On stage at a Syracuse University student entrepreneur pitch competition, Haley Greene ’26 shares how an eating disorder has dangerously impacted her sister’s life. Growing up in the Los Angeles entertainment industry where thin is in, Greene knows her sister is not alone: 30 million Americans live with eating disorders, and the cost of traditional treatment is beyond reach for many of them. “I want to help people,” says Greene, an advertising major.
Haley Greene ’26 (center) and LaunchPad program manager Jonathan “J” Wess (right) join alumni and student entrepreneurs at the ’CUSE50 Student Summit. Wess has been instrumental in helping Greene develop her business plan and pitch for her startup, Miirror.
That motivation led Greene to the Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad, the on-campus innovation hub where she developed Miirror, a free eating disorder-specific platform with medical oversight that provides a safe space for those in recovery and a range of tools for support. She credits LaunchPad program manager Jonathan “J” Wess for coaching her in building the business and competing in pitch contests. “I’ve never in my life done anything like this,” says Greene, who collected nearly $15,000 through six pitch competition wins and other funding last semester. “It’s completely new and different, and I’ve put so much time, energy and heart into this project that I’m going full force.”
Financially Boosting Startups
From left, InclusiveU support staff member Beckett Sorrentino, School of Education professor Alan Foley, InclusiveU student Rohan Pai ’29 and class TA Micah Fialka-Feldman collaborate on a project in the Intelligence++ program, which invites students from across the University to imagine and create products, devices and services for persons with disabilities.
While pitch competitions can be intimidating, Syracuse University provides students with resources to refine their pitches and win funding for their startups. Throughout the year, students polish their pitches at the LaunchPad and the Whitman School of Management’s Couri Hatchery, a student-centered coworking space with mentorship support. Together, they offer student entrepreneurs guidance with their ventures and host more than a dozen pitch competitions, including the Impact Prize, Orange Tank, ’Cuse Tank and ’CUSE50 Five for Five. Students can also pitch for prize money through programs like Intelligence++ and Invent@SU. “Pitches are always evolving and that’s beautiful,” Wess says, “because as your business grows, so does your pitch.”
The prize is sometimes progress, because you never know who will be a judge or that the feedback can get you to the next yes. I tell them, ‘Just put yourself out there.’
Indaria Jones ’14, Couri Hatchery program manager
The University’s entrepreneurial ecosystem provides $250,000 in combined funding for pitches, competitions and grants, much of it from alumni donors. Over the past decade, student-launched startups have generated $195 million, and the University is ranked 13th nationally among undergraduate entrepreneurship programs by The Princeton Review.
“I want students to not only think about a startup as a business but a pathway to the career of their dreams,” says Indaria Jones ’14, program manager of the Couri Hatchery. “When you learn the perfect pitch and you’re in those interview rooms, the framework does not change. It’s your story, your secret sauce, what you bring to the table, how you can execute. And if you can do all those things as a student with a startup, imagine what you can do for a company.”
Tell Your Story
Members of the repLACE team pitch their mechanical, pedal-operated golf tee system at Invent@SU last summer.
For student entrepreneurs, landing a perfect pitch is no easy task. They need to offer solutions to problems, highlight facts and figures on pitch slide decks and talk target audiences and market share analysis—sometimes in as little as 90 seconds.
Both Jones and Wess emphasize being yourself and connecting a story to the product. Wess cites the importance of properly explaining a product that might not be easily understood and being prepared for judges’ questions that may not have immediate answers. “Confidence is key,” Wess says. “You always want to start a pitch with a show-stopping statement to really grab the audience. You have to go after people’s hearts and minds.”
Be the Expert
Syracuse University Libraries’ LaunchPad invites students to pursue an entrepreneurial path, providing mentoring and support and hosting pitch competitions.
Film majors James Welch ’28 and Reid Willard ’28 co-founded W.W. Productions, a platform created to showcase and monetize student films through streaming services, film festivals, studios and universities. “It’s like the NIL of filmmaking,” Welch says. “The name, image and likeness system being used for student-athletes can be applicable to student arts.”
