The annual competition featured eight companies—four “general track” businesses and four social impact organizations. The Fordham-connected teams pitched their ideas to a panel of judges and more than 200 members of the Fordham community during the event, where $25,000 was distributed among the winners to provide seed funding and support for early-stage businesses.

Al Bartosic, director of the Fordham Foundry, said that this was “the largest field ever—we started off with 186 teams.” Through the mentoring process, the field was narrowed down to the eight finalists that made an official public pitch.

General Track Winner

Mila Mend Inc., a women’s health company that provides community and “comprehensive solutions for women seeking to balance their hormones.” The company also features multiple social media platforms with more than 600,000 members.

Founders: Lucas Labelle, GABELLI ’20 and Camila Magnan

Labelle said that one of the key strengths of the company is the accessibility of its products.

“We provide access to reliable information, we bring science-proven solutions to market and we also innovate,” he said, adding that they work with two medical advisors to create effective products.

Magnan said the idea for the company came from her own experiences trying to treat PCOS and other health issues caused by hormonal imbalances.

“My voice was not being listened to by doctors and this is where my boyfriend came to my appointments—and having a male present, I finally got listened to,” she said. “Something that he says is, ‘This affects 50% of the population but also the other 50% that live with that person—this is as much our problem as it is a woman’s [problem].’”

“It’s incredible that a male committee of judges believed in a woman-focused product, and it just shows how the space is evolving,” Magnan said.

General Track Finalists

Second Place: Spike Cover, a magnetic product that covers the bottom of track and field spikes, founded by Anya Alfonsetti-Terry, a junior in the Gabelli School of Business

Third Place: Credentialed, a vendor that offers streamlined media credentialing services, founded by David Skinner, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business

Fourth Place: Libri di Lucciola, a dark romance publishing house, founded by Isabella Frassetti, FCLC ’20

Social Impact Winner

Alliza, a recruiting service that brings people with autism into the workforce and provides them with ongoing training and resources

Founder: Shoval Liel, who will be graduating from the Gabelli School’s MBA program in May

“[The recognition] means a lot; it means that we can help more people. And I believe that what we are doing is really changing lives for autistic individuals, which is something that not many companies are doing. We’re providing help and employment opportunities …. Think about how important and critical it is to have a job.”

Social Impact Finalists

Her Migrant Grounds, a coffee cafe and community-building space that enhances the work of Fordham’s Her Migrant Hub—a resource by and for women asylum seekers that provides them with access to health care resources. Her Migrant Grounds was born from the current group involved with Her Migrant Hub, due to the leadership of women activists Sara Tekle, Marthe Kiemde, Christiane Keumo, and Nneka Ugwu; and Graduate School of Social Work students Catilin Kreutz and Jake Schefer.

Kids Building Wealth, a Bronx-based nonprofit that provides financial education to underserved children. Founded by Olga Baez, MC ’05, GSE ’16

Tap Thread Count, a digital platform that connects designers, seamstresses, tailors, and dressmakers to clients looking for diverse clothing offerings. Founded by Babalwa Nogwanya, GSAS ’24

People’s Choice Winner

Credentialed, a vendor that offers streamlined media credentialing services,

Founder: David Skinner, a sophomore in the Gabelli School of Business

“The Foundry’s an incredible resource that has been there through every aspect of my entrepreneurial journey,” he said, adding that the process of participating in the Pitch Challenge was “exciting, fulfilling, and unbelievably beneficial.”

Directed by serial entrepreneur and executive director Al Bartosic, GABELLI ’84, the Foundry also oversees the Fordham Angel Fund, which offers investments of up to $25,000 to the University’s active student and alumni founders.

Fordham Magazine caught up with a handful of alumni who received funding, coaching, or other support from the Foundry to find out where they—and their businesses—are now, and how they got there.

Mary Goode, FCRH ’20
Founder and CEO, Nantucket Magic
Fordham Degree: B.A. in Economics

The launch: I grew up on Nantucket Island and watched the tourist landscape change dramatically over the years, becoming increasingly popular yet harder to navigate. The company uses local expertise to offer hotel-like concierge service and amenities to vacationers in Nantucket, Massachusetts, and Palm Beach, Florida, including pre-arrival fridge stocking, dinner reservations, private chefs, backyard movie nights, beach picnics, wellness experiences, and more.

