2025 Panasci Business Competition Awards $40,000 to Emerging Entrepreneurs at Whitman
From clothing designed to make neurodiverse individuals more comfortable to a mobile thrift shop on a school bus that promotes upcycling and reduces waste, this year’s Panasci Business Plan Competition displayed ideas from some of the most entrepreneurially minded students at Syracuse University.
Held on April 4 at the Whitman School of Management, this annual event hosted by the Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises (EEE) was made possible by David Panasci ’80, president of DHP Consulting, who sponsored the first, second and third place awards; Scott Friedberg ’14, founder and CEO of Gilded Social, who sponsored the Gilded Social Rising Entrepreneur Award; and Nick Monzi ’11, CEO and co-founder of Learn Fresh, who sponsored the Learn Fresh Award for Social Entrepreneurship. The competition is open to all students at the University, as well as those from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
“It is once again a privilege to be a part of such an exciting day at the Whitman School, where entrepreneurs from all over campus come together to showcase their innovative ideas,” says Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Cristiano Bellavitis, who also noted that this year’s competition had twice as many entries as in 2024. “Everyone who competed today should be so proud of their unique talent and their commitment to their products and solutions. And, a special thanks to our donors: Without their support we would not be able to hold this event today, as well as our judges—most entrepreneurs themselves—for providing to every competing student valuable feedback and support.”
The 2025 Panasci Competition awarded $40,000 in prize money to the winning teams who demonstrated the best potential for growth and attracting outside financing. All 26 semi-finalists team submitted written business plans, and the top seven teams were brought together for 4-minute elevator pitches in front of a panel of judges and audience members in the Flaum Grand Hall.
Prior to the announcement of the winners, Bellavitis presented Don Stanton ’03 a special award for “embodying the spirit of entrepreneurship.” Stanton, founder of Tanglewood Gardens, not only participated as a judge this year, but also won the Panasci Competition 21 years ago.
The winners of the 2025 Panasci Competition were presented by David Panasci ’80.
Elizabeth Paulin ’25 (A&S) took first place and received $20,000 for her company Paulin Capital LLC, a venture capital fund promoting more opportunity to women and people of color.
Waqar Hussein ’25 MBA, Mohmmed Awais ’16 M.S. (ECS), Faiza Yousuf and James Griffth earned second place and $7,500 for Iconnic.Cloud, a managed cloud service platform that simplifies the deployment and management of web applications and software across major cloud deployment.
Lucas d’Oelsnitz ’26, Aidan Turner ’25 (ARC), Carolyn Fernandes ’24 (VPA), Maria-Camila Molina ’25 (VPA), Aphrodite Gioulekas ’25 (VPA), Roberto Bobby Anzaldua ’26 (MAX), Bella Tabak ’27 (NEW) and Christine Ianniello ’27(A&S) were awarded the third place prize of $2,500 for Solace Collectives, a line of clothing solutions specifically designed for neurodivergent individuals, including those with autism, ADHD, OCD and more, to alleviate anxiety, increase confidence and reduce distraction from discomfort.
The Gilded Social Rising Entrepreneur Award of $5,000 was presented to Solace Collectives.
The Learn Fresh Award for Social Entrepreneurship of $5,000 was given to Ava Ray Lubkemann ’27 (ECS) and Isabella Carter ’27 (NEW) of Revamped.
A highlight of the event was the presentation of several special awards by Professor of Entrepreneurial Practice John Torrens.
The George R. Burman Entrepreneurial Leadership Award to Eric Alderman L’75, entrepreneur, principal of the Law Firm of Eric Alderman and an adjunct instructor on the EEE faculty.
The EEE Faculty Member of the Year Award to Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship Minet Schindehutte, who is retiring at the end of this academic year.
The Young Alumni Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award to Jack Adler ’23, founder of startup Out2Win, which has been making great strides in the Name Image and Likeness (NIL) space since before he graduated.
The Undergraduate Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award, which is presented each year to a senior, was awarded to Leah Saulnier ’25, a EEE and marketing major.
The Graduate Excellence in Entrepreneurship Award was given to Emeka Ossai ’25 MBA, founder of CampusLabs Nigeria.
Student Entrepreneur of the Year Award was given to Angelo Niforatos ’20 (ECS), ’25 MBA, founder of Niffy Drone Solutions LLC.
The support of alumni, entrepreneurs and friends of the Whitman School make the competition possible each year, including those who give their time and share their perspectives as judges.
This year, those included Jack Adler ’23, Eric Alderman L’75, Ruthnie Angrand, John Arquette, Gregory Ayers, Ryan Benz ’11 M.S., Brittany Berry ’18 (VPA), Heather Dake Bianchi, Logan Bonney ’18 M.S., Louis Bookoff ’17, Matthew Checkersfield, Adam Eagner, David Eilers ’80 (NEW), Jessica Falcone, James Farrell, Meghan Florkowski, Jeff Fuschsberg, Traci Geisler ’90 (A&S/NEW), Janice Harvey ’73 (HD), ’85 M.S., Lekia Hill, Professor Alex Kostakis, F. Jasper Massey, Anne L. Messenger, Nick Monzi ’11, Sarah Pelligrini, Hamid Sha, Cindy Sideris, Don Stanton ’03 and Vivek Sureddi ’15 (A&S).