Driving Startup Success
Student Entrepreneurs Train in New York City to Advance Their Ventures
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Noah Beadle, left, and Bailey Ryan are the co-founders of Vewr. |
The Blackstone LaunchPad Training Camp, hosted by the Blackstone Charitable Foundation and Techstars, took place Nov. 7-8 for its second year.
Vewr
Participants from UAlbany included senior Bailey Ryan and junior Noah Beadle. The two attended to represent their company Vewr, a video sharing platform that enables content creators to make exchanges through cryptocurrencies.
“It was an amazing experience to meet with world-class mentors and in a one-on-one environment, said Ryan, a cybersecurity major in the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity (CEHC).“We were able to talk with like-minded students from around the world who are driven by the success of their startups as well as to help others.”
Ryan co-founded the startup with Beadle, an informatics major in CEHC.
The MASH Co
Tiran Koren, a senior business administration major and CEO of The MASH Co (Make All Students Happy), and Vincent Fiorenza, a 2017 graduate from the School of Business and MASH’s director of operations, represented the University among nearly 40 international startups.
MASH is an interactive platform that connects students, faculty and staff to local vendors and nonprofit organizations. The company also assists local businesses through its hiring platform, and by facilitating events and giveaways.
The training camp provided a unique access to a broad range of industry perspectives, said Koren, who founded the startup in 2016.
“We were introduced to so many great mentors who helped us understand what we are doing well and what we might be missing with MASH right now,” he said.
A Global Entrepreneurial Network
In March, Techstars announced a partnership with the Blackstone Charitable Foundation that will provide UAlbany students access to a worldwide network comprising over 10,000 mentors.
The partnership will allow collegiate entrepreneurs to attend signature events, and access to educational content and startup services through Techstars, according to Sanjay Goel, principal investigator of the University’s Blackstone LaunchPad.
“As UAlbany’s innovative ecosystem continues to grow, this partnership is crucial in further supporting our student innovators,” said Goel, a professor in the School of Business.
He said the entrepreneurial network will also expand Blackstone LaunchPad’s national entrepreneurship program from 20 universities to reach more than one million college students during the next three years.
Specifically, the partnership will assist students with investment fundraising, job placement and recruitment for their ventures, said Jan Woodcock, executive director of Blackstone LaunchPad.
“These opportunities are truly what makes the student experience at UAlbany stand apart and allow UAlbany’s entrepreneurs to pursue their innovative ideas,” Woodcock said. “Now that Techstars is a resource for UAlbany, the sky is the limit.”
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A comprehensive public research university, the University at Albany-SUNY offers more than 120 undergraduate majors and minors and 125 master's, doctoral and graduate certificate programs. UAlbany is a leader among all New York State colleges and universities in such diverse fields as atmospheric and environmental sciences, business, education, public health,health sciences, criminal justice, emergency preparedness, engineering and applied sciences, informatics, public administration, social welfare and sociology, taught by an extensive roster of faculty experts. It also offers expanded academic and research opportunities for students through an affiliation with Albany Law School. With a curriculum enhanced by 600 study-abroad opportunities, UAlbany launches great careers.
