By John Boccacino ’03
While 2020 has been a challenging year as the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the entrepreneurial spirit of Syracuse University is strong, as evidenced by the recently-released Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30” listings of the most influential people under the age of 30.
Syracuse University is well represented on the magazine’s 10th annual list of honorees. The recipients are entrepreneurs and social activists, entertainers and scientists, agents of change across more than 20 different industries.
Six hundred innovators in their fields were honored by Forbes, including the following with connections to Syracuse University:
Nabeel Alamgir, College of Arts and Sciences, Enterprise Technology.
AJ Damiano ’18, Martin J. Whitman School of Management, Games.
Kelsey Davis ’19, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, and G’20, Whitman, Marketing and Advertising.
Anthony DiMare ’14, College of Engineering & Computer Science, Manufacturing and Industry.
Justin Goldman, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Music.
Michael Paris ’20, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Games.
Olivia Rudensky, College of Visual and Performing Arts, Music.
About the Syracuse honorees:
Alamgir, 29, is the co-founder of Lunchbox Technologies, a startup that provides multi-unit restaurants with an online ordering system and marketing engine. Launched in 2019, his company has raised $22 million from well-known investors like Primary Ventures and Coatue Management. A resident of Astoria, N.Y., Alamgir’s career has progressed from a busboy at a Queens, N.Y. restaurant to a visionary and successful big money startup entrepreneur.
Damiano, 24, and Paris, 23, co-founded PowerSpike while they were participants in the
Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars program at Syracuse University. Their company connects brands with influencers, allowing video and computer game streamers to obtain valuable sponsorship opportunities. PowerSpike has raised more than $2.5 million in venture funding while allowing more than 1,300 streamers to receive sponsorships. Damiano, a Bronxville, N.Y. resident, also serves as a student mentor for undergraduates interested in starting their own companies.
Davis, 23, is the founder of CLLCTVE, which pairs college creatives who are looking for freelance work with Gen-Z brands. It’s a path she knows well, having previously worked as a freelance musician and content creator for well-known brands like Coca-Cola, Land Rover, Puma and more. Prior to CLLCTVE, Davis worked for both Conde Nast Entertainment and Uniworld Group. A resident of Los Angeles, Davis launched CLLCTVE while a Syracuse University student, incubating at the Blackstone LaunchPad & Techstars at SU Libraries. Like Damiano, Davis stays connected to Syracuse University by mentoring undergraduates interested in starting their own companies.
DiMare, 28, is cofounder and CEO of Bedrock Ocean, which is building a fleet of autonomous
underwater vehicles designed to explore, map and classify the ocean floor. Based in Brooklyn, N.Y., DiMare’s company has raised more than $4.5 million in seed funding to begin testing out its robots this fall. DiMare plans to make part of its seafloor data accessible, while selling more detailed surveys to customers, such as those building offshore wind farms.
Goldman, 22, is the founder of JustGold Recordings. As a manager of several well-known hip-hop artists, including Flo-Milli, Yung Gravy and Jashiah, Goldman has brokered record and publishing deals worth millions of dollars through his management company, PR1ME SOUND. Goldman, a resident of New York City, represents clients who have totaled more than two billion streams.
Rudensky, 24, is the marketing and digital head for Miley Cyrus, overseeing the singer,
songwriter and actress’s digital outreach and fan engagement efforts. She parlayed her social media fan account for Cyrus into a successful business relationship, serving as executive producer of Cyrus’ Instagram Live talk show, “Bright Minded: Live with Miley,” which received more than 10 billion digital impressions.
A person can only be named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list once.
The designation was handed out in the following categories: Art and Style, Consumer Technology, Education, Energy, Enterprise Technology, Finance, Food and Drink, Games, Healthcare, Hollywood and Entertainment, Manufacturing and Industry, Marketing and Advertising, Media, Music, Retail and E-commerce, Science, Social Impact, Social Media, Sports and Venture Capital.
Visit Forbes’ website for more information on this year’s honorees and
let us know if we missed a member of our Orange family who was named to this year’s list.