Students enrolled in upstate New York universities aspiring to start their own companies are now turning to the Syracuse Student Sandbox.

The Sandbox, a local business incubator for fledgling college students and young entrepreneurs, was recently rated as one of the most promising business mentorship programs in the country.

The Sandbox conducts three-monthlong programs to teach aspiring business owners how to form an entity for themselves, to give feedback regarding products under progress and to ensure readiness and financial stability, according to the Sandbox’s website.

In August, the Sandbox’s summer program concluded with Demo Day, an event in which groups of students pitch their ideas for products to an audience of corporate representatives and a panel of judges offers criticism.

At the end of the day, Camille Malkiewicz, who earned her master’s degree in advertising at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in June, was rewarded $1,000 for her craft kit idea, Craftistas.

“This year, teams had an opportunity to pitch their ideas and services to about 30 accredited institutions present, and Craftistas has a very strong chance of becoming successful,” said John Liddy, director of Syracuse Student Sandbox.

Malkiewicz said the physical space provided by the Sandbox, in addition to the business connections, was invaluable to her in the beginning stages of Craftistas. She said she is appreciative of the people at the Sandbox that helped make her vision a reality.

Malkiewicz said the combination of the communal aspect of the Sandbox and the hard work of the mentors and staff makes the program a helpful tool.

“The Sandbox is the ultimate access for any student who wants to start a business but doesn’t have the resources,” said Nick Mancini, a senior information and technology major who launched three apps through the Sandbox. “Nine times out of 10 you will not succeed on your own, but the Sandbox gives you an opportunity.”

Mancini, whose most popular app, UpFront, notifies restaurant goers when their table is ready, attributed the Sandbox’s success to the quality of the mentors and means provided.

“They offer so many good resources that you usually don’t have access to and, over the two years I’ve been involved, it’s gotten better and better,” Mancini said.

In 2010, 12 teams of students signed up with the Sandbox in the summer to develop product ideas and gain personal experience in business, according to the website.

In 2012, 68 students from seven different schools participated in the 12-week program, Liddy said.

Mancini said the Sandbox “grants an opportunity that doesn’t exist for a lot of students,” by mentoring them on how to “deliver oneself and one’s ideas to big corporations.”

Liddy said one of the benefits of working with the Sandbox is that it creates “a soft landing patch for students,” in case a business idea fails. Most importantly, the Sandbox works to promote auspicious products and services, and establish a career for hardworking, young entrepreneurs.

Said Liddy: “If we can provide a realistic opportunity for students, after graduation, to create their own career instead of pursuing one, then we’ve done our job.”

Published on September 4, 2012 at 12:29 am

Contact Andrew: asmuckel@syr.edu