Sandbox Entrepreneurs to Showcase Companies

The fifth annual Student Sandbox Demo Day will showcase the innovation and dedication of Central New York student entrepreneurs on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at the Everson Museum in Syracuse.

As part of the Raymond von Dran Innovation and Disruptive Entrepreneurship Accelerator (IDEA), the Syracuse Student Sandbox is a unique business acceleration program that gives aspiring student entrepreneurs the resources to make their visions a reality. The objective of the Student Sandbox is to accelerate the process of ideation, development and deployment through mentoring and coaching. The 12-week, hands-on course has an end goal of producing revenue-generating entities or investment-ready firms.

The Student Sandbox began in 2009 with five companies, and is home to 20 thriving teams this summer. The entrepreneurial community has also flourished, with more than 125 mentors supporting and guiding student teams. The Student Sandbox has several successful graduates (and more than $2 million in venture capital funding) in its short history, and is looking to expand the program and further develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem in upstate New York.

Demo Day is the culmination of all the teams’ hard work this summer. The events schedule begins at 3 p.m. with student pitches in the auditorium of the Everson Museum. A reception, with a trade show and demonstrations, will follow the pitches, at 5 p.m. in the Student Sandbox space in the Tech Garden.

The event is free and open to the public. Investors, mentors, friends, customers, business professionals, entrepreneurs, faculty and supporters are all encouraged to attend. Registration is requested.