The power of ideas
About Blackstone LaunchPad
Since its founding in 2008, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation has been committed to creating economic opportunities for diverse and historically underrepresented communities.
The Blackstone LaunchPad network helps college and university students gain entrepreneurial experiences and competencies to build successful companies and careers.
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Center at Bronx Community College
Center at Bronx Community College
The Blackstone LaunchPad network provides students and alumni at Bronx Community College with the resources and opportunities to support innovation, entrepreneurial endeavors, and career ambitions.
You don’t need to study business, have a huge network, or have a history of entrepreneurship to get involved. LaunchPad is for all students, no matter their background or future plans. Whether you are curious about building community with like-minded individuals, learning new skills, have an innovative idea you’re ready to take action on, or are prepared to take the next steps with your business, the BCC Blackstone LaunchPad is here to support you!
Did you know we have an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center on campus? Student Ambassadors are in the space to answer questions about programming and offer mentorship. Utilize it for creativity, collaboration, team meetings, workshops, and more.
Visit us in North Hall, Room 116!
The partnership with BCC, CUNY and the Blackstone Charitable Foundation will:
- Provide skill-building initiatives that will connect students and alumni with mentors, networks, and professional development opportunities.
- Ensure the development of an entrepreneurial mindset and skills.
- Facilitate a network of lasting professional relationships between students, faculty, and mentors through proven startup resources and unique virtual and physical opportunities.
- Provide students with the chance to participate in workshops, pitch competitions, fellowships, and live speaker series to pursue their desired career with the skills needed to succeed.
Blackstone LaunchPad
2023 Summer Fellowship Cohort!
2023 Summer Fellowship Cohort!
Jaheim Archibald was accepted into the Blackstone LaunchPad Summer Fellowship 2023 cohort!
Jaheim won in the Consumer Products & Services track for the 2022 Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition at the campus level in the fall for his business, Acumen Technologies. Jaheim describes his business idea as a time management software.
During the Fellowship, up to 50 student founders from BLP network schools across the country will be awarded $5,000 in prize money to support their time working on advancing their technology ventures.
The Fellowship is largely self-driven but will include weekly skill-development workshops, goal setting, and peer and professional networking opportunities.
Jaheim Archibald
Design Sprint
The Design Sprint International is a five-day virtual process that addresses business challenges and validates ideas through design, prototyping, and testing ideas. Students with various creative skills including fashion design, business, product design, architecture, photography, and animation were split into teams and supported throughout the five days by expert mentors.
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Over 300 students from the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom, CUNY, and Nagoya Zokei University of Art and Design in Japan put their creativity to the test virtually January 16-20, 2023, in the Design Sprint International 2023.
Through the Blackstone LaunchPad grant, Joshua Rivera was one of over 300 participants.
Joshua Rivera, Digital Arts at BCC
Joshua is majoring in Digital Arts at BCC. He shared, “It was very new and exciting for me. This was the quickest way to immerse oneself in a co-creative troubleshooting experience while collaborating internationally with other students. It has challenged me to think in more engaging ways and understand the practical visuals that one can use to pitch such an idea which I think are now collaboration and notability despite whatever creative field you are from.”
If you are looking for ways to utilize your strengths and learn new skills along the way, create a StartupTree account to stay up to date on opportunities provided by the BCC Blackstone LaunchPad by visiting https://bcc.startuptree.co/.
No Logo,
No Problem!
No Problem!
The No Logo, No Problem! Is a program created to help BCC students in advancing their entrepreneurial venture by creating a logo to the next big thing.
We understand that creating a logo isn’t a cheap expense. We also understand that many of our students do not have the budget to have a logo created when getting started.
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That is why we created No Logo, No Problem! This opportunity helps Blackstone LaunchPad participants by creating a logo for their business idea free of charge.
Why is having a logo an essential part of creating a successful business?
A logo is the foundation of your brand Identity.
A logo is an attention grabber for current and potential customers.
A logo is a symbol of commitment to all customers.
A logo separates you from the competition.
Thanks to the No Logo, No Problem! program, we are able to remove the stress of logo design.
If you are a current BCC student and want to take your business to the next level, apply to work with our graphic designer on the BCC Blackstone LaunchPad Team!
Workplace
Challenge
Challenge
Blackstone LaunchPad, ASAP, the First Year Program, and the Office of Career Development partnered to present a Workplace Challenge. Students came up with ways to ensure that the company culture of The Fonseca Group remains consistent and inclusive for all employees, as they continue to grow and expand their operations across multiple locations.
