteo Broccolo, fusing design and possibilities

young man in a hooded sweatshirt

Some people have always dreamed of entrepreneurship. Business-savvy and competitive, they might have grown up selling lemonade at stands, trying to raise the most money during fundraisers, or marketing their crafts and business. Starting their own company or turning their passions into a product has always been their goal, and seeing their ideas turn into reality is what has always fueled their drive.

For others, entrepreneurship may not have always been a lifelong goal or something they’ve always worked towards. Rather, it might have been the path towards creating a product or service almost stumbled upon, and a realization that entrepreneurship is not just for those studying business but for everyone who has an idea and works to actualize it.

Matteo Broccolo, a third-year student in the Industrial and Interaction Design program at the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is an example of an individual whose passion for entrepreneurship was only recently discovered in an unconventional way. As part of his design major and an Information Technology, Design, and Startups minor In the ISchool, he took a class on technological innovation and entrepreneurship. As an assignment for the class, students were required to innovate a product that solved a technological problem. However, Broccolo didn’t just stop at a classroom assignment but turned his product into a venture called Spazio.

After interviewing students across campus, Broccolo realized a common problem for students was the unreliability of external hard drives. As students saved their work, often hard drives would disconnect from the computer, losing crucial projects and assignments students had worked hours on. Broccolo, with a team of two other students, designed a hard drive to better fit on a computer. Unlike regular hard drives, which connect to computers through cords that can easily become disconnected, Spazio’s hard drives clip into the computer, minimizing the possibility of disconnecting and losing valuable data.  

As an individual who thrives on the mechanics of creating functional things, it’s natural that Spazio became a worthwhile project for Broccolo. “I had a lot of passions growing up, but for me it was always the gear behind it. I always wanted to make things so that they could be better. I was always thinking about product design.” He has always had a talent for designing and even had a business in high school designing and printing t-shirts for clubs and local businesses. Spazio speaks to Broccolo’s passion for perfecting functionality.

The name for Spazio is an inspiration from Broccolo’s heritage. An Italian word meaning “space,” it references not only the significant role of hard drives in the space they hold to store important data, but it also alludes to Broccolo’s Italian roots. Broccolo’s family is from Italy and he grew up spending summers there and speaking Italian at home. Spazio is not only a technology that solves a frustrating problem, but it’s also a creative project that combines Broccolo’s ingenuity with his valued experiences.

Through his classes, Broccolo also was introduced to the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at SU Libraries and saw the ways it aids in starting and developing ventures. He began to dive into the world of entrepreneurship and went on to enter and win in a business pitch competition at Syracuse University.  He hopes to continue developing Spazio and plans to utilize his future coursework for his minor to provide time and resources for his work on Spazio.

Through creating Spazio, Broccolo discovered his own love for entrepreneurship. “I like the open-endedness of it —you can be an entrepreneur in such different fields. It gives you an opportunity to be creative.” For him, entrepreneurship combines his talent for design with his excitement for trying new things and exploring possibilities. It’s not simply a business field but a field where anyone with ideas can create products that benefit other people.

Broccolo’s story of someone who had initially not explored business or entrepreneurship but moved forward to create a venture product should inspire individuals to take their own skills, whatever field they may be in, and use them to innovate their solutions to problems that matter to them, their friends and families, and the world.

Story by Blackstone LaunchPad Global Media Fellow Claire Howard Photo supplied