Click here to see Photos and Highlights of the Opening Ceremony
Entrepreneurship Lab Opening Ceremony
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Bruce Bachenheimer, Director, Entrepreneurship Lab
Neil S. Braun, Dean, Lubin School of Business
Rob Caucci, former Lubin School of Business student
Gurbaksh Chahal, Founder, Chairman & CEO Gravity4
Somak Chattopadhyay, Partner, Tribeca Venture Partners
Harold Levy, Member of the Board of Trustees, Pace University
Jeremy Pease, Undergraduate student, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems
Robert W. Walsh, Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services
Bruce Bachenheimer, Executive Director, Entrepreneurship Lab Bruce Bachenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Management, the Executive Director of the Entrepreneurship Lab at Pace University and a Faculty Fellow of the Wilson Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Pace University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses, primarily in the areas of entrepreneurship, management, and strategy. Mr. Bachenheimer is a member of the Board and past Chair of the New York City Chapter of the MIT Enterprise Forum. He serves on the Board of Directors & Advisors of LeadAmerica and has served as a consultant to the New York City Department of Small Business Services and the New York City Economic Development Corporation. He is also the organizer of the Pace Business Plan Competition and the Pace Pitch Contest. |
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Neil S. Braun, Dean, Lubin School of Business Neil S. Braun has served as the Dean of Pace University's Lubin School of Business in New York since July 2010. He currently serves on the board of directors of IMAX Corporation and national anti-hunger organization Share Our Strength, and he has previously been President of the NBC Television Network, Chairman and CEO of Viacom Entertainment, an internet and environmental entrepreneur, a film producer, and a corporate attorney. Mr. Braun has taught an MBA course in economic models of media and entertainment at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from the University of Chicago Law School. |
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Rob Caucci, former Lubin School of Business student Rob Caucci, along with his team, was the recipient of the "Winning New Business Concept Pitch" at the 2011 Pace Pitch Contest. Rob has worked with Booz Allen Hamilton as a management consultant and got his start as an entrepreneur in 2009 when he teamed up with Pace alums Alex Quick and Paat Sinsuwan to launch Effin' Textbooks - the Kayak.com for books. He then worked with fellow Pace student Jeremy Pease to develop Reslutions.com and then TheRoommateProject.org, the Match.com for roommates. They are now building SpaceSplitter, the first-ever Roommate Relationship Management (RRM) system centered on a payment solution uniquely crafted to help roommates share costs and manage their household. |
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Gurbaksh Chahal, Founder & CEO, Gravity4 Gurbaksh Chahal, born in India, immigrated to the US at the age of 4. He started his first venture, ClickAgents, at the age of 16 and sold it two years later to ValueClick for $40 million. In 2004, he formed Blue Lithium, another Internet advertising network, which was recognized as a top innovator in the online advertising space and was acquired by Yahoo in 2007, at the age of 25, for $300 million. Gurbaksh is considered to be one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs of our time. On April 29, 2010, Chahal was awarded the Leaders In Management Award and an Honorary Doctorate degree in Commercial Science from Pace University for his career achievements as an entrepreneur. |
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Somak Chattopadhyay, Partner, Tribeca Venture Partners Somak Chattopadhyay has been operating or investing in early stage startups in the NY metro area since 1999. Somak leads investments in a variety of sectors including digital media, information services, and the Software-as-a-Service sectors. Somak is a member of the board of directors at Altruik, Ignighter, Mobile Commons, ReachForce and Truveris. Previously, he was at Edison Venture Fund, where he sourced and evaluated investments in the tech-enabled services sector and launched the firm's New York office. Somak serves on the board of numerous nonprofit organizations including the MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City, NYCVC, and the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from MIT and an MBA from Columbia Business School. |
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Harold Levy, Member of the Board of Trustees, Pace University Harold Levy is a member of the Board of Trustees of Pace University and a Managing Director at Palm Ventures, where he concentrates on investments in education, regulated industries and allied fields. Mr. Levy has extensive management and acquisition experience in education and finance. He was formerly the New York City Schools Chancellor, Executive Vice President of Kaplan, Inc., Director of Global Compliance of Citigroup, Head of Litigation of Salomon Brothers, and Managing Director of Plainfield Asset Management. He holds a JD and BS from Cornell and an MA (PPE) from Oxford. He was recently appointed by Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan to the Committee on Measures of Student Success. |
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Jeremy Pease, Undergraduate student, Seidenberg School of Computer Science and Information Systems Jeremy Pease is a senior at Pace University graduating in May with a B.S. in Computer Science. With his expertise in web development, he has created multiple websites for both individuals and companies. In 2009 Jeremy started his first company, Reslutions Inc., with Robert Caucci, building a web based platform for college housing departments.Spawned from this The Roommate Project was born offering a compatibility roommate matching service. Jeremy and Rob's most recent and exciting company, SpaceSplitter, will be the first ever Roommate Relationship Management (RRM) system. This system includes a payment solution uniquely crafted to help roommates split costs. Aside from planning/creating/maintaining/supporting these companies, he also rides motorcycles, tap dances, and is a long distance runner. |
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Robert W. Walsh, Commissioner, New York City Department of Small Business Services Robert Walsh was appointed Commissioner of the New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) by Mayor Bloomberg in January 2002. During his tenure, he has redefined how the City serves and responds to the needs of the City's 220,000 small businesses. Prior to his appointment, Walsh spent five years in North Carolina as President of Charlotte Center City Partners, an organization dedicated to improving and growing Charlotte's central business district. He began his career in public service as a New York City Urban Fellow, a program he later directed. Commissioner Walsh holds a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Fordham University. |