The challenge: Our biggest challenge has been navigating how to scale the business while maintaining exceptional service. To surmount this, we have recruited hospitality experts to work seasonally in both locations.

The assist: The Foundry has played a huge role in the success of my business! I learned so much during the process of the pitch competition alone. The actual funds I won helped us pay for marketing campaigns as well as expand our team, among other things.

The goal: I have been trying to broaden the definition of what success means to me. No matter what happens in the future, what I have created so far feels like an immense personal success, chiefly because of the incredible people I have worked with over the past three years.

Marquice Pullen, GSE ’21
Co-Founder, DAB Pickleball
Fordham Degree: M.S.E., Curriculum and Teaching

The concept: DAB Pickleball is a one-stop shop for pickleball players worldwide. Comprehensive infrastructure, certified coaching tips, quality equipment, competitive prices. Events, tournaments, and a thriving community. Your ultimate pickleball resource. I can’t take credit for the idea. My business partner and brother, Antonio, stumbled upon the sport at Acworth Community Center in Georgia.

The process: We participated in three pitch challenges: Fordham Foundry Rams Den, Fordham vs. Bronx, and Black Ambition, all within one year, and were successful in all three, thanks be to God. Social media marketing, risk management, inventory management, tax filing, bookkeeping, and opening our first facility in July 2023 were all challenging aspects of the process. However, we found our momentum in late December 2023.

The foundation: Initially unfamiliar with Fordham University, my enrollment through the Army Civilian Schooling (ACS) program, driven by my aspiration to become an instructor at the United States Military Academy, inadvertently initiated our entrepreneurial journey. Rooted in Jesuit principles, my education at Fordham eventually led me to the Fordham Foundry. Without Fordham University as a catalyst, I might not have discovered the Foundry or ventured into entrepreneurship.

The win: Success is evident through our community of players and dedicated volunteers and supporters. Seeing the smiles on our consumers’ faces as they enjoy the game of pickleball and, more importantly, witnessing the competitive spirit of our elderly pickleball players, is a success story in itself.

Rachel Ceruti, GSAS ’20
Founder and CEO, Reclypt
Fordham Degree: M.A. in International Political Economy and Development

The vision: I kind of fell into the sustainable fashion scene in New York City and upcycling—when you or designers take something that was going to be thrown away and repurpose it, diverting textiles from landfills. I started a blog that transitioned into a marketplace for fashion, but our community told us they wanted to do the upcycling, not just buy it. We listened, and our mission is to use our platform to explore circular economy structures, with Reclypt as a hub that explores how we create change.

The challenges: Funding really comes to mind. You can’t rely on unfair wages and volunteers. Another challenge, too, is letting people know why circular fashion is needed and what it is.

The assist: I would go into the Foundry space and pop ideas off of the other entrepreneurs and the Foundry team. I benefited from the free office hours with a lawyer. The business aspects that are behind the scenes, I would have never been able to navigate without the Foundry.

The next step: We want to host consistent events; be able to grow and hire, including start monetizing my team’s time; gain more visibility; and establish a steady revenue stream.

Usman “Ozzy” Raza, PCS ’14, GABELLI ’21
Founder and CEO, Equepay
Fordham Degrees: B.A. in Economics, Executive M.B.A.

The concept: Equepay is at the forefront of simplifying billing and payment processing, not just in health care but extending our innovative solutions beyond. We aim to convert the complex financial operations in hospitals and clinics into streamlined, user-friendly processes, ensuring easy and efficient financial management for all involved.

 The launch: Equepay was born out of discussions with friends in the health care sector who highlighted ongoing challenges with payment processing and collections. Recognizing the untapped potential in this underserved market, I founded Equepay. Since launch, Equepay has been expanding its solutions across various hospitals in the U.S.

The foundation: My EMBA from Fordham has been crucial in shaping my entrepreneurial journey. The knowledge and skills acquired laid a solid foundation for Equepay’s strategies and operational methodologies.

The goal: Success is an evolving target. Our immediate goal is to integrate our platform into 196 hospitals by the end of the year, continuously enhancing our services to meet the growing needs of the healthcare sector.

Emmit Flynn, FCRH ’21
Co-Founder, Awful Cloth
Fordham Degree: B.A. in English

The brand: We started Awful Cloth to be an online apparel company for street and lounge wear, with a lot of colorful designs and bright, vibrant ideas. All of them were hand-drawn original designs and I was the designer.

