Program- Pitch Challenge 2020
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MEET OUR SPONSOR Adobe Adobe is the global leader in digital experience and digital media solutions. Our tools and services allow our customers to create groundbreaking digital content, deploy it across media and devices, measure and optimize it over time and achieve greater business success. We help our customers make, manage, measure and monetize their content across every channel and screen. A SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ADOBE WHO MADE TODAY’S EVENT POSSIBLE AND FOR SUPPORTING THE COMPETING TEAMS. 1 ABOUT THE FORDHAM UNIVERSITY FOUNDRY The Foundry is Fordham’s Hub for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This isn’t just any business incubator. The Fordham University Foundry grew out of Fordham’s commitment to businesses that advance society in a way greater and more meaningful than just profit. Companies that get their start here share the common thread of innovative thinking about how to launch and grow financially sustainable companies while adding value to the world. The Fordham Foundry has strong partnerships with the entire New York City ecosystem and receives ongoing support from Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business as well as corporate and private donors. This generous funding allows the Foundry to provide: • confidential business consultation • mentorship programs • ongoing business education and academic support • limited collaborative workspace • workshops for young entrepreneurs • Funding opportunities through: o Ram’s Den o Pitch Challenge o Fordham Angel Fund Visit us at both campuses! Rose Hill: Lincoln Center: 557 E Fordham Road Martino Hall Second floor 45 Columbus Ave, Room 109 Bronx, NY 10458 New York, NY 10023 Consider making a donation or being a corporate sponsor of Fordham University’s Foundry or our Ram’s Den Business Competition (December 2020). Please contact Rose McSween, Senior Director of Development, Business, 212-930-8891 or [email protected]. Follow Us! Instagram: @fordhamfoundry Twitter: @fordhamfoundry Facebook: fordhamfoundry www.fordhamfoundry.org 2 MEET THE FOUNDRY TEAM Albert J. Bartosic, Executive Director Albert J. Bartosic is a serial entrepreneur who has extensive experience with start-ups, cloud-based applications and B2B and direct consumer companies. He worked private equity, the medical industry, specialty beverages and other verticals. He advises startups, serves on the boards of Ridgefield Academy and other nonprofits, and is a director of several startup companies including Zoomph, Inc., a social media analytics company. A certified public accountant, Bartosic holds an MBA in Finance from New York University and a BS in Public Accounting from Fordham University. Milton J. Sussberg, Director, Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship Milton J. Sussberg has been a consumer product marketing entrepreneur for over 35 years, having served as the president of the company that launched the food processor, and for the last 30 years has operated his own entrepreneurial sales and marketing consulting firm. Sussberg has a BBA in management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and an MBA in marketing from Columbia University Graduate School of Business. Shaun Johnson, Assistant Director Shaun Johnson is a technologist, early adopter, and helper of people. He is the co-founder of Startup Institute, an edtech company equipping individuals with the skills, access, and mindset needed to make an immediate and positive impact on the startup venture they join. As a lover of exciting consumer web products, Johnson has also helped numerous startups with product road mapping, getting off the ground, and taking market share. Johnson holds a BA in computer science and sociology from Georgetown University and an MS in information systems from The Johns Hopkins University. Brandon Kim, Entrepreneur-in-Residence Brandon is a co-founder of Brevitē, a direct-to-consumer brand. He received a BA in Philosophy from Fordham University and his Master of Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design. Joseph Battista, Administrative Coordinator Joseph Battista comes to the Foundry with three years of administrative experience working at Fordham University with the Graduate School of Social Service. Battista served as a student services advisor and worked closely with administration to help support the growth and delivery of Fordham’s fully online master’s in social work program. Battista received his bachelor’s degree from Manhattan College and has worked as a data analyst for an online optical retailer and as a sales professional for a premium beverage distributor in Manhattan. Battista is also no stranger to entrepreneurship having started his own e-commerce business back in 2015. Battista is committed to the success and growth of the Fordham Foundry as it serves a vital role within the Fordham Community. 3 Julia Rubino, Marketing and Communications Intern Julia Rubino is a senior in the Gabelli School of Business at Rose Hill. