’CUSE50 Summit 2025 Connects Top 50 Alumni Entrepreneurs with Student Innovators on November 14
by Linda Dickerson Hartsock, Syracuse University Libraries Strategic Initiatives Advisor and Adjunct Faculty Member at Martin J. Whitman School of Management
Syracuse University will host the third annual ’CUSE50 Summit on Friday, November 14, 2025, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Flaum Grand Hall at the Martin J. Whitman School of Management. The free event open to all connects student innovators across the campus with leaders of Syracuse University’s 50 fastest growing alumni companies for a dynamic exchange of ideas centered on creativity, career networking, innovation and entrepreneurship. Register for the event online.
The summit is the student‑focused companion event to the ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards, which honors the 50 fastest‑growing businesses owned or led by Syracuse University alumni. Participants will have direct access to 2025 ’CUSE50 alumni, learning from their journeys, interacting, networking and asking questions. Alumni will share knowledge around topics such as building and scaling a startup or side hustle, personal and business branding, building career pathways, the creator economy and developing an entrepreneurial mindset.
The event opens with check-in and early networking at 9 am, followed by a welcome address at 9:30 a.m. from some of the University’s leading voices in innovation and entrepreneurship. Dr. Michael Haynie, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation and Executive Dean of the Martin J. Whitman School of Management (Whitman), will deliver remarks alongside Dr. Alex McKelvie, Interim Dean of Whitman and Professor of Entrepreneurship. They will be joined by Dylan Bardsley ’26 (Whitman), founder of Clarity and president of the Syracuse University Entrepreneurship Club, who will offer a student perspective on building ventures and community on campus.
Serving as the event’s emcee is Ava Lubkemann ’27 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), founder of Revamped and winner of Orange Tank 2025, the Whitman School’s annual student startup competition. A rising figure in student innovation, Lubkemann is an Orange Innovation Scholar, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Couri Hatchery, Blackstone LaunchPad entrepreneur and a Dynamic Sustainability Lab Research Fellow.
Morning sessions will feature two Master Class panels with ’CUSE50 honorees sharing candid insights about building companies, managing growth and navigating the challenges of leadership. These moderated discussions will offer students a rare opportunity to learn directly from those who have turned ideas into real-world success stories.
From 10 a.m. to noon, ’CUSECast will be broadcasting live from Whitman Suite 115. Hosted by Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of Buffard Acquisitions LLC, and Carolina Aguayo Pla ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of Frutecho, this student-led media hub will record podcasts, videocasts and live social media segments featuring ’CUSE50 honorees, student founders and attendees. It will also include campus innovators and influencers who are part of the new Center for the Creator Economy, which kicks off with a signature launch event on November 13 in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Following the panel conversations, the summit transitions into a “Grand Rounds” networking session, where ’CUSE50 honorees and student “firestarters” will lead small-group table discussions around 15 practical topics ranging from “Building a Network for Success” and “Building Your Pitch and Story” to “Building a Lifestyle Business That Can Scale” and more. Designed as a rotating format, the Grand Rounds will encourage participants to move among tables, creating multiple touchpoints for mentorship, collaboration and inspiration.
After a free networking lunch, the afternoon will culminate in the “Five for Five” Pitch Competition at 1:30 p.m. in Lender Auditorium. In this high-energy showcase, five student entrepreneurial teams selected from a competitive campus-wide pool will pitch their ventures for a winner-takes-all $5,000 prize. The competition will be moderated by Nicolas Courbage ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of PapeX and last year’s Five for Five winner. The winner will be selected by the 2025 class of ’CUSE50 honorees.
Organized by the Office of Strategic Initiatives and Innovation, the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and Syracuse University Libraries, the ’CUSE50 Summit reflects the University’s deep commitment to fostering a campus-wide entrepreneurial ecosystem that connects ideas to opportunity. By linking students with accomplished alumni founders, the summit showcases how Orange entrepreneurs from around the world lead across industries while supporting the next generation of Orange leaders.