Welch has spent countless hours doing in-depth market research and developing expertise. He and Willard perfected their pitch—focusing on their story and strategy—and collected top prizes at the 2025 Raymond von Dran iPrize ($2,000) and ’Cuse Tank ($10,000) competitions. “We really home in on the passion, the drive and the necessity,” Welch says. “I work on W.W. every day. When you are passionate about a company and it’s your baby, literally doing one thing a day on your business helps you build your pitch over time.”
Practice, Practice, Practice
Yasmin Madmoune G’27 pitches her business, Yas Apothecary, at the Orange Central Student Startup Showcase.
Whitman MBA student Yasmin Madmoune G’27 is relentless when it comes to practicing her pitch for Yas Apothecary, a health and beauty brand she founded in 2020 featuring natural products based on Moroccan hammam (spa) traditions. The business has generated $150,000 in revenues, and she’s looking to scale up.
Madmoune has taken top honors at several pitch competitions, including the LaunchPad’s Ideas Fest and Freelance-Small Business Competition, as well as the ’CUSE50 Five for Five competition in November, which earned her $5,000. “I was pitching all week to everybody who would listen to me,” she says. “I know my pitch and my business, so it’s really about being confident in your delivery and resonating with the audience. You have to be open to feedback and practice as much as possible, because it is nerve-wracking every time.”
Get to the Point
Rah Mahtani ’10 (standing), head of commercial strategy, U.S., for Alibaba.com, talks with students about their projects in Professor Don Carr’s Sustainable Product Systems class. He also visited the LaunchPad, where he discussed his career, fielded questions and offered entrepreneurial advice.
During a visit with students at the LaunchPad, Syracuse alumnus Rah Mahtani ’10, head of commercial strategy, U.S., for Alibaba.com, shared his insights as host of Alibaba.com’s COCREATE, the largest product-based pitch competition on the planet. Now in its third year, the U.S. competition drew 26,000 applicants, and 20 finalists gave 90-second pitches for the $200,000 grand prize.
“A pitch is of strategic importance because it basically trains you to clearly articulate the value of your product and everything about your business fast,” Mahtani says.
Add a Splash
Alex Deyhim, Kenneth and Mary Ann Shaw Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurial Leadership, leads the Invent@SU program. He spreads his passion for entrepreneurship with students as he guides them through the process of designing, prototyping and pitching original devices.
When Nathan Brekke ’26, G’27 and Joshua Varkey ’26 pitch their product, they introduce a worst-case scenario for anyone on the water. “You get your phone out for a picture of the beautiful landscape and the next thing you know—splash,” says Brekke, a computer science and MBA student. “Your phone is sinking with no way to retrieve it.”
As part of a team in the 2024 Invent@SU program, they developed Phloat—a magnetic flotation unit that attaches to a smartphone and inflates when triggered, lifting the phone back to the surface. They won the program’s competition and have worked on Phloat ever since, adjusting their pitch as they’ve progressed and taking the $10,000 top prize in 2024 ’Cuse Tank as well. “If you don’t practice a lot and have a good understanding of your product, your pitch is going to fall apart,” says Varkey, an aerospace engineering major.
While embracing all the elements of a top-notch pitch, they added an extra splash for the ’CUSE50 Five for Five competition—a humorous video featuring Phloat in action. “We hoped that would win it for us,” Brekke says. “People have really liked it so far, so we’ll keep it in there.”
Win Without Winning
At the 2025 Orange Tank competition, Ava Lubkemann ’27 delivers her winning pitch for Revamped, a mobile thrift shop that collects, repairs, upcycles and redistributes clothing and textile products to improve access to affordable clothing for underserved communities in Central New York.
Although crafting the perfect pitch takes time, the effort comes with rewards. “Pitching isn’t always an opportunity to win, and sometimes winning isn’t the prize,” Jones says. “The prize is sometimes progress, because you never know who will be a judge or that the feedback can get you to the next yes. I tell them, ‘Just put yourself out there.’”
