Matt Shumer, founder of Visos, participating in the Techstars LaunchPad Lift program during Summer 2019.
Four teams from the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University Libraries (LaunchPad) have been accepted into Propel, a two-day entrepreneurial event being held in New York City November 7 and 8. The Syracuse University students will join teams from 24 other schools to build mentor connections, participate in in-depth entrepreneurial skill-building workshops and engage in peer learning. Syracuse University LaunchPad teams* include
PAANI: Nikita Chatterjee and Briana Howard;
MedUX: Alec Gillinder and Quinn King;
Promptous: Josh Jackson and Phil McKnight;
CLLCVTE: Kelsey Davis and Brendan O’Keefe.
The event will include a “mentor madness” session, where student teams meet more than 50 business and industry experts from the Blackstone and Techstars networks. Students will also hear remarks by Jon Gray, President and COO of Blackstone, before attending breakout workshops led by experienced entrepreneurs and industry professionals covering topics such as marketing, sales, and fundraising. Throughout Propel, the leading teams will also have the opportunity to pitch their business ideas to a live audience and judges. The competition will culminate in one team being awarded a $10,000 prize, in-kind support services, and a guaranteed spot in this spring’s LaunchPad Lift cohort.
In addition, Syracuse University sophomore Matt Shumer, founder of VISOS*, will be featured at the event as a graduate of the summer 2019 Techstars LaunchPad Lift Program. He will share his experiences with Blackstone and Techstars executives.
“This event is one of the best ways for LaunchPad campuses to showcase their student ventures and for student founders to practice pitching in front of a large audience,” said Erica Lock, Blackstone Charitable Foundation vice president. “Every year we look forward to seeing what market solutions these LaunchPad students have come up with—and then provide them with unparalleled access to the Blackstone and Techstars networks of experts. More than the advice itself, the relationships that they build at events like this are critical to future success in their ventures and careers.”
(*Video links were produced by Will DeVito, LaunchPad Global Media Fellow).
About the Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars at Syracuse University Libraries: The Blackstone LaunchPad powered by Techstars in Bird Library is Syracuse University’s innovation hub, connecting the entire University’s resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students and alumni across disciplines who are interested in innovation, invention, entrepreneurship, venture creation and taking ideas from concept to commercialization. The program supports a key pillar of Syracuse University’s Academic Strategic Plan to create an innovation ecosystem across the institution that prepares participants to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world.
