Ryan Williams and Kelsey Davis
The first-ever ’Cuse Tank—co-sponsored by the Blackstone LaunchPad and Syracuse University Libraries—celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of SU innovators during the recent Family Weekend. A distinguished panel of parent judges who are successful entrepreneurs from a variety of industry sectors voted on finalist teams who vied for $10,000 in prizes.
The contestants came from across campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering and Computer Science, the College of Visual and Performing Arts, the Falk College, the Newhouse School, the School of Information Studies and the Whitman School.
’Cuse Tank winners:
$5,000 first prize — CLLCTVE Agency LLC
CLLCTVE is a creative agency that connects brands with college students who can create transmedia content. CLLCTVE repositions brands for success, while simultaneously nurturing the freelance community on college campuses across the country. Clients have included Coca-Cola, Land Rover, PUMA and SU. The team is already working with 50 universities and expanding to others. — Kelsey Davis and Ryan Williams, co-founders
$2,500 second prize — MedUX
MedUX is a wearable, lightweight IV shoulder device. First-place winner of the 2018 Invent@SU program, MedUX’s portable IV system allows people who need infusion treatment to receive it without being tethered to a traditional pole-mounted unit. It is particularly suited for stand-alone infusion centers, cancer centers, post-op hospital settings and palliative care where a patient needs intravenous delivery but also wants to be more mobile and comfortable. The lightweight shoulder-mounted device uses a pressure flow system to control a desired flow rate without the use of electronics or heavy batteries that need to be frequently changed. — Alec Gillinder and Quinn King, co-founders
$2,500 second prize – Promptous
Promptous is an insurance claims processing platform using blockchain technology and smart contracts to create transparency, predictability and prompt payment. Promptous eliminates the need for a costly third-party benefits administrator, and its streamlined system, targeted for the dental insurance industry, is simpler, easier to understand and creates secure transactions in a regulatory compliant platform. — Joshua Jackson, Timothy Kelly, Phil McKnight, co-founders
CLLCTVE also hosted a successful, widely attended conference for creatives, “Art of Finesse,” at the Newhouse School as part of Family Weekend activities. The education and networking event featured industry advisors who spoke on an array of topics relative to honing a creative lifestyle and capitalizing on talents in productive ways. Keynote speakers and panelists were Evin Robinson, co-founder of New York on Tech; Tiffany Bender, senior producer at Teen Vogue; and Jonathan Jackson, co-founder of BLAVITY.
“It was truly humbling to win this award amongst so many other great companies,” says Kelsey Davis, a senior television, radio and film major in the Newhouse School. “Ryan and I moved to Syracuse in July for the sole purpose of getting plugged into the SU innovation ecosystem as soon as possible. Since then, we have been working extremely closely with our advisors and the Blackstone LaunchPad to build an agency that develops collegiate creatives, in partnership with universities across the country.
“We are excited to develop creative solutions for brands looking to reach the Generation Z consumer market. Thanks to the Blackstone LaunchPad, we’re off to a great start, but this is just the beginning.”
“I continue to be impressed with the quality and creativity of the many SU students who make use of the Blackstone LaunchPad in Bird Library,” says Dean of Libraries and University Librarian David Seaman, “and am very grateful to the parents who gave their time to work with the library on this competition.”
