LaunchPad Hosts Inaugural Athletes for Data Sovereignty Summit and Pitch Competition
Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad hosted an inaugural Athletes for Data Sovereignty (A4DS) Summit and Pitch Competition, in partnership with UmiEconomy through its Charitable Foundation, The Audacious Dream, on April 24, 2026. The pitch competition was open to student-athletes, student-athlete alumni, and student entrepreneurs with sports-related ideas. Winners of the pitch competition were:
- Gabriel Josefson ’28 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of XCHKR, won the grand prize of $2,000.
- Zach Richter ’26 (College of Arts and Sciences) and Taran Singh ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founders of Wavelength, tied for second place, winning $750.
- Edouard Agbor G’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of GritGateway, also won $750 for second place.
- Marissa Johnson ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), founder of Gymify, won $250.
- Dylan McKinley ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications), founder of DylanDoesBasketball, won a Tier 1 Marketing Package from UmiEconomy
- Jase Malloy ’27 (School of Information Studies), founder of ErgoCraft, won a Tier 2 Marketing Package from UmiEconomy
- Ethan Barone ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of CaneCLamp, won a Tier 1 Intellectual Property Legal Package
- Jonathan "Jack" Wren ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management) and John "Trey " Adams III ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founders of Happy Duck, won a Tier 2 Intellectual Property Legal Package
In addition to the pitch competition, the Summit included interactive games and workshops around the importance of data in industries like sports, healthcare, media and finance, and how startups can build long-term value beyond short-term deals.