The launch: For eight or 10 months, it was all planning. We got all the domains, Twitter, and Instagram very early on before we had anything produced. That made all the difference when we finally did start to get traction. Then it was a lot of workshopping and pushing it out to our friends and family to see what the response was.

The hurdles: The true hurdles were things that are intangibles. It wasn’t “where do we find this factory” or “how do we do this.” Those things were small hurdles, but we were so driven that there was nothing like that that would stop us. It was more about the mental hurdles: having patience and confidence and being sure of ourselves. Especially early on when things were slow, and we weren’t making any sales, and we weren’t making any profit.

The win: We recently sold the business to a medium-sized retail group called Lilac Blond. We were very happy to do it because selling was a goal of ours and we knew these people—and we were sure that they wanted the best for the brand.

One of history’s great startup success stories, the nearly 500-year-old Catholic religious order built a global network and helped create higher education as we know it.

Founded in 1540 by the former soldier St. Ignatius Loyola—and starting with little more than a mission to help souls and do it heroically—the Jesuits quickly established themselves around the world and became known as the finest educators of their day. Today there are more than 180 Jesuit institutions of higher learning—including Fordham—on six continents.

How did the Jesuits succeed? For one thing, they believed in the ultimate importance of their mission, which “breeds a level of resilience and determination and creativity,” said Chris Lowney, FCRH ’81, GSAS ’81, a former Jesuit, former managing director at J.P. Morgan, and author of the 2003 book Heroic Leadership: Best Practices from a 450-Year-Old Company That Changed the World. In interviews, Lowney and other Fordham alumni spoke to the parallels between the Jesuits’ mindset and the entrepreneur’s approach to startup success.

Lesson #1: They didn’t carry the mental baggage that can hinder entrepreneurs.

The Jesuits made a virtue of detachment—that is, detachment from things like status, possessions, and settled ways of doing things, which enabled risk-taking. Asked by Ignatius to depart for India, Francis Xavier readily responded “good enough, I’m ready”—and took it on himself to establish Jesuit outposts not only in India but across Asia, Lowney writes in Heroic Leadership. Offering a present-day interpretation, he noted that attachments like greed or pride can hamper entrepreneurs by breeding a fear of failure and a reluctance to try new things.

Lesson #2: They led with love.

Unlike Niccolò Machiavelli, one of his contemporaries, Ignatius counseled Jesuits to lead with “greater love than fear,” tapping the energizing power of mutual affection, Lowney writes. Traveling in Asia, Francis Xavier carried papers bearing his fellow Jesuits’ signatures as an inspiring reminder of their love for him. For modern-day entrepreneurs, this might mean wanting one’s team members to flourish and reach their potential—which could mean challenging them when necessary, Lowney said.

Lesson #3: They adapted to new environments.

The Italian Jesuit Matteo Ricci made inroads in China, after so many Europeans had failed, through enculturation: He learned Chinese, adopted Chinese dress, and shared his knowledge of geometry and astronomy, Lowney writes. Ricci’s predecessor in Asia, Francis Xavier, also “showed a remarkable respect for the cultures he was meeting” when he traveled to Japan, Lowney said. “He was way, way ahead of his time.”

Lesson #4: They reflected deeply on their purpose.

Former Jesuit Sal Giambanco, GSAS ’90, sees parallels between the entrepreneurial mindset and the self-knowledge fostered by the Spiritual Exercises, the four-week system of meditation and prayer created by Ignatius. “It’s about seeing things and patterns that haven’t existed before,” said Giambanco, an early employee and senior executive at four startups, including PayPal, where he was the first head of human capital, administration, facilities, and security. “You go into the silence, [and] you embrace that silence, such that you can then bring those insights into having effective change in the world. And if you think about it, that really is the mindset of the entrepreneur.”

Lesson #5: They sought input and brought out the best in others.

Contrary to the idea of the solo creative genius driving an enterprise, the best leaders foster collaboration—and innovation—by stepping back and “leaving the room” after posing a tough question to their teams, said Angelo Santinelli, GABELLI ’84, an entrepreneur and business educator who co-chairs the advisory board for the Fordham Foundry, the University’s entrepreneurship hub.

He often saw the Jesuits take that approach in the classroom when he was a student at Fordham, he said. In a collaborative workspace where everyone feels valued, “you’re constantly pushing the envelope and getting something better,” he said.

