Applications Open for 2025 ’Cuse Tank Competition
by Anthony Thomas ’24 (School of Information Studies)
Applications are open until September 22 for the Blackstone LaunchPad’s ’Cuse Tank competition. This year's annual ’Cuse Tank, a featured event kicking off Family Weekend, will take place Friday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m. in Bird Library’s Peter Graham Scholarly Commons (Room 114), with pitches occurring in various rooms. Student entrepreneurs will have an opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges that include accomplished parent innovators, entrepreneurs and alumni.
’Cuse Tank is a pitch competition inspired by “Shark Tank” that is open to all Syracuse University students across all majors who are creating innovative new products, services and technologies. Student teams present a 4-minute pitch presentation followed by questions and answers from the judges. Winners will receive prize funding to help advance their ideas from concept to commercialization.
Some of last year’s winners went on to kick-start their innovative ideas while others used the money to further develop specific areas of their ventures.
This year’s ’Cuse Tank judges include:
- Melinda Dermody P’26
- Melissa J Gwilt ’15, G’18, G’22, P’28
- Seth Kaplan ’94, P’28
- Katherine Oja
- Ibou Thior P’28
- Mirza Tihic P’29
- Alice Villafana P’28
- Tonya Villafana P’28
- Scott A Warren P’29
- Mark Wassersug P’26