UNIVERSITY NEWS
ENTRE PRE NE U RSH I P : FUELING STUDENT VENTURES AT LIU
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f you build it, will it succeed? That is one of many educational questions that permeates the ethos at Long Island University. With a long track record for producing successful entrepreneurs, from industry giants like Jorge Pérez, co-founder of Related Group, and Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, to prominent restaurateurs such as Sarabeth Levine, founder of Sarabeth’s, and Kenneth Aretsky, founder of Aretsky’s Patroon, students at LIU inherit an elite pedigree for enterprising success upon graduation. Certainly, not everyone aspires to start their own business, but many of the questions that entrepreneurs confront on a daily basis are worthy of deliberation for professionals in any career path.
How do you engage the real world in what students face today, and at the same time match that with the theory in the classroom?”
Meanwhile, molecular biology major Nini Fan, ’17, ’19, concocted the brilliant idea to analyze the unique gut biome of pregnant women in order to provide tailored dietary advice, helping optimize the health of both mothers and infants. She led team BRKLYN INNOSEQ to create the groundbreaking MaMome app, which won top honors in 2019 from the European Innovation Academy in Turin, Italy. The team was also named a “Top Startup” and received the HAG Accelerator Program award, the Nixon Peabody IP Spark Award and a 25,000 euro Intellectual Property trademark. Earlier this year, BRKLYN INNOSEQ was accepted to ELabNYC, the largest life science accelerator on the East Coast. ELabNYC researchers collectively receive the second largest amount of funding from the National Institute of Health.
“We try to take an entrepreneurial mindset to most of the coursework,” said Ray Pullaro, dean of the School of Business, Public Administration & Information Sciences. “And that really just means: How do you engage the real world in what students face today, and at the same time match that with the theory in the classroom?” In addition to the University’s reputation for producing successful entrepreneurs, LIU students have at their fingertips scores of opportunities for workshopping business ideas and training in the requisite skills needed for future success, such as preparing investor pitches and even launching ventures. In recent years, LIU students wasted no time getting their brilliant ideas off the ground. Back in 2016, LIU accounting major Anthony LoSardo, ’16, kicked
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LIUMAGAZINE | Fall 2020
around an idea for brewing beer with some of his friends, including chemistry major Safraz Bacchus, ’18, finance major Nick Butera, ’16, management major Oscar Kuhnle Sekkelsten, ’16, and marketing major Jason Rubenfield, ’17. The group launched a Kickstarter campaign for the project and raised over $18,000. Today, the group operates Bayside Brewery, which has made its way inside dozens of restaurants and bars around New York City.
Top: Team BRKLYN INNOSEQ, led by LIU student Nini Fan, was accepted to ELabNYC, the largest life science accelerator on the East Coast. Bottom: Anthony LoSardo approached LIU faculty to help him build a business plan and learn how to market the product. He also launched a successful Kickstarter campaign, where he raised thousands of dollars to bring the plan to fruition.
Regardless of their major, LIU students learn in an education atmosphere that fosters innovation. “For us, entrepreneurship is about providing students with the opportunity as a discipline, but it’s more than that,” Pullaro said. “We try to think about all of our programs from an entrepreneurial standpoint.”