That’s the philosophy of Albert Bartosic, executive director of the Fordham Foundry, a hub where Fordham community members learn how to launch and grow their own businesses. 

Most people already use the skills required for entrepreneurship in their daily lives, including pitching new ideas and working in a team, said Bartosic. What most people don’t know is that we are all capable of coming up with the next big idea—and bringing it to life. In a recent interview with Fordham News, Bartosic explained how to get there: 

Answer three key questions: What problem are you solving? How is that problem being addressed now? And why is your idea new, different, and better? “Why are people going to change their behavior and take your solution, as opposed to the solution that they’re using now?” 

Narrow your market. “The least successful thing you can do is say that your idea is for everybody. This won’t be successful, at least initially. Focus on a market that really needs this solution and is willing to pay for it.” 

Present something tangible. “If it’s a product, you can construct something using a 3-D printer. If it’s a service, you can try offering it to people on a test basis. You could use a GoFundMe or Kickster campaign if you need some money to put this together.” 

Survey your target demographic. “One shortcut is to construct a three-question survey and share it with your social media followers. You might get a small response rate, but you’re going to start to gather some data. That’s going to tell you if you’re on the right track. But don’t just talk to friends and family. They’re going to tell you, ‘You are brilliant, and this is the best thing I’ve ever heard of.’ You really want to speak with people in your target demographic who are friendly-adjacent—willing to give you both time and honest, valuable feedback.” 

Learn from the feedback—and try again. “It’s an iterative process. Take what you’ve learned and try it again, adjust it, and keep trying until you either know that you have a product that makes sense, or you don’t.” 

Learn from the process. “The skills and tools that you learn through entrepreneurship—how to sell an idea, how to get people to work with you, how to build a team, how to deal with setbacks, how to stay resilient in the face of failure—will help you, no matter what.” 

Finally, you need to convince the world that your idea is worth investing in. Watch a brief crash course video featuring Bartosic and other experts from the Fordham Foundry—Associate Director Shaun Johnson and alumna and Entrepreneur-in-Residence Lauren Sweeney—on how to pitch your idea to the public.

Sweeney is the CEO and co-founder of DeliverZero, a service that makes it easy for restaurants and grocers to offer customers the option to order in returnable reusable packaging, eliminating emissions and waste with every order. She’s also the entrepreneur-in-residence for the Fordham Foundry. Below, she shares five common myths about entrepreneurship.

Myth #1: Your startup idea has to be fully developed in order to launch.

Often aspiring entrepreneurs have a “really big vision of where they want to go,” but don’t have the resources to make that happen immediately.

“They’re like, ‘well I couldn’t start the next Uber for dog walkers,’ so then they just don’t start at all,” Sweeney said. “Whereas I think the best thing you can do is start in a smaller way that feels actually doable for you.”

By launching with a smaller product, Sweeney said, it allows them to get their idea out in front of customers and try different things before committing too much time and money. By engaging with customers early, she said they can learn more about the problem they’re working to solve in a timely manner and gain increased access to resources.

Myth #2: The first business idea is the best idea and never has to change.

Gathering customer feedback is incredibly important, Sweeney said, because it allows the entrepreneur to change course if they need to.

“The likeliest scenario—and this is the thing that really scares everyone—is that customer feedback is going to actually show you that you should pivot, which is a terrifying word for entrepreneurs, but also kind of the key to every successful outcome,” she said.

For example, her own business pivoted away from a “zero waste version of Grubhub” to a network
of reusable packaging that allows customers to access reusable packaging at all points of sale. This pivot
was due in large part to hearing customer feedback on how they would like to see the packaging waste problem solved in a bigger way.

One way for entrepreneurs in the Fordham community to start getting that feedback, she said, is to participate in activities and competitions, such as the Foundry’s Pitch Challenge.

Myth #3: All entrepreneurs are funded through venture capital or angel investors.

According to Al Bartosic, head of Fordham Foundry, and Sweeney, only between 1% and 5% of startups receive venture capital funding, meaning 95% of startups are not backed by venture capital funds. More than 70% of startups are funded through loans, personal savings, or friends and family, they said.

The amount of venture capital available to early-stage startups is also decreasing, according to Sweeney, particularly following an increase in interest rates. Before 2022, many venture capital firms were deploying capital at a faster rate, often into businesses with little or no market validation.

“I think what we’ve really learned in the last few years is that venture money really should only go towards companies with some proof of concept,” she said.

