The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship housed in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University was recently given the Nasdaq Center of Entrepreneurial Excellence Award.

The award, given out by the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centers, recognizes centers that have made important advancements in the entrepreneurial field, according to the consortium website.

The event at which the award is presented is one of the biggest for universities across the world.

Other top tier programs, such as those from University of California, Berkeley; University of Southern California; Babson College; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology also have won the award in the past.

“Recognition from our peers means a lot,” said Alexander McKelvie, chair of the department of entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and associate professor of entrepreneurship.

The consortium looked at the research each center has completed, teaching techniques and the overall magnitude of the center’s impact on entrepreneurship.

McKelvie said one thing that set Whitman apart was that it has an entire program dedicated to entrepreneurship. Whitman’s center is staffed with 13 full-time faculty and 10 other part-time professors, while most other schools house their programs in marketing or public relations departments, he said.

Whitman also has the Blackstone LaunchPad, which is available to all SU faculty, staff and students regardless of major and has helped launch about 150 startups on campus. Started in April 2016, the program is designed to provide budding entrepreneurs with the skills and support to become successful in the global entrepreneurial network.

Situated on the main floor of E.S. Bird Library, it offers coaching services, helps with networking and product launching and allows students to participate in different competitions.

One entrepreneur got his start at SU and is now receiving attention from a global audience. Angelo Damiano is the founder of PowerSpike, which works to make constant streaming feasible for brands through in-stream campaigns.

Damiano was able to make his vision a reality through the Couri Hatchery Student Business Incubator. The incubator, part of SU’s entrepreneurship program, provides support to the founders of small student business through business consultations and other services.

The South Side Innovation Center is another incubator run by Whitman. It provides entrepreneurs, specifically those who are interested in developing their businesses in Syracuse’s South Side and nearby areas, with a professional community to help grow their initiative.

Whitman was ranked number one for veterans by both USA Today and College Factual. McKelvie added that more than 37,000 veterans have been a part of the entrepreneurship program on campus.

Anyone on campus who is interested in business or entrepreneurship can use the resources available. The introductory class offered for the entrepreneurship program is composed of 80 percent of non-Whitman students. McKelvie said this represents the “natural collision of talent and perspective that makes entrepreneurship great” and allows individuals to turn a hobby into something more.

Published on October 17, 2016 at 10:27 pm

Contact Sandhya: ssiyer@syr.edu