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a primary concentration in management and a secondary concentration in international business with a minor in law and ethics. She is also on the pre-law track. Aside from interning at the Foundry, she is also a Logistics Intern at Christian Louboutin. On-campus, she is Logistics Coordinator for the Mock Trial Team, Outreach Ambassador for the Rose Hill Society, and President of the Pre-Law Society. She is passionate about the law and one day hopes to start her own corporate law firm and, in doing so, able to help entrepreneurs run their businesses. Chirayu Shah, Development and Alumni Relations Intern Chirayu is a junior majoring in Finance with a concentration in FinTech at Fordham’s Gabelli School of Business. Because of his zest for fundraising and development, he joined the Foundry team to help it grow and build more relations. Apart from this, he is involved with the Gabelli Development Office, Entrepreneurship Society, Student Philanthropy Committee, and United Student Government. Chirayu hopes to work in the investment banking industry after college, but for now, he is a student looking to enhance the Foundry and its connections. William Brodlo, Marketing and Media Intern Will Brodlo is a sophomore at Fordham College at Rose Hill. He is majoring in New Media and Digital Design with a concentration in commerce. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of Social Innovation Collaboratory’s “The Innovator” and the project manager for Design for Social Impact. With his love for art and design, Will hopes to bring a different set of eyes to the Foundry. Griffin Maher, Special Events Coordinator Intern Griffin Maher is a senior at Fordham College at Rose Hill pursuing a major in economics and a minor in marketing from the Gabelli School of Business. He worked two years for the Fordham athletic department where he was a marketing and sales intern. He is a member of the Fordham Marketing Association and the Alternative Investment Club. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and hopes one day to start his own business or create a product. He looks forward to expanding the Foundry’s reach within the Fordham community and also to other passionate people interested in entrepreneurship. 4 FOUNDRY ADVISORY BOARD Michael McSherry Retired Executive Partner Ernst & Young - Co-Chair Angelo Santinelli Founder of Dakin Management LLC - Co-Chair Tarik Abbas Investor and Venture Partner at NextGen Albert J. Bartosic Executive Director of Fordham Foundry Bill Catalano Managing Partner at WDC Angel Holdings Michael Doorley Founder and CEO, U.S. Debt Forum Chase McQuillan Business Development Associate at Hazelcast John Murphy Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Adobe Michael Priest President, Boosted.ai Emily Raleigh Founder of Spire & Co. Stephanie Barker Supko Director of Sales at Butterfly Beauty, and VP of Marketing at Patriot List Dave Yonamine Chairman and CEO of MobilityWare 5 MEET THE JUDGES Tarik Abbas, Founder of Saola Ventures Tarik is the Founder of Saola Ventures, an investment and advisory firm. Over several years, Tarik has gained experience working with early-stage companies as an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor. Currently, he is also a Venture Partner at NextGen Venture Partners and a mentor to several startup accelerators including ERA, the Ember Group, NUMA, and Startupbootcamp. Since 2019, Tarik has served as a Board Member to the Fordham Foundry, the innovation and entrepreneurship hub of Fordham University. Previously, he was a Partner at Interplay Ventures. Prior to that, Tarik was an investor for several years in various early-stage ventures. In 2014, Tarik gained investment experience at Atika Capital Management, a long/short international equity fund where he covered tech/media/telecom stocks. In 2012, he was a co-founder of Chipp'd, a platform for linking digital content to physical items. Tarik has also worked as a technology investment banker at Madison Park Group. Tarik has a BA in International Studies & Business Administration from Fordham University; he also has an MBA from MCNY. Lerzon Aksoy, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, Professor of Marketing at the Gabelli School of Business Lerzan Aksoy's research interests include consumer satisfaction and its relationship to customer loyalty and firm performance, customer relationship management and managing customers as assets. She was recognized as the top young scientist of 2007 in Turkey by the Junior Chamber International and she received one of the most prestigious business and management awards in Turkey: the 2012 Management Honor Award (Yonetim̈ Onur Od̈ ul̈ u).̈ A prolific writer, Professor Aksoy has authored or edited five books. Her most recent book, The Wallet Allocation Rule, is a New York Times and USA Today bestseller. Professor Aksoy's articles have been accepted for publication in top tier journals in marketing, strategy and service management. She has provided executive training and consulting on consumer behavior, customer relationship management and loyalty management to Sony, Ford, Pfizer, AC Nielsen and L’Oréal. Prior to joining Fordham, Professor Aksoy was an associate professor at Koc ̧ University in Istanbul, Turkey.