Myth #4: All entrepreneurs are immediate success stories and don’t have to work hard.

Sweeney said that before FTX failed, its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried—who has been convicted of fraud—was seen as “this mythological creature.” But the failure “reset a lot of thinking about what it means to be an entrepreneur.”

She said now there’s more of an “understanding that you have to put work in and that there are no overnight billionaires—and a ten-figure net worth might not be what you’re looking for anyway.” From the outset, she said it’s important to outline personal goals and what fulfillment means, and then work to meet that definition of success.

Myth #5: Entrepreneurs have to develop their business alone.

While entrepreneurship can at times feel isolating, Sweeney encouraged entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to find community where they can. At Fordham, that can mean meeting fellow student entrepreneurs, guest speakers, and coaches at the Foundry.

“What spaces can you consistently show up in, just be welcomed in, maybe not even have to talk about entrepreneurship, but just be a human being near other human beings?” she said. “I think it’s important for entrepreneurs, especially because it can be such a lonely grind in the beginning.”

Fordham, however, was “unique in how excited they were by the possibility,” she said. “Fordham was like, ‘If you want to do this, let’s make it happen.’ I think that made me feel very supported coming here.”

Coming to the University was the first step on her path to co-founding a theater production company with three other Fordham Theatre students seeking to launch arts-related careers. Another critical stop on that path? The Fordham Foundry—an arm of the University that helps students of any major start viable, sustainable companies that often meet social needs as well.

“The Foundry has been an amazing resource that came into our lives,” said Winger, a rising senior in Fordham College at Lincoln Center who is double majoring in economics and theatre design and production. Learning about the Foundry’s existence, she said, “was really, really exciting.”

‘Our Little Adventure’

Last fall marked the 10th anniversary of the Foundry, the Fordham entrepreneurship hub that has helped many a business get off the ground, including some with revenue in the millions. Students as well as alumni bring their business ideas and get guidance from a network that includes faculty as well as New York businesspeople.

Participants also find support of the intangible variety. “They might think that they’re out there all by themselves, but there’s a community of people at Fordham that are also interested in launching startup ideas,” said Al Bartosic, GABELLI ’84, the Foundry’s executive director.

The Foundry is in the midst of an endowment campaign to support programming that is drawing more and more interest from across the University. The Foundry helps aspiring entrepreneurs from all fields of study—business students, English majors, graduate students in law and social work, and others. They learn from one another at Foundry events like the coaching sessions leading up to its annual Pitch Challenge competition, which offers prize money for the winning startups.

That’s where Winger and three other students started the process for founding their film and theater production company—now titled Our Little Adventure Productions LLC—during the 2021–2022 academic year. The idea of founding a business grew out of their efforts to fund the production of films written by three of the students—Cason Doyle, Victoria Fanning, and Pedro Gonzalez, all of whom graduated from Fordham College at Lincoln Center in 2022.

Learning the Language of Business

Through the Pitch Challenge, they learned how to analyze their competition, draw up a business plan, and refine their pitch to investors. Most important, perhaps, the sessions prompted them to reflect on their goals.

“We realized that we were all really passionate about bringing [forth]other people’s work, who otherwise would not have the opportunity to share that with anyone,” Gonzalez said.

They decided that with the money their company earns from supporting plays and films, they would not only produce their own works but also support productions that help young directors, producers, and actors get that first career foothold.

They’ve served nearly a dozen clients so far, many of them off-Broadway theater productions that needed video recording services so the plays could be viewed remotely, a growing practice that took root during the pandemic, Winger said.

Helping Artists Tell New Stories

The company is still a few years away from providing the four of them with a full-time income, Winger said. But in the meantime, it’s providing adventures—like a paying job that took them to New York’s Fire Island last June, where they assisted with filming a documentary about drag queen performances and the “drag repair” crews that kept the drag artists looking their best.

“I never thought I would film a documentary about drag queens, but I was so excited about it,” Fanning said. “We have all these exciting memories now within the company that we probably wouldn’t have been able to have, or people we wouldn’t have been able to meet or stories we wouldn’t have been able to tell.”

For the students, the Foundry builds on the sense of welcome and support they received when they first visited Fordham. “It was the place where I felt most encouraged … by the faculty and the people that were working there,” Gonzalez said. “So it was a really easy choice for me.”

He’s grateful for the opportunity to help others entering the theater profession and also for the possibility of making a living in a field he loves, one that “can make people more aware of others around us and perhaps inspire us to be a little more accepting and kind.”

