Two Blackstone LaunchPad Student Start-Ups Place in the Finals of the 2024 New York Business Plan Competition
Two Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad (LaunchPad) student start-up teams placed in the finals of the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), powered by Upstate Capital, held in Albany on April 25. Natasha Brao ’22, College of Visual and Performing Arts; G’23, G’24, MBA Whitman, founder of Shooka Sauce, won 3rd Place Prize of $1,000 in the Food and Agriculture Track. Shooka Sauce is a Mediterranean Spiced Tomato Sauce based on the dish, Shakshuka, inspired by mixing and melding cultural flavors to promote creative cooking. Motolani Oladitan ’24, College of Arts and Sciences, founder of Tá Beautie, was awarded the Concept Stage $500 Award in the Software and Services Track. Tá Beautie is a virtual marketplace connecting African beauty and wellness brands with the diaspora, making it easier for consumers to discover and purchase high-quality, authentic African products.
Five Launchpad student start-up teams attended the 2024 New York Business Plan Competition. Other student teams to reach the finals include Frank Marin ’24 (Marhold Space Systems), Adya Parida ’25 (Scale Sense), and Dylan Bardsley ’26 and Mark Leaf ’27 (Clarity).
The NYBPC attracts some of NY State’s best student entrepreneurs. The competition promotes entrepreneurial opportunities for college students from across the state who pitch their business plans to seasoned investors. They also receive the opportunity to engage with mentors and judges from the business community. The Finals event connects students with business professionals, provides experiential learning opportunities through competitions, connects entrepreneurs with resources at the Entrepreneurship Expo, and awards up to $100,000 in cash prizes to help seed new ventures.
About the Blackstone LaunchPad at Syracuse University Libraries:
The Blackstone LaunchPad is Syracuse University’s innovation hub, connecting the campus resource-rich ecosystem with a global network that provides support for aspiring entrepreneurs, inventors and creators. The program serves faculty, staff, students and recent alumni across all disciplines who are interested in entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation careers. The program supports a key pillar of Syracuse University’s academic strategic plan to give students experiential opportunities that help prepare them to be trailblazers in an entrepreneurial world.