Couri Hatchery Announces 2026-27 Innovators to Watch
Thirty-five students, alumni and entrepreneurs selected from 73 nominations across the Syracuse University community.
The Martin J. Whitman School of Management’s Couri Hatchery Student Business Incubator has named 34 individuals and organizations to its inaugural 2026-27 Innovators to Watch list, recognizing founders, creators and emerging leaders across Syracuse University community.
Selected from 73 nominations, honorees fall into three categories: Founders to Watch, Creators to Watch and Emerging Leaders to Watch.
Building on Syracuse University’s annual ’CUSE50 Alumni Entrepreneur Awards, which celebrate the fastest-growing alumni businesses, Innovators to Watch recognizes talent earlier in the journey, including current students, recent graduates or early-stage entrepreneurs making their mark.
“There’s so much talent across Syracuse University, and some of these students are already doing things that once took years to accomplish,” says Indaria Jones, program director of the Couri Hatchery. “We wanted to recognize them now, while they’re still building, and give the world a chance to see what they’re doing.”
The list includes entrepreneurs developing medical devices, artificial intelligence platforms and consumer brands, alongside content creators, designers and professionals pursuing careers in sports, entertainment and other industries.
Meet the 2026–27 Innovators to Watch
Founders to Watch
1. Tahirah Abdul-Qadir ’26, ’28 MBA, Founder, Fight Like a Girl
2. Jack Adler ’23, Founder, Out2Win
3. Bruno Arriola Flores ’28 (ECS), Co-Founder, MedicFlow
4. Trey Augliano ’27, Founder, Utopia Beauty
5. Eric Boutros ’28 MBA, L’28, Founder, JDOT
6. Natasha Brao ’22 (VPA),’23 M.S., ’24 MBA, Founder, Shooka
7. Alexis Bromley ’14 (A&S), Founder and CEO, InDeazy
8. Jon Carter ’26 (SOA), Co-Founder, Gianode
9. Charley Cole ’27 (VPA), Founder of Core Memory
10. Augustine Doe ’03 MBA, L’03, Founder, Doegode
11. Emily Gozy, Founder and CEO, Nourished with Emily LLC
12. Nia Griffin ’28 (VPA), Founder, EmboldIN
13. Nathan Brekke ’26 (ECS), ’27 MBA, Founder, Phloat
14. Yasmin Madmoune ’27 MBA, Founder, Yas Apothecary
15. Grace Anne McCooey ’29 MBA, Founder, InstantReplay
16. Sunpaire Molla ’30, Founder, KORA
17. Angelo Niforatos G’20 (ECS), ’25 MBA, CEO, Vigilare AI
18. Jesse Nunan ’27 (VPA), Founder, Meriwether Print Club
19. Tatiana Royal-Williams ’16 (FALK), G’17 (EDU), Founder and Clinical Director, With Heart With Soul Therapy PLLC
20. Matt Shumer ’22, General Partner, Shumer Capital; Chairman, HyperWrite
21. David Simon ’27 (NEW), Founder, Never Wait Again
22. Josh Suggs ’25, Founder, StreetTalk
Creators to Watch
22. Eli Ailloni ’26 (NEW), Founder and CEO, Eli and Pesto Productions
23. Ilana Epstein ’25 (NEW), Content Creator
24. Maximiliano Jimenez G’25 (EDU), ’28 M.S., Creator and HEOP Project Coordinator
25. Dylan McKinley ’26 (NEW), Creator, Dylan Does Basketball
26. Niara McIntyre ’24 (iSchool), G’25 (NEW), Founder, NiniontheBeat
27. Thomas O’Brien ’25 (VPA), Project Coordinator, Center for the Creator Economy; Founder, Ten Projects Open
28. Jordan Pierre ’23 (NEW), Founder, The Voice
29. Chelsea Reeves ’24 (A&S), G’25 (NEW), Talent, CultureCon Collective; Founder, Photography by Chelsea Reeves
30. Mattingly Weisholtz ’27, Content Creator
Emerging Leaders to Watch
31. Abdulai Jibril Barrie ’26 (VPA), Industrial and Interaction Designer
32. William Lewandowski ’27, Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises major
33. Noah Nasser ’28 MBA, L’28, Startup Advisor, Couri Hatchery
34. Eugene Tulyagijja ’24 (FALK), Assistant Director of Coaching Analytics, New York Knicks
Nominations came from across Syracuse University’s entrepreneurship and innovation ecosystem, with contributions from Whitman’s Career Center, the Center for the Creator Economy, Digital Media Center for Entrepreneurship, Syracuse University Libraries, Invent@SU and the WISE Women’s Business Center.
About Whitman’s Couri Hatchery
The Couri Hatchery, housed within Whitman’s Entrepreneurship Center, supports students and alumni from every Syracuse University school and college through mentorship, workspace, funding opportunities and connections to industry professionals. To learn more about entrepreneurship resources and opportunities, visit the Couri Hatchery at Whitman School of Management.