“I think this career encourages empathy,” he said. “And I think empathy’s something that becomes more and more necessary, especially now.”

Learn more about the Fordham Foundry and give in support of its $1.5 million campaign, which is halfway complete.

It didn’t take him long to get involved with the Foundry. He had shown an entrepreneurial bent in his own career, bootstrapping his way into new types of roles on his way to becoming executive vice president and chief financial officer at Adobe. Since retiring from the company in 2021, he has been helping various businesses and nonprofits grow by serving on their boards.

And now he’s helping Fordham students and alumni develop their business ideas as an advisory board member for the Foundry. Between its advisory board, alumni council, partner organizations, and student entrepreneurs, the Foundry offers a wide and diverse community that, Murphy said, is “critically important” for budding entrepreneurs.

“They can access mentors, collaborators, investors, customers, partners, and many others that will aid their journey in creating a viable business,” he said. “I just want to see [the Foundry]continue to grow and offer more opportunities for students.”

To that end, he has been a major donor to the Foundry’s 10th anniversary fundraising campaign, an effort to raise $1.5 million in support of expanded programming and resources for student and alumni entrepreneurs.

Murphy is an advocate for teaching the entrepreneurial mindset broadly, not just to those founding businesses. Entrepreneurial qualities, he said, include resilience, confidence, drive, and the ability to learn from failure—all of which play into students’ wellness and success, a pillar of the University’s $350 million fundraising campaign, Cura Personalis | For Every Fordham Student, for which Murphy is a cabinet member.

How would you describe the entrepreneurial mindset?
Entrepreneurship education has evolved greatly over the past 15 to 20 years, incorporating a lot of soft skills, communication skills, and ways to be resilient. Resiliency is not only about “keep trying, keep trying”—no, you need to ask, why didn’t you succeed? What was it you missed? It really is about combining life experiences, work experiences, and trials and failures with everything you learn academically, and being able to look around corners to identify opportunities that aren’t obvious.

What does entrepreneurial thinking look like at the executive level?
Continuous learning. I’ve worked for a number of CEOs, and the best ones didn’t sit back and say, “I became CEO, so now I know everything.” The last CEO I worked for, Shantanu Narayen, of Adobe, regularly met with a network of fellow CEOs to talk about the challenges they were having, and it really framed how he operated the business strategically. Someone once told me, “Build a network of mentors and advisors around you that augment your skill gaps. Let them be your personal board of directors, essentially.” You’ll get candid feedback and ideas for new actions to take.

How does your own career show that approach?
Earlier in my career I got into mergers and acquisitions, which wasn’t typical of someone like me, who started out a certified public accountant. But I was interested in what makes one business a good fit with another, so I volunteered to participate in some projects. I just realized there’s no harm in trying. I was able to surround myself with people that filled in my own skill gaps so I could learn from them. And that skill set became critical when I was at Adobe—we ended up acquiring several businesses that were key to the company’s growth. In fact, Photoshop was originally an acquisition, which is kind of funny, because now, almost 30 years later, it has become iconic to the Adobe brand.

What do you enjoy most about being involved with the Foundry?
I love spending time with the alumni and the students, helping them think about potential obstacles and how to overcome them. It’s been really fun—while I didn’t start my own business, I get excited about someone else wanting to, and I can impart things that I’ve learned. Also, the Foundry has this social entrepreneurship mindset, emphasizing the idea that it’s not just about your success, it’s about what your business can do for the community around you. I think that’s a key component of the Foundry’s mission that really blends well with the University’s overall Cura Personalis campaign. And I love that.

Learn more about the Fordham Foundry and give in support of its campaign.

So he spent the next two years cold-calling professors in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island. And he worked his way up in positions of increasing responsibility in the publishing field while nurturing ideas for an innovative series of self-help books.

At first, traditional publishers weren’t buying into his ideas, but he found a home with IDG as a founding member of its new book division. Before his 10th Fordham reunion, he was living in Silicon Valley and working as the CEO of IDG Books Worldwide, the startup publisher of the popular “For Dummies” book series that he created.

“My premise was that dummies are smart but are made to feel dumb by the techno, financial, and pervasive ‘babble’ across a wide variety of topics,” he explained. “There was no limit to topics that my team and I believed could help improve the quality of people’s lives and enrich their careers.”

