Innovation Unleashed

In 2013, Orange alumni Ricky Soler-Armstrong ’85 and Javier Tirado ’95 partnered up to establish Oneighty Agency, a full-service, award-winning advertising firm based in Puerto Rico. Their client roster features global brands including Honda, General Mills and Clorox, and in 2021 they launched the Florida-based agency Cientochenta (180 in Spanish).

“What inspired us to start our own agency was the passion to do what we do better every day without the bureaucracy and politics that we witnessed in big agencies,” says Soler-Armstrong, chief creative officer.

Both creatives benefited from their experiences and blend of liberal arts and social science studies at the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, with Tirado majoring in anthropology and Soler-Armstrong in political science. “Syracuse University opened our minds to the fact that to be successful in whatever you want to achieve, all you need is a dream with a deadline,” says Tirado, CEO. “Today, as we look back at our careers, we can both proudly say that our entrepreneurial journey began on this campus.”

As that journey continues, they share this insight with aspiring entrepreneurs: “Our advice is to have a clear objective/vision before developing any business strategy,” Soler-Armstrong says. “Make sure you stay valuable to your clients every single day.”

When Maria Murray G’96, G’09 was teaching at SUNY Oswego, she grew frustrated watching her student teachers enter school systems that didn’t practice evidence-based reading instruction. “I realized that if friends and colleagues were all equally frustrated, uniting to form a league could make a difference,” says Murray, who earned a master’s in learning disabilities and a doctorate in reading education from the School of Education.

In 2015, Murray did exactly that, establishing The Reading League in Syracuse with a group of like-minded, passionate people committed to literacy education. Many of them, Murray says, had studied at Syracuse under Benita Blachman—now Trustee Professor Emerita of Education and Psychology—whose research on successful early reading instruction contributed to an evidence-based model for early reading intervention.

The Reading League has grown from a Central New York initiative into a national nonprofit with chapters in 42 states, with plans to reach all 50 by 2026.

For aspiring entrepreneurs, Murray recommends joining forces with collaborators who share a passion for a common goal. “If you start a business or organization with a small but mighty group of people who share your vision, you are well on your way to success,” she says.

Scott Yager ’08 hit a winning combination in 2017 when he blended his fascination with the entertainment world with his storytelling skills and background as a reality television producer to establish Challenge Mania, a multimedia platform with a podcast, companion content, live events and community for superfans of MTV’s The Challenge and other reality TV shows.

“Reality TV fans are just as passionate as fans of Marvel, WWE or the NFL, they just haven’t always had the same outlets to celebrate that fandom,” says Yager, a College of Visual and Performing Arts’ film drama alumnus whose credits include America’s Next Top Model, Project Runway, The Amazing Race and the Emmy-winning Give, for which he was also the series narrator. “After years of working behind the scenes in reality television, I set out to bring the stars, storylines and spirit of these shows directly to the fans.”

Yager didn’t pursue a typical entrepreneurial path. His focus at Syracuse was on film and TV, but “Syracuse University instills a creative hustle in you,” he says. “It’s a culture of action and ambition that mirrors what it takes to start your own business.”

He encourages aspiring entrepreneurs to get real, hands-on experience. “Understanding how things work from the ground up is invaluable,” he says. “My decade in production making mistakes, managing chaos and finding solutions prepared me far better than any shortcut or instantaneous success could have.”

As nurse educators, Kateri Gabriele and her business partner wanted to teach their students in a community college nursing program how to administer medications to patients in a safe, realistic way. Medication errors claim lives daily in hospitals, and they were determined to give their students better training tools to prevent these deaths.

In 2015, they established Sim2Grow, a transformative training system that provides nursing students with hands-on practice administering medications. “By simulating real-world processes in a controlled, supportive environment, we help educators ensure that their students graduate ready to deliver safer patient care,” she says.

Gabriele, who served in the U.S. Public Health Service and is a military spouse, built her business skills through entrepreneurship programs offered by the D’Aniello Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) at Syracuse. “IVMF helped me understand that I didn’t need to have all the answers on day one,” she says. “I just needed to take the next right step and keep learning.”

Gabriele offers this advice to those aspiring to launch their own businesses: “Start small and start now, leverage what you know, find your people, be willing to evolve and don’t be afraid to ask for help,” she says. “Tap into programs like IVMF, mentors and communities. There’s a lot of support available if you’re willing to seek it out.”

Didier Morais ’10 is a storyteller at heart. He cultivated that passion in his Syracuse University journalism education—and it has helped guide his success as the founder and CEO of Vital Versatility, an award-winning public relations and digital marketing agency that he launched in 2022. With a focus on creative and compelling storytelling, Vital Versatility features an array of high-profile personalities and leading organizations as clients, including entertainers Megan Thee Stallion, Druski and Fat Joe, billionaire entrepreneur Carolyn Aronson and Roc Nation, among many others.

“That journalism pedigree allowed me to successfully pivot into public relations,” says the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumnus.

After working as a sports journalist for a few years, Morais joined a public relations agency where he advanced its music and entertainment department and represented several renowned entrepreneurs, gaining valuable insights from his interactions with them. “Over time, I came to realize the significance and influence of ownership and that, in order to build true financial freedom like my clients, I needed to eventually venture off and start my own business,” he says.

For anyone ready to undertake their own entrepreneurial journey, Morais advises: Don’t fear failure. “I was terrified, but I was motivated by the fact that I could deal with the possibility of failure, while I absolutely couldn’t accept the idea of not trying,” he says. “We only live this life once, so it’s crucial to take calculated risks and strive to maximize your full potential.”