AJ Damiano scores another win with PowerSpike
Angelo (AJ) Damiano ’18, founder of student startup PowerSpike, won the $7,500 top prize in the U.S.-Western NY regionals of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) Global Student Entrepreneur Awards (GSEA). The competition, held November 8 in Buffalo, was open to student entrepreneurs who actively run a business, are currently pursuing an undergraduate degree and generating revenue or investments. Damiano will now advance to the EO GSEA finals in Dallas, slated for February 2018.
Damiano is a senior in the Whitman School of Management and a member of the Blackstone LaunchPad at SU Libraries and the Couri Hatchery at the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship.
PowerSpike is an influencer marketing and analytics platform for Twitch.tv, connecting gaming influencers with brands and advertisers for paid promotions and sponsored content. PowerSpike enables streamers to monetize their audience and helps brands to connect with new customers on a platform that reaches over 100 million viewers each month. Damiano has grown his company, recently sealed major brand placement deals, and attracted outside seed investment. Damiano recently participated in TwitchCon2017 and BlizzCon, two of gaming’s biggest venues, growing his status as an industry influencer.
This EO GSEA win follows his recent participation in the global Blackstone LaunchPad/Techstars Training Camp in New York City, a highly competitive program for the top two student entrepreneurs selected from each of the 20 Blackstone LaunchPad programs across the U.S. and United Kingdom. This past April, Damiano also won the top prize in the Software/Information Technology division of the New York State Business Plan Competition. He is a winner of several Syracuse University competitions, including the Panasci Business Plan Competition, the RvD iPrize, and CompeteCNY.
EO GSEA is considered the premier global competition for student entrepreneurs who actively run a business. With more than 1,700 competitors from over 30 countries, EO GSEA is an exclusive opportunity for student entrepreneurs to make connections, find resources, and grow their businesses. It is supported by the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), a global business network of more than 12,000 leading entrepreneurs in 160 global chapters.
Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success. EO offers resources in the form of global events, leadership development programs, peer-to-peer learning, an online entrepreneur forum, executive education opportunities, and connections to experts.