Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation

Congratulations to all of the participants who presented their business ideas in this year's IdeaSpark PitchFest. In collaboration with The Viscardi Center this 8-week program empowers people with disabilities to become entrepreneurs. The top 3 winners were awarded equity-free cash grants. Learn More💥: https://lnkd.in/eAiJSbeH

What an incredible experience! The Viscardi Center and Iona University’s Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation hosted the second IdeaSpark Pitchfest where participants showcased their business ideas and competed for grants. Over eight weeks, IdeaSpark empowered individuals with disabilities to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and work towards their futures as entrepreneurs. I was honored to be a judge in the Pitchfest! Congratulations to Eric Ryan, Miguel Angel Davila, and Maria Torre, the winners of the Pitchfest. A huge thanks to the Hynes Family for their generosity in making this possible. A special thanks to Christoph Winkler, Founding Program Director at the Hynes Institute, and your amazing team for inviting me to participate!

We are thrilled to announce that Iona University's Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation has been recognized as a 2024 Finalist for the Global Entrepreneurship Education Excellence Award (Undergraduate Programs) by the International Council for Small Business (ICSB)! 🌎 ✨This acknowledgment highlights our commitment to fostering entrepreneurial excellence and innovation among our students across our curricular, co-curricular, and community-engaged learning spaces. Congratulations to all the finalists, and we look forward to presenting our program at the 2024 ICSB World Congress in Berlin on July 4th. #EntrepreneurshipEducation #ICSB2024 #ICSB2024WorldCongress #IonaUniversity #Innovation #EntrepreneurialMindset #learningoutsidethelines #dreamcreatelead

The Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is the heart of creativity, innovation, and transformative thinking. Your gift, in any amount, fuels our mission to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs, creators, and change-makers. Make a real-world impact together and consider making a gift at any amount toward the Hynes Institute! https://lnkd.in/e9J92Gd9 #IonaUniversity #HynesInstitute #Entrepreneurship

The Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation is the heart of creativity, innovation, and transformative thinking. Your gift, in any amount, fuels our mission to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs, creators, and change-makers. Make a real-world impact together and consider making a gift at any amount toward the Hynes Institute! https://lnkd.in/e9J92Gd9 #IonaUniversity #HynesInstitute #Entrepreneurship

Iona University’s Jared Balcacer ’26 took home both the top prize and fan favorite award at the Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation's seventh annual Iona Innovation Challenge, taking home $6,000 in cash prizes. Every year, the Hynes Institute hosts a student competition that empowers Iona students to present solutions to real-world problems. After two months of connecting with mentors and completing key milestones, students present their final pitch in a “Shark-Tank” style format. Read more: https://bit.ly/3V4qlja #IonaUniversity #HigherEducation #Entrepreneurship #NewYork #Innovation

The GaelVentures Incubator is returning this Summer! Open to all Iona students & alumni who have graduated in the last 3 years. This intensive 6-week program will take a deep dive into market research, customer discovery, and product/service validation & development. Upon completion of the program, teams will have a developed product/service that is tested in the market and ready to launch. Participants will receive a stipend of $2500 to participate in the program. The Incubator will begin the week of June 24 and run through August 1. The The cohort will meet Monday through Thursday each week. Apply: www.bit.ly/gvincubator2024 #ionauniversity #ionaalum #entrepreneurship #launchyourbusiness

City Labs Program Offers Ideas for Revitalizing White Plains  Iona University students recently presented recommendations to White Plains officials for helping the White Plains Education and Training Center better engage with local business owners thanks to a study organized by the Westchester Innovation Network’s (WIN) City Labs initiative. The Iona students presented their research findings to White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and other city officials on May 2 at Iona’s Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which led the four-week study of downtown White Plains employers’ needs and challenges. The students interviewed small business owners, representatives of the White Plains Business Improvement District and officials at White Plains Hospital to gather diverse viewpoints. Read the entire article on our website: https://lnkd.in/e9uWY8ja #westchesterbiz #WIN #innovation #entrepreneurship

I am thrilled to highlight the amazing work done by students from my Ideation & Design Thinking class! Students applied the design thinking framework to identify problems faced by two crucial sectors - local small businesses and the healthcare sector. Keeping the “human point of view” centerstage and considering what is “technologically feasible” and “economically viable”, students provided actionable recommendations through prototypes.  At Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, we endeavor to complement theory with practice and provide hands-on educational experiences to our students. I am very grateful to Mayor Thomas Roach (Mayor of the City of White Plains, New York), Dr. Marsha Gordon (President/CEO of The Business Council of Westchester), and the executives from White Plains Business Improvement District and White Plains Hospital for their continued support and collaboration in this regard. A special thanks to Christoph Winkler and Rob Kissner, MBA, for showing me the ropes!

City Labs Program Offers Ideas for Revitalizing White Plains  Iona University students recently presented recommendations to White Plains officials for helping the White Plains Education and Training Center better engage with local business owners thanks to a study organized by the Westchester Innovation Network’s (WIN) City Labs initiative. The Iona students presented their research findings to White Plains Mayor Tom Roach and other city officials on May 2 at Iona’s Hynes Institute for Entrepreneurship & Innovation, which led the four-week study of downtown White Plains employers’ needs and challenges. The students interviewed small business owners, representatives of the White Plains Business Improvement District and officials at White Plains Hospital to gather diverse viewpoints. Read the entire article on our website: https://lnkd.in/e9uWY8ja #westchesterbiz #WIN #innovation #entrepreneurship