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Once students received the challenge, they were split into teams with 90 minutes to come up with a pitch. Students defined company culture, shared why it is important, and gave the company ideas on changes they could implement. After pitching their ideas, they received feedback from the judges and a winner was announced. Joshua Rivera won the Workplace Challenge.
Participants stated that the event ‘slayed’ and described it as motivational, fulfilling, and inspiring. A participant even shared with the staff that participating in the challenge has motivated her to become more engaged in her studies, as she was having second thoughts about continuing her educational journey.
The Workplace Challenge provided students with the opportunity to develop important skills such as accountability, teamwork, problem-solving, communication, leadership, and time management. The challenge was a unique opportunity for participants to think about what an inclusive company culture looks like, in hopes of inspiring them to learn more about the importance of company culture as they apply for jobs.
Blackstone LaunchPad, ASAP, FYP, and the Office of Career Development will host another Workplace Challenge in the Fall to offer another opportunity for you to come together as a community and work towards solving problems companies have identified.
Design Portfolio (Art 91) and BCC’s Blackstone LaunchPad collaboration
Professor Amowitz’s Design Portfolio class (Art 91) and BCC’s Blackstone LaunchPad have collaborated to provide students with a real-life experience working with a client to create a brand identity.
Through the course of the semester, the students meet with a LaunchPad participant. During the first meeting, they hear about the business and think about how the business owner envisions their company, the target audience, what the user experience will be like, and what overall message they will deliver to their potential consumers.
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Students present first drafts of the logos for customer feedback and make changes for the final presentation which includes the logo, letterhead, envelopes, and business cards. The chosen logo comes with a $500 prize.
Fall 2022 Winner
Eddy Candelier
Eddy Candelier finished his last semester at BCC studying Digital Design in December 2022. He characterizes himself as a simple person. He enjoys video games and art. Studying Digital Design gives him the ability to combine the two things he really enjoys.
Spring 2023 Winner
Sandra Rivera
Sandra Rivera is a Digital Design student excited to graduate in June 2023. Her passion for the arts came long before she decided to study it. She can be caught at a museum or gallery looking at art or on her laptop creating digital art about whatever idea pops up for her that day. She is excited to be an intern at the Design Studio at BCC! She plans to further her academics in Digital Design and study advertising after her internship is over.
Art 91 students shared reflections on what it was like working on this project:
Elijah shared, “This is an extremely good lesson for myself as well as everybody else that we got a little taste of what to expect in reality. So thank you very much for this.”
Brian shared, “After seeing everybody’s work and seeing how it reflected off of everyone’s own personal creation and personality, it made me want to go a little bit beyond and push past what I can do.”
Eddy shared, “It did feel like a touch of the real world…You are not just doing the work for the professor. You are doing the work for someone outside of the school. I think that is really helpful and is really great.”
LaunchPad participants were asked how the experience has shifted their thinking as business owners:
Kiran stated, “How I describe my business will never be the same. I can’t describe it the way I used to technically because now it actually has a face. I have to take more time and consideration in how I explain it. I feel like it made me more aware.”
Aissata stated, “Being able to express what you want to people who don’t know your company, its values, and seeing how it translates to each individual is a beautiful thing. It is a privilege to get the opportunity as a business owner to have this experience for free and created less stress for me. Having a brand identity accelerates the whole process. It now has a face to it. With that, I am more comfortable creating my website and business cards now that it has a face.”
In conclusion, Professor Amowitz stated, “For you guys to know you’ve been able to do this is such a big thing, and for the class to see what they are able to do has been so rewarding. Look what they can do! I get excited to see how different, how incredibly different each one is. It’s like limitless!”
Introducing Fall 2022
Blackstone LaunchPad
Ideas Competition Winners
Blackstone LaunchPad
Ideas Competition Winners
This fall, Bronx Community College ran the Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition powered by StartupTree.
This network-wide competition offered students a chance to win $1,000 to start the next big thing. All current students with an idea, regardless of their major or career plans, were invited to apply.
Judges considered whether each applicant has a unique and compelling product or service, a solid plan of how they will sell, and the overall strength of the application.
The judges included Members of BCC’s Blackstone LaunchPad Stewardship Council:
Ms. Tiffany Dubon-Yard
Dr. Sunej Hans
Dr. Elise Langan
Ms. Luchy Martich
Ms. Katherine Rodriguez from Level Up Ventures
Professor Paramita Sen
After careful consideration, the BCC LaunchPad selected four finalists to receive $1,000 each.
Leilani Agostini
Studying Biology
Leilani submitted “Less Plastic is Fantastic!” under the Social & Climate Impact track.
Less Plastic is Fantastic! focuses on providing plastic alternatives on campus.
Jaheim Archibald
Studying Computer Science
Jaheim submitted “Acumen Technologies” under the Consumer Products & Services track.
Acumen Technologies is a time management software.
Lachoy Harris
Studying Nursing
Lachoy submitted “Rx Synergy” under the Health & Life Sciences track.
Rx Synergy is a software application that doctors use to communicate with insurance companies.
Minhazul Islam
Studying Computer Science
Minhazul submitted “LetsLink” under the General track.
LetsLink is a social platform bringing together key features from platforms we currently use in one place.
Blackstone LaunchPad
Women’s Networking Event
Women’s Networking Event
The women from BCC’s Blackstone LaunchPad program (Professor Paramita Sen, Nicole Juarez-Flores, Kiran Khalid, Jordan Knoxx, Jennifer Aterta, Aryanna Chiraunjilal, Mathilda Asemota) were invited to Blackstone’s CUNY Women’s Networking Event on November 17 at Blackstone’s headquarters.
Blackstone LaunchPad’s Program Director, Rachel D. Latimore, led a panel discussion with Ann Chung (Global Head of Consumer, Blackstone Growth), Kelley Morrell (Head of Asset Management, Blackstone Private Equity), Christine Anderson (Global Head of Corporate Affairs), and Jonny Bauer (Managing Director, Portfolio Operations), all of whom are senior leaders at the company. They discussed with attendees how to stand out as founders, best market themselves and their businesses, and provided career-development advice. Here are some snippets of wisdom shared during the panel:
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- The best founders are magnetic and inspiring leaders. People gravitate towards these founders and want to help them reach their company’s dream.
- Despite economic uncertainty, now, more than ever is the time to start your business. The strongest companies came during times of financial crisis.
- No two companies should have the same purpose. Ask and answer, “Why is your company here?”.
- Be intentional early on in your career when building your personal brand. Presentation matters; recognize what you want to be known for.
- Surround yourself with people more intelligent than you so that you can improve.
“I had many confirmations that I am on the right track with my business. My biggest takeaway was when (the panelist) discussed ‘grit’ and the importance of being persistent while not letting the word ‘NO’ stop you.” Jordan Knoxx, BCC Blackstone LaunchPad Participant
After the panel, attendees were led into a room with a wide assortment of food. During this time is where the networking component of the event began. Free resources, especially those within the technology sector, were exchanged. This was valuable information to share, considering that the CUNY system is mainly composed of underrepresented students from low-income households. Nonetheless, all the attendees held high career aspirations for themselves, even if they did not intend on becoming innovators or entrepreneurs; It’s impossible not to feel excited on their behalf.
Left to right: Mathilda Asemota, Aryanna Chiraunjilal, Professor Paramita San, Nicole Juarez-Flores, Jordan Knoxx, Kiran Khalid
News
BronxNet Blackstone LaunchPad Interview
2022 Ideas Competition Winners Announcement
Program Participant, Nicole Juarez Flores, Featured on Blackstone LaunchPad’s Instagram Page
Program Participant, Tiffany Atiles, Featured on Blackstone LaunchPad’s Instagram Page
Three BCC Students Accepted into the Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship Powered by Future Founders!
BCC & Queensborough Join Forces for the Blackstone LaunchPad Innovation Challenge
Blackstone LaunchPad To Expand To Nine Colleges of The City University of New York (CUNY)
Programming
INTRO TO
ENTREPRENEURSHIP COHORT
ENTREPRENEURSHIP COHORT
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DIGITAL
MARKETING COHORT
MARKETING COHORT
THE LAUNCHPAD
FELLOWSHIP
FELLOWSHIP
The LaunchPad Fellowship is a program in which student founders receive $5,000 to support their time working on advancing their startups. The LaunchPad Fellowship is largely self-driven, but also offers relevant startup workshops, peer networking events, mentor connections, and other opportunities to build entrepreneurial skills. This program is delivered virtually, in partnership Future Founders.
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- Jennifer Arteta, Jules Doua, and Kiran Khalid participated during Summer 2022.Click here to view the Lookbook.
BLACKSTONE LAUNCHPAD
IDEAS COMPETITION
IDEAS COMPETITION
The Ideas Competition is a virtual competition hosted by Blackstone LaunchPad. It is designed for students without prior entrepreneurship experience or training. There are four tracks: general, consumer products and services, social and climate impact, and health and life science. The winner from each track received $1,000 and moved on to the network round for prizes up to $10,000.
