Sydney Sericolo '17
To see more photos from the program, click here.
This summer, the David ’73 and Christine Spicer ’75 Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship debuted a new program for their aspiring entrepreneurs.
The 2016 Stocchetti Summer Accelerator Program was developed by the Center’s Executive Director, Matthew Cusack ’87 and Philip Stocchetti ’83, Stack Center Entrepreneur in Residence and President and Co-Founder of multiple marketing companies, currently serving as CEO of LeveragePoint Marketing. The program’s focus is to bring in resources from faculty, alumni and staff to help the participating teams build their company with a sustainable business model.
Running for six weeks, from May 18-July 1, the program included financial support for each team so they could complete customer discovery, building business structure, forming a legal entity, and building their marketing plan.
Stocchetti gave both his time and resources to the program, guiding each group of students up to the point of their June 30 final presentations. After becoming successful from opportunities similar to the Summer Accelerator Program during his time at Siena, Stocchetti wanted to ensure that current Siena Saints have similar chances.
Summer Accelerator team, “Bizi Media Co.” created by Benny Costello ’18 and Michael Corcoran ’17, spent their six weeks focused on the importance of technology and social media in today’s society. The online presence that a business has leaves a lasting first impression on a potential customer and can be the difference between building or breaking relationships. Bizi Media Co. recognizes just how many social media platforms there are and aims to manage small business's media content as a way of leveraging them against competition. The target clientele is an older generation who may need help managing their media accounts to market their product to the millennial generation.
“TeachMe,” a phone application designed to record and distribute dance choreography, was created by Jen Hogan ’17, Kevin Danaher ’17 and Firmin Alexander ’17. Instead of relying on each parent or dancer to record a video of class choreography, this trio brainstormed an app that allows the studio instructor to upload a video to everyone who uses the account.
The privacy of the app removes the fear of choreography being stolen. With twenty years of dance experience between them, Hogan and Danaher came to the project with inside knowledge of what dancers are looking for. As their product grows, they aim to expand to include gymnastic and mixed martial arts studios as well as many other platforms.
The four groups that presented were complimented on their innovative ideas by business and marketing professionals and given productive feedback about how to launch their products into successful business ventures. These Saints’ fresh and exciting ideas are only the beginning of their entrepreneurial careers.
