Thomas Kruczek Joins Whitman as the Executive Director of the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship
The Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship welcomes Thomas Kruczek as Executive Director. Tom brings a wealth of experience to the position. Most recently, Kruczek was executive director of the Center for Entrepreneurship at the Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College. Kruczek joins the Falcone Center with a broad range of business skills developed over a 25-year career in consulting and entrepreneurial ventures.

Be WISE :: Join the Entrepreneurial Revolution on April 8
A vision for the future. In Central New York, as with the rest of the country, the economic climate is changing. Now more than ever, entrepreneurship provides a great opportunity to pursue your dreams while positively impacting the region's economy. Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (WISE 2009) enters its seventh year as the premier event for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. The one-day symposium --- attended by nearly 1,000 women --- includes a wide variety of seminars and panel discussions offering practical advice; motivational speeches from successful women business owners of national and regional prominence; networking opportunities; and much more. This year’s keynote speaker is Emme: an SU alumna, fashion entrepreneur, author and model. For more information, visit www.WISEconference.com.

Student Entrepreneurs at SU :: News from the Couri Hatchery
The Couri Hatchery Program is an incubator for Syracuse students starting up their businesses while in school. This spring, the Couri Hatchery is supporting student-run businesses in industries such as Information Technology and Consumer Goods. The following is a brief overview of some current tenants and what they’re working on. Participants receive a wide range of support:

• Greg Ackerman, founder of BSApp, is developing a website where universities can find generic information regarding a student applying to a graduate school, such as a GMAT score, GPA, etc. This would eliminate the redundancy of answering common questions pertaining to multiple universities.

• Ryan Bukevicz of Bevomedia is creating an application which enables a user to access multiple websites on one interface and thus does not have to open a new tab or switch between windows. The user would be able to view numerous web pages simultaneously.

• Greg Porpiglia has created a unique product-Dreamwater (Vitalife) which is essentially a soft drink that rests the body and helps consumers to slumber.

• Jemar Souza and John Dwyer, co-founders of Swaggerdap, provide solutions to companies to market their products online, involving brand coding and product positioning to effectively target the market segment.

The Chris J. Witting Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship
An active search is underway for the Chris J. Witting Endowed Chair in Entrepreneurship. Candidates for the Witting Chair will be individuals with a proven record of excellence in both academic scholarship and the teaching of entrepreneurship to advance the program’s national and international reputation and provide leadership in research, teaching, and in the professional development of PhD candidates and junior faculty. For additional information, visit https://www.sujobopps.com.

Two Business Plan Competitions at Once!
On April 17 and 18, the Whitman School of Management and the Falcone Center for Entrepreneurship will host two business plan competitions with over $150,000 in prize money! The Panasci Business Plan Competition semi-finals take place on Friday, April 17 and the finals will be held on April 18. This annual event awards $40,000 in prize money to student entrepreneurs. On Friday, April 17, the Metropolitan Development Association’s Emerging Business Competition finals take place. The first place winners will receive $100,000 in prize money to grow their venture. In addition, $15,000 for Innovations in Agri-Business and $5,000 in student prizes are also given out to local entrepreneurs.

Spring 2009 Events Calendar
April 8: WISE Symposium
April 17-18: Panasci Business Plan Competition and EEE Awards Ceremony
April 24-25: Capstone Business Plan Competition
May 19-22: Syracuse Entrepreneurship Classroom