Winners of the ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Award (Photo by Chuck Wainwright)
The power and impact of the entrepreneurial spirit was on center stage during two recent alumni events on campus. First, on Nov. 9, 50 of the fastest-growing Syracuse University alumni-owned businesses were honored during the inaugural ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards.
At the awards ceremony held at the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building, J. Michael Haynie, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and innovation and executive dean of the Whitman School kicked off the evening. “I am an evangelist for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is about empowerment,” said Haynie. “I know this because the work that I do has afforded me a front row seat to see how entrepreneurship can change the trajectory of lives.”
Tamekia Flowers-Ball
Tamekia-Flowers-Ball ’97, Founder/CEO of Epiphany Blue, spoke on behalf of the inaugural class and shared how during her time at Syracuse she took the University’s first entrepreneurship course. The course opened her eyes to the limitless possibilities of innovation and self-driven success. “It sparked my entrepreneurial spirit, encouraging me to pursue my dreams and transform ideas into tangible ventures,” said Flowers-Ball.
Ball stressed to her fellow honorees the importance of extending a hand and opportunity to the next generations of awardees. “Whether hiring current students as interns or donating to scholarship programs, like Our Time Has Come, spearheaded by the Office of Multicultural Advancement, let’s ensure the success of future generations,” said Flowers-Ball.
The following day, the alumni gave back to the community that they so proudly came from by taking part in the ’CUSE50 Summit. The summit was open to the entire campus community, but specifically targeted students to allow them to learn about startup thinking, to develop personal and professional skills and to meet and network with alumni founders and top executives of fast-growing companies.
The day started with welcome remarks from Haynie and Alexander McKelvie, interim dean of the Whitman School of Management and professor of entrepreneurship. McKelvie thanked the alumni panelists for paying it forward to the next generation. “Each of you likely remember that one friend, mentor or role model who helped inspire you and think differently about how you approach a challenge,” said McKelvie. “Today is about that same inspiration.”
Students meet and network with alumni founders and top executives of leading companies at the ‘CUSE50 Summit. (Photo by Jeremy Brinn)
Entrepreneurship certainly changed the lives of many alumni honored during the ’CUSE50 awards. This was showcased during the interactive panels with the honorees and more than 300 students during two different sets of sessions of the ’CUSE50 Summit. Topics included developing entrepreneurial and growth mindsets, community building and customer acquisition, branding, finding talent and developing teams, mental health and the startup life, finding advisors, mentors and coaches, and setting yourself up for success by raising money and leveraging resources.
When asked what advice they would give to young entrepreneurs who are hoping to start and/or grow a business, here’s what a few of the ’CUSE50 winners had to say:
