Blackstone LaunchPad Student Start-Ups Win in the 2025 New York Business Plan Competition
Three Syracuse University Libraries’ Blackstone LaunchPad (LaunchPad) student start-up teams won prizes in the finals of the New York Business Plan Competition (NYBPC), powered by Upstate Capital Association of NY, held in Albany on April 24, 2025. Carolyn Fernandes G’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts), founder of Solace, won $2,000 as second prize winner in the Products and Hardware category. Solace designs fidget products into clothing for neurodivergent people. Lindy Elizabeth Truitt ’25 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) and Anjaneya Sanjay Padwal G’25 (School of Information Studies), founders of SipSafe+, also won a $2,000 second place prize in the Food and AgTech track. SipSafe+ uses a ring or stir stick that glows when drinks have been spiked with drugs. Jack Venerus ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of WingStat, won a $500 concept stage award. WingStat helps airplane brokers have reliable data about the aircraft they are buying or selling.
Syracuse University teams received the most awards of any single school in the statewide competition. 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.