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The four winners at the college level for the Fall 2022 competition:
General: Minhazul (Haz) Islam for LetsLink, Consumer Products and Services: Acumen Technologies by Jaheim Archibald, Social and Climate Impact: Less Plastic is Fantastic! by Leilani Agostini, Health and Life Sciences: RxSynergy by Lachoy Harris
The four winners at the college level for the Fall 2021 competition:
General: Nicole Juarez for Curtain Rollup, Consumer Products and Services: Jen’s Pet Care by Jennifer Arteta, Social and Climate Impact: Pathway for Integration for Success by Elhadj Barry, Health and Life Sciences: Venus by Kiran Khalid
BLACKSTONE LAUNCHPAD
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INNOVATION CHALLENGE
COMMUNITY COLLEGE
INNOVATION CHALLENGE
BCC and QCC partnered to host the Blackstone LaunchPad Community College Innovation Challenge in the spring and summer of 2022.
The cohort is designed for participants to understand the problem they are solving with their innovation and push them to get out of their comfort zones through customer discovery to understand the needs of potential customers. This virtual cohort included three workshops and mentorship designed for participants to begin understanding the market they are entering.
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Participants focused on various ideas, including mental health, health care, nutrition, home product innovation, LGBTQ inclusion, creating an art business, and opening a storefront.
Testimonials:
“Learning with my peers about the reality of starting a business, and all the things to consider, really impacted how I plan to tackle my business going forward. And making sure I don’t try to market myself to an audience that is too broad to be practical.”
“This was beyond an amazing experience. I am feeling proud of myself and so thankful to the leadership/mentors/sponsors etc. Thank you so much!”
“I wish I could do it again because it has changed my life and how I view the way things work in the business world. My big idea is no longer a dream. Blackstone has given me the tools to make this a reality. I have a lot of work to do.”
BLACKSTONE LAUNCHPAD
STARTUP SCHOOL
STARTUP SCHOOL
BCC and QCC partnered to host the Blackstone LaunchPad Startup School in the summer of 2022. Startup School focused on three significant areas to consider when creating a business: finance, marketing, and law.
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“I gained so much information; I will be revisiting my notes for at least the rest of this year as I start up my business. All the speakers were amazing. I love the community that we have built from last cohort to now.”“This Cohort was amazing and provided a great learning opportunity. It helped to bridge the gap from concept to actually making the business.”“I feel more confident moving forward with my LLC because of the information given during this program.”“Many of the presenters encouraged and stressed that we would have many problems and mistakes when starting up, but continuing to invest in your business will ensure that you succeed despite the barriers you may face. Also, I learned never to be afraid of asking questions and finding help.”
Bronx Community College Team
Dr. Eddy Bayardelle – Campus Director
Eddy.Bayardelle@bcc.cuny.edu
Elana Diaz – Program Coordinator
Elana.Diaz@bcc.cuny.edu
Stewardship Council Members
Past Events
The Rise and Fall of the Hoverboard
Presented by Max Ringelheim
Room 116 in North Hall
Whether you have experienced the thrill of zipping around on one or jumped out of the way as one zooms by, it is safe to say you are familiar with hoverboards.
Join Max Ringelheim, Co-Founder of PhunkeeDuck Hoverboards as he shares a fascinating, one-of-a-kind startup story and then puts you in real-life business situations through interactive scenarios unlike any other.
While entrepreneurship does take many twists and turns, Max will also share why right now is the best time to begin working with your innovative idea!
The first 20 BCC students to register and attend will receive a $25 gift card!
Contact Elana Diaz at Elana.Diaz@bcc.cuny.edu with questions about the event.
August 19, 2022 12-3 PM at Lehman College
A student mixer allows peers to connect, share resources, and showcase their entrepreneurial skills. Students can network and create teams across campus for ideas and/or pitch competitions.
The Rise and Fall of the Hoverboard Presented by Max Ringelheim
Whether you have experienced the thrill of zipping around on one or jumped out of the way as one zooms by, it is safe to say, you are familiar with the term hoverboard.
Join Max Ringelheim, Co-Founder of Vonvo.com, PhunkeeDuck Hoverboards & When Going Viral, as he shares about the rise and fall of the hoverboard.
He will share a fascinating, one-of-a-kind startup story and then put you in real-life business situations through interactive scenarios unlike any other.
While entrepreneurship does take many twists and turns, Max will also share about why you should be excited about entrepreneurship.
This event is open to all CUNY schools.
Summer 2022 Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship
March 11, 2022 – April 02, 2022
Summer Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship empowers student startups with entrepreneurial resources, mentorship, education, and financial assistance. Student participants will benefit from a community of fellow student entrepreneurs that will motivate them to explore and build on their ideas, and further develop their skills as founders.
