The winners of the 2025 Raymond von Dran iPrize and Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award were unveiled on April 10 at the Blackstone LaunchPad located in Bird Library. These awards are aligned with the institution’s focus on nurturing entrepreneurship among its students. Each winning team has been awarded a $2,000 prize.
The Raymond von Dran (RvD) Fund is dedicated to supporting student entrepreneurship. It was established in honor of Raymond von Dran, who was dean of the School of Information Studies from 1995 until 2007. Gisela von Dran, Raymond’s widow, participated as a judge in the competition and distributed the awards.
The recipients of the 2025 RvD iPrize include the following ventures and their founders:
– SipSafe, established by Lindy Elizabeth Truitt and Anjaneya Sanjay Padwal
– Diabetech, created by Tosin Alabi
– InstaHelp, founded by Mirco Sascha Kunz
– Game, initiated by Carena Gianna Colo
– SOLACE, by Carolyn Fernandes
– Pari Beauty, founded by Aarna Taparia
– WW Productions, set up by James Oliver Welch and Reid Willar
– Palmarati, initiated by Tommy Brown and Oscar Rune Goranson
– Founders without Borders, by Celes Buffard
– BetaKola, founded by Alie Savane
The Hunter Brooks Watson Spirit of Entrepreneurship Award, initiated in 2018 by the Hunter Brooks Watson Memorial Fund, honors students who embody “The Spirit of Entrepreneurship.” This award commemorates Hunter Brooks Watson, a Syracuse University student who tragically passed away in a distracted driving accident. The 2025 recipients include:
– Carolina Aguayo-Pla
– Waqar Hussain
– Isabella Carter and Ava Lubkemann
– Ziekariba Nonr Diallo
– Jase M Malloy
