Syracuse, NY – MPD Partners Venture Challenge for the #givebacktothecommunity NY initiative was successfully held on Thursday, September 24th, 2020. Five Syracuse University-based start-ups participated in the pitch competition and presented their business ideas, and 3 of them won hours of mentoring from MPD’s international manager network.
The first prize winner of the competition went to MedUx, a portable intravenous device innovator founded by Syracuse University students Quinn King and Alec Gillinder. The second and third prize winners are Smarta and OthersideAI, both founded and run by Syracuse University students and specialized in online rental marketplace and artificial intelligence respectively.
“I am very impressed by the level of preparation, business acumen and leadership of all these guys,” says Vincenzo D’Ottavi, member of MPD’s evaluation panel of the competition and data management specialist at Philip Morris International.
The 1st-prize winner will be offered 16 hours’ mentoring by Mirco Coccoli, MPD Partners CEO and Miguel Dupret, MPD Partners’ director, Kearney Associate and COO of Sentient Blue, winner of 2019 GENIUS NY. The runner-up and third-place winner will profit from 8 hours’ coaching from two executive members of MPD’s evaluation panel who best suit their strategic plans.
This pitch competition is co-launched by MPD with Blackstone Launchpad and Syracuse University as part of the #givebacktothecommunity NY initiative aimed at contributing to the SME ecosystem in New York State.
MPD Partners enjoys a close relationship with Syracuse University and the business incubation ecosystem around the campus and has been servicing Central New York since 2019. Through its vast network of experienced international managers from different sectors, MPD envisions bringing smart and qualified opinions and helping local start-ups with post-COVID strategic decision-making.