Winners received $5,000 in prize money and attend an immersive 8-week Blackstone LaunchPad Fellowship to support student entrepreneurs.
BCC & QCC Blackstone Community College Innovation Challenge
March 29, 2022
The event featured 28 students from both schools who presented their entrepreneurial ideas in five-minute pitches. The ideas ranged from portable beds for the homeless and fresh food for babies to house cleaning services and a virtual health app. The students competed for intensive mentorships and $2,000 stipends.
More information about the Innovation Challenge.
Invent-a-thon workshops
Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, January 18,19 & 20, 2022
- An invent-a-thon is where people come together to workshop their ideas.
- This is the place where an idea becomes a reality. Any BCC student with an idea and willingness to brainstorm in order to walk away with a clear picture of the next steps was invited to attend!
- At the end of the workshop, qualifying ideas had the opportunity to receive continuing mentorship through the Spring 2022 Blackstone Innovation Cohort. Students who complete the program will receive a $2K stipend.
CUNY-CLASH
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Tuesday, March 22, 2022
- 8 CUNY colleges participated.
- BCC had the second highest number of participants
- Final presentations shown on April 29, 2022.
Blackstone Launchpad IDEAS Competition powered by startuptree
Deadline: Thursday, October 21, 2021
Designed specifically for students with no prior experience, the Ideas Competition is an easy way to get your toes wet and see if entrepreneurship could be right for you. All you need to apply is an idea, no matter how small, or a prototype, no matter rough. The competition is completely virtual, run on the Startup Tree platform.
- 36 ideas ranging from social and climate impact, health and life sciences, consumer products to general
- 45 participants
- 4 winners announced at college level
- Each winner awarded $1,000
- BCC won the award for maximum number of participants in east zone
Monday, October 10th at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Excel 100
This training is hosted by the Microsoft team. Excel 100 Teaches the fundamentals of Microsoft Excel.
Wednesday, October 12th at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Excel 200
This training is hosted by the Microsoft team. Excel 200 introduces intermediate-level users to the powerful analytic tools and techniques nested in Excel® and ready to harness and use — so you can illuminate the data you’ve worked so hard to collect.
Monday, October 17th at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Powerpoint 100
This training is hosted by the Microsoft team. Powerpoint 100 Teaches the fundamentals of Microsoft Powerpoint.
Thursday, October 20th at 1:00 PM and 5:00 PM
Powerpoint 200
This training is hosted by the Microsoft team. This training will build on foundational knowledge about Powerpoint (Powerpoint 100) and take presentations to the next level!
Thursday, November 3rd at 1:00 PM
Rock Your LinkedIn Profile
You will learn the basics of creating a LinkedIn profile from the Microsoft Team. BCC students are eligible for a free headshot for completing the training!
Ideas Competition 2021 Winner Panel Discussion on Zoom
Tuesday, October 11th at 11:00 AM
Speaker Series: Our Entrepreneurial Stories with John Frias and Don Dinero
Thursday, October 13th at 12:30 PM at North Hall, Room 116
John Frias serves as the Ascend New York City Program Manager in the BOC Minority Business Program. Click here to learn more about the speakers and RSVP. In addition, Frias has worked on Entrepreneurship Training and Business Development in the Bronx for 3 years. Considering himself a connector, Frias enjoys bridging people, ideas, and cultures. Don Dinero is known as the first major American-born, Spanish-rapping hip-hop artist to make the major-label jump and find widespread commercial acceptance. Currently, Don Dinero is the Latin President of ADDVENTURES MUSIC and continues to Educate & Empower Independent artists to own operate & Monetize their music.
Speaker Series: The Entrepreneurial Mindset
with Michael Robinson on Zoom
Thursday, November 10th at 12:30 PM
2022 Blackstone LaunchPad by StartupTree Ideas Competition
Have you noticed a problem at school, at home, or in your community that you want to solve? Have you imagined solutions and creative new systems to major problems but been frustrated at not knowing where to start?
Introducing the 2022 Blackstone LaunchPad Ideas Competition!
Designed specifically for students without prior experience, the Ideas Competition is an easy way to get your toes wet and see if entrepreneurship could be right for you. All you need to apply is an idea, no matter how small!
The first round of the competition will take place on campus, and top students from each of the four tracks will be selected to win $1,000 each. These four winners will join finalists from each school in the Blackstone LaunchPad network for a national round of the competition for the chance to win a $10,000 prize. Apply now before it is too late!
The application will open until October 18. Click here to apply.
Reach out to your LaunchPad Program Coordinator, Elana Diaz, if you have questions or need help with the application. Good luck!