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Success Spotlights
Startup and Innovation CoLab powered by Blackstone LaunchPad coaches and mentors founders, helping them pull ideas out of their heads and put them into the real world.
Ideas are not created in a vacuum
Entrepreneurs who possess the strong foundation gained by working with The CoLab powered by Blackstone LaunchPad are better equipped than the average founder. They know and understand their market on a deeper level; they know what makes their product or business stand out from the rest; and most importantly, they know they are serving a need or solving a problem.
Don’t just take our word for it. Hear from the people behind successful ventures who worked with The CoLab to get their businesses up and running.
November Spotlight
Caleb Ayers
- Senior
- Major; Applied Mathematics
I am from New York City. I love STEM research and investing in real estate.
October Spotlight
Holly Quagliato
- Senior
- Major; Mechanical Engineering
I joined Blackstone late during my junior year. Through the CoLab's Inclusive Launch Foundry, I gained an internship at Tresca Design. Through the class I was able to partner with my friend, Marieross Navarro, to create our idea Safe and Sound. We were both nervous about sharing our idea with others but we took the leap and participated in 'empowHer', which was our first pitch competition ever in front of other people. We won third place and this gave us more confidence to participate in other competitions. We competed in 'Pitch for a Purpose' where we reached the semi-finals. Marieross worked on the business and marketing aspect and I worked on the technology to expand our design into a prototype. Our idea was growing so much that we submitted it to the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and received the Award for Student Achievement in Sexual Violence Prevention. We wanted our idea to reach as many people as possible with the help of The Startup & Innovation CoLab and the SEAS department.
September Spotlight
Jacob Rhinehart
- Rising Junior
- Major; Business Administration
I am from Buffalo, NY. I am a big chicken wing guy, Bills fan, and passionate about the growth of WNY. Over this last semester, I have been able to learn about different ventures and learning strategies that my peers take when getting into the startup ecosystem. This next semester, I plan on taking this knowledge and begin to execute on my own ideas. I can’t wait to be able to execute, grow, and most importantly share what I’ve learned with the next people at The CoLab.
