LaunchPad Awards Student Start-Up Fund Grant Spring 2025
The Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries has awarded one $2,500 Student Start-Up Fund grant, formerly the Innovation Fund, for the Spring 2025 semester. Grants are awarded on a rolling basis to undergraduate and graduate students who need help moving an idea from concept to commercialization.
Sydney Moore G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Thrive Insights, received the grant. Thrive Insights hosts a podcast called “Let’s Talk About It” that informs and supports student-athletes with honest and engaging conversations about student-athlete issues. Sydney Moore, a Division 1 volleyball player, is the host. The podcast launched on all platforms on Dec. 9, 2024. The grant was used to help Moore incorporate the business.
Fund applicants define their need with identified outcomes within a set time. Initial money in the fund was provided by Jeffrey Rich L’67, a partner at Rich Michaelson Magaliff LLP, and a member of the Syracuse University Libraries Advisory Board. Rich provided a multi-year pledge of $25,000 per year for five years from 2020 to 2025.
“I wanted to contribute in a way that directly supports student new ventures and removes any obstacles to startup development,” says Jeffrey Rich.
