Libraries Announces Spring 2026 Orange Innovation Fund Winners
Syracuse University Libraries recently announced the Spring 2026 recipients of the Orange Innovation Fund, awarding $5,000 grants to a cohort of student inventors and entrepreneurs advancing high-potential ventures across healthcare, financial technology, consumer products and enterprise software.
The Orange Innovation Fund is designed to accelerate student-led startups beyond the idea stage, supporting founders who have demonstrated meaningful progress through customer discovery, prototyping and early validation. The fund emphasizes deep research and development work, along with comprehensive proposal development, and recognizes ventures that show strong execution, real-world traction and a clear path toward commercialization. Funding supports critical next steps such as product development, regulatory readiness, pilot testing and go-to-market strategy.
The Spring 2026 winners, listed alphabetically, are:
- Celes Buffard ’27 (School of Information Studies) for SecondWave
SecondWave is a financial wellness platform that helps users build personalized roadmaps to manage and grow their finances. The platform combines education, tools and vetted resources to guide users toward financial independence. Funding will support minimum viable product (MVP) completion, user testing, cloud infrastructure and trademark registration, as well as continued customer discovery. - Jayson Bromley (Martin J. Whitman School of Management) for Bromley Bio Med LLC – InDeazy
InDeazy is an integrated incision and drainage device designed to improve efficiency, control and safety in urgent care and emergency settings. Funding will support final design refinement and pilot manufacturing, including engineering updates, simulated workflow testing and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) pre-submission readiness. - Nicholas Davis ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) for Ethyra
Ethyra is an AI-native auto-grading and classroom analytics platform that helps educators save time and better understand student performance. Funding will support MVP completion, a version 1.0 launch and pilot testing at Syracuse University, the University of Washington and Eastside Preparatory School, along with Learning Management System (LMS) integration and a study on grading efficiency. - Haley Greene ’26 (S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications) for Miirror
Miirror is a clinically guided, peer-led, tech-enabled platform redefining eating disorder recovery. Offering free, inclusive and stigma-free tools, support circles, crisis resources and therapy matching, the platform connects underserved communities with accessible recovery pathways. Funding will support completion of the MVP, regulatory compliance, technical infrastructure and a campus pilot at Syracuse University. - Ronan Hussar ’26 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management) for MacroFlow
MacroFlow is an Excel add-in that automates macro creation, saving users significant time and increasing productivity. Funding will support development of secure AI implementation, full local functionality and enterprise-grade validation of macro generation capabilities. - Yasmin Madmoune G ’27 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management) for Yas Apothecary
Yas Apothecary is a Moroccan-inspired body care brand with a long-term vision of building a cooperative-based production infrastructure. Funding will support equipment upgrades, production scaling, wholesale market entry and supply chain development. - Nathan Brekke ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), G ’27 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), and Joshua Varkey ’26 (College of Engineering and Computer Science) for Phloat
Phloat is a magnetically attachable flotation device that deploys to bring a submerged phone back to the surface. Funding will support the first commercial-grade production run, field testing with beta users and development of a scalable manufacturing supply chain. The company has recently filed for a patent. - Jack Venerus ’27 (School of Information Studies) for WingStat
WingStat is a business-to-business platform for aircraft transaction data in the pre-owned business jet market. Funding will support the transition from a no-code MVP to a production-ready platform, including backend infrastructure, authentication systems and automated data workflows.
The Orange Innovation Fund was initially established through a gift to SU Libraries from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill, a 1998 Syracuse University alumna, member of the Board of Trustees and an operating partner at Silicon Valley Quad (an angel investing syndicate). The program is administered through Syracuse University Libraries as a university-wide initiative, run in collaboration with multiple campus innovation and entrepreneurship programs. Proposal reviewers include entrepreneurial faculty and staff, along with alumni who have come through the ecosystem and are venture founders or in C-Suite roles at leading innovation companies.
“The Orange Innovation Fund plays a critical role in SU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, enabling student founders to move beyond concept and into execution,” says David Seaman, Dean of Libraries and University Librarian. “By supporting ventures at a pivotal stage of development, the fund helps transform promising ideas into scalable businesses with real-world impact.”