Syracuse Sun

Nine student teams have been awarded $5,000 each through the Orange Innovation Fund, a grant program administered by Syracuse University Libraries to assist students in commercializing their research ideas. The recipients will be honored during a Zoom event on May 23.

The awardees include:

- Emeka Ossai G’25 (Martin J. Whitman School of Management), founder of Campus Labs, which is launching a pilot program for ten startup labs in Nigeria.

- Xheneta Sopjani G’24 (Whitman School), Fulbright Scholar and founder of Revive by Deinde, which aims to test a device that aids cell rejuvenation and skincare.

- Waqar Hussain G’25 (Whitman School), Fulbright Scholar and founder of Iconnic.Cloud, offering managed cloud services for small businesses.

- Brielle Young ’27 (School of Information Studies and Whitman School), Leadership Scholar and Renee Crown Honors Program member, founder of Aggregate, an agritech company connecting producers and consumers via a digital platform.

- Natasha Brao ’22 (College of Visual and Performing Arts) G’23 and G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Root & Seed Brands and Shooka Sauce, working on producing a new flavor for her Mediterranean spiced tomato sauce.

- Max Sulik G’24 (College of Engineering and Computer Science), Syracuse University Ambulance EMT, founder of Vital Air Quality Sensor providing real-time environmental data.

- Ashtha Singh G’24 (Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs), Chancellor’s Citation recipient, Downey Scholar, vice president of Phi Sigma Pi National Honor Fraternity, founder of Step Ahead Tech focused on STEM education for underserved students.

- Angelo Niforatos G’20 (Engineering and Computer Science) G’24 (Whitman School), founder of Niffy Drone Solutions specializing in military defense drones and smart home/building repair detection.

- Cory Mitchell G’24 (Whitman School), veteran co-founder of EntreVita focusing on precision health technology using AI.

Funding for the Orange Innovation Award comes from Raj-Ann Rekhi Gill ’98, a member of the Syracuse University Board of Trustees. "The list of this year’s recipients is truly inspiring," said Rekhi Gill.

Recipients expressed gratitude for the support. Sopjani stated: “This will certainly be a pivotal moment for Revive by Deinde.” Singh noted: “Step Ahead Tech is dedicated to bridging the educational divide.” Young added: “Aggregate empowers producers...I am grateful for the support.” Sulik commented: “The award is immensely valued.”

The fund supports diverse ventures with four led by women founders, five by founders of color, and one by a combat veteran. It aims to move student research from ideation to commercialization.

Linda Dickerson-Hartsock from Syracuse University Libraries highlighted the high number and quality of proposals received this spring across various sectors including agriculture, biology, cleantech, medtech, edtech among others.

For more information about the program or upcoming workshops contact orangeinnovation@syr.edu.

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