Orange Innovation Fund Fall 2024 Awardees Announced
Syracuse University Libraries announced the seven award recipients for the Fall 2024 Orange Innovation Fund grant. Each of the following will receive a $5,000 grant to pursue research initiatives emerging from campus innovation programs. Recipients are:
- Angelo Niforatos G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Niffy Drone Solutions LLC, a drone operation and data analysis solution to improve decision making, for its stage two prototype.
According to Niforatos, “I finally pursued what I’d been discussing for five years thanks to Syracuse University. I had no idea SU offered so many opportunities like the Innovation Grant to help me gain enough confidence to take that leap and chase my dream.”
- Ava Lubkemann ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of Revamped, an eco-conscious initiative reimagining thrift shopping and waste reduction through a mobile model using an upcycled school bus pop-up and donation platform.
“This funding gives me the ability to create a venture that addresses the problem of textile waste, particularly on college campuses,” said Lubkemann. “I am excited to build my proof of concept this spring and become part of the projected $82 billion secondhand retail market, meeting the demand for sustainable and affordable fashion.”
- Brianna Gillfillian ’24, G’25 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of STEAMfluence, for a Science Technology Engineering Art Math (STEAM) pilot summer program for students of color and students in underserved communities
“With the help of Orange Innovation Fund, I will be able to turn dreams into reality and take steps to make the change I aspire to see in the world,” said Gillfillian. “STEAMfluence is not just a venture, it is a pillar of hope for many young people who think they could not advance in a career in STEAM.”
- Emeka Christopher Ossai G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of CampusLabs, equipping university students in developing economies with critical skills needed for entrepreneurship and work. After a successful pilot of CampusLabs Nigeria incubator, Ossai is now focusing on creating a hybrid program to expand participation.
“This Orange Innovation Fund gives me the chance to bring to life a startup accelerator that's the first of its kind for university students in Nigeria, combining virtual learning with a direct residency… now we can finally reach talented university founders who would not have had access before because of where they live. It’s a real opportunity to see how this model can work across different regions and make entrepreneurship support more accessible,” said Ossai.
- Tony Goncalves ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of GymIn, a comprehensive hardware and digital platform solution to track use of gym equipment in real time, optimizing usage and user experience. Goncalves is collaborating with the Barnes Center on a pilot.
“GymIn is revolutionizing the fitness industry by providing a comprehensive hardware and digital platform solution for gym owners and users,” said Goncalves. “This award will help us create our minimally viable product to test with gyms to optimize operations, reduce costs, and enhance the gym experience for members through data-driven insights.”
- Tosin Alabi G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Diabetech, a smart bandage solution for diabetes wound care. Alabi is working on a prototype that integrates an electronic sensor with mobile application and artificial intelligence analytics to detect diabetic ulcers.
“When we prevent a diabetic amputation, we're not just saving a limb, we're keeping families walking together longer,” said Alabi, who lost her father to diabetes at a young age. She recently completed the NSF I-Corps program offered by Syracuse University and received EB-1 visa status based on her work on Diabetech. The EB-1 visa was issued by the U.S. government to Albert Einstein to extend protections of official residence. Now referred to as the “Einstein Visa,” it recognizes very select researchers with extraordinary talents for their potential to contribute to the American scientific community.
- Waqar Hussain G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Iconnic.cloud, an artificial intelligence-driven compute pricing arbitrage platform.
Hussain, a Fulbright Scholar, said, “As a dedicated participant in the university’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, I am grateful for this award to help us build spot compute pricing arbitrage powered by AI. We are confident that with the support of the Orange Innovation Fund we can revolutionize cloud management services for small and medium sized businesses.”
The ‘concept to commercialization’ grant fund is designed to help move graduate and undergraduate student research or scholarly projects from ideation to proof of concept to commercialization. Initial funding from the program came from a gift to SU Libraries from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ‘98, a member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees.
The program is administered through Syracuse University Libraries, in collaboration with the University’s research and commercialization programs.
Student awardees submitted comprehensive grant proposals outlining specific tangible needs related to prototype development and assessing the product, service or technology they are developing. A multi-disciplinary team of Syracuse University faculty along with alumni founders who helped develop the concept for the fund make award selections. Awards are tied to milestones associated with defined projects over a clear time with identified outcomes.
The spring 2025 funding round will open in winter 2025, with proposals due by March 28, 2025. For more information email OrangeInnovation@syr.edu.
Angelo Niforatos with drone