SYRACUSE — Craftistas won the pitch contest at Wednesday’s Syracuse Student Sandbox Demo Day.
The subscription service delivers a new do-it-yourself fashion kit every month based on current fashion trends. Craftistas was one of 34 teams to participate in the sandbox program this year.
The initiative began in 2009 with just five teams. The program aims to help student entrepreneurs from area colleges develop and accelerate their business ideas.
The sandbox is based at the Tech Garden in downtown Syracuse.
“We’ve seen tremendous growth in number and diversity of teams this year,” John Liddy, entrepreneur-in-residence at the Tech Garden and director of the sandbox, said in a news release. “The unique partnership between the [Syracuse University], CenterState CEO, the business community and other local institutions means these students are well supported in their efforts to grow their ideas into a viable business.”
The sandbox event was followed today by Demo Day for the StartFast Venture Accelerator, a private capital-backed accelerator for software, Internet, and mobile startups. The eight participating companies, chosen from a pool of more than 300 applicants from around the world, are spending the day pitching to venture capitalists, investors, and entrepreneurs at the Everson Museum.
For more on the StartFast event, see the Aug. 24 issue of The Central New York Business Journal.
Contact Tampone at ktampone@cnybj.com