Amanda Chou ’19 and Amos Cohen ’20 have joined the Blackstone LaunchPad team this semester as its first Global Media Fellows. They will assist with developing plans for student outreach and special events that increase the number of students engaged in entrepreneurship across campus, such as guest speakers, workshops, founder’s and funder’s forums, and idea competitions and pitch fests. They will work with the Blackstone LaunchPad Student Advisory Committee on special projects and support cross-campus engagement with the Blackstone global network on networkwide campus challenges.
More importantly, they will help tell the stories of student entrepreneurs, with a focus on ventures that are both crossdisciplinary and crosscultural. Through the creation of videos, short features, social media, photo essays and other marketing communications, they will help convey ideas and innovations created by students who are part of the Syracuse University entrepreneurship ecosystem. Both bring considerable talent and expertise to this role.
Amanda Chou
Chou is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public relations at the Newhouse School and political science at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. She is also chief marketing officer for Thrive Projects Inc., a Syracuse University student startup that has a global footprint, giving her experience in the startup world. Thrive’s fundamental mission is to provide renewable energy solutions, sustainability education and leadership and vocational training to vulnerable communities around the world. She was part of the Thrive team that represented Syracuse University at the prestigious Hult Prize competition. The Hult Prize is a crowdsourced platform for social good, named one of the top five ideas changing the world by Time Magazine, aimed at launching disruptive and catalytic social ventures to solve the planet’s most pressing challenges.
Cohen, from Tel-Aviv, is a seasoned entrepreneur who has served in leadership military positions with the Israeli Defense Force before coming to Syracuse University. His experience has produced a solid skill set rooted in team building, strategic planning and problem solving. After leaving the military, Cohen took on a management role with several small businesses before founding his own venture, Captur. Cohen is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a focus in entrepreneurship and marketing management at the Whitman School. He also holds a graphic design certification from Shenkar College, and was a participant in the starTAU Entrepreneurship Club, which is part of the Tel Aviv University Entrepreneurship Center.
Amos Cohen
Cohen has been an active member of the Blackstone Launchpad since joining the Syracuse community in fall 2016. He was an integral part of planning the first Global Entrepreneurship Week at Syracuse University, where he spoke at a panel on globalism from an international student perspective. Cohen is also a Renee Crown Honors Program scholar.
Chou and Cohen join Yong Zhang “Lawrence” Lin ’19 and Quentin Rene Marcel Rosso ’19, who were named inaugural Blackstone LaunchPad Global Fellows in fall 2016.
To connect with any of the LaunchPad Global Fellows, e-mail LaunchPad@syr.edu