Perseverance Pays Off

Since the release of the first book, DOS for Dummies, 30 years ago, IDG and Wiley (the series’ publisher since 2001) have put out more than 2,000 titles and sold 250 million copies. The series has generated $2 billion in retail sales.

“I can safely say I used every bit of the knowledge gleaned from my four years at Fordham throughout my career,” Kilcullen said, adding that the icon for the series was inspired by an advertising class he took at Fordham that covered mnemonics. “It’s about creating a character, a device, or a geometric shape that’s instantly recognizable and memorable. That Dummies caricature was literally me with a spiky haircut. It translated well in the packaging, and having this androgynous icon would speak to the dummy in all of us.”

When it comes to growing businesses, Kilcullen is certainly no dummy. After taking IDG Books public in the late 1990s, he held several leadership roles in book and magazine publishing, including president and publisher of Billboard magazine and The Hollywood Reporter. Today, he’s a consultant for startup CEOs, guest lectures on innovation and entrepreneurship at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and treasures family time with his wife, Jessica, and their four sons.

Coming Home to Fordham

Last fall, Kilcullen returned to his alma mater to deliver the keynote speech at an event marking the 10th anniversary of the Fordham Foundry, the University’s hub for innovation and entrepreneurship. His messages were humble and inspiring: “Be intellectually curious.” “Spot gaps in the market and take the road less traveled to separate yourself from the pack.” “Carpe diem!”

Above all, he encouraged entrepreneurs in the Fordham community—alumni included—to take advantage of the support available at the Foundry, which “can help you realize your startup dream,” he said. “I wish it was available to me when I was here. It is Fordham’s best-kept secret.”

Although his connection to the Foundry is fairly recent, he looks forward to deepening it while enhancing Fordham’s growing presence in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is already planning an event he’ll host at his vineyard later this year.

“I am so stoked about the Fordham Foundry and its mission to support innovators and entrepreneurs throughout the entire Fordham ecosystem,” he said. “Their small team of entrepreneurs and mentors have accomplished so much in 10 years. I have no doubt the best is yet to come.”

—Claire Curry

Fordham Five (Plus One)

What are you most passionate about?
My family. My wife, Jessica, and my four sons are my world. I am also one of eight [siblings] and live in California, but most of my family live back East, so I love organizing family reunions and fun get-togethers. Fordham has been home to some of those gatherings in part because two of my six sisters attended Fordham, and my nephew is a Fordham Law graduate. On one of those occasions, I remember charging our home court at Rose Hill with my young son Conor on my shoulders at the conclusion of a riveting, upset victory. Conor was mesmerized and excited by all the students flooding the court. On the professional front, I am passionate about helping entrepreneurs achieve their dreams.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
I was asked by a former colleague who sat on the Amazon board to meet with Jeff Bezos in Seattle during Amazon’s first year. I asked Jeff about his plans to create Amazon’s culture. He enthusiastically replied with a story about how he and his dad built desks for each member of his team using wooden doors (instead of purchasing desks). His message to his employees was simple: leaders lead by example. Employees notice when founders and senior executives do the small things instead of delegating. Jeff’s story reinforced my own view that when there is a trade show to attend, for example, get there early and help the team assemble the booth. Get in the field and make sales calls. Lead from the front, not from the corner office.

What’s your favorite place in New York City? In the world?
It depends. When I need to pray for a loved one, St. Patrick’s Cathedral is my sanctuary. Central Park has a special place in my heart, as that is where I completed the New York City Marathon. I also enjoy working with the V Foundation, which affords me the opportunity to shoot hoops at the Garden before the annual V Classic. Madison Square Garden has been the venue for so many memorable concerts and basketball battles throughout my life.

I love returning to my mom’s home county of Mayo, Ireland, to visit my aunt and cousins. No trip to Mayo is complete without a visit to the Ashford Castle. Maui is my happy place for relaxing beach time and collecting art. The north and south islands of New Zealand are epic for food, wine, and hikes—and Whistler, B.C., is amazing for family skiing.

Name a book that has had a lasting influence on you.
I spent most of my career in publishing, so there are so many books I enjoyed reading and working on. The Power of Positive Thinking spoke to my entrepreneurial soul. I also loved Lee Iacocca’s book, Iacocca: An Autobiography. Lee joined me for lunch with key retail clients in Chicago and shared an incredible story about reinventing Chrysler. I identified with Lee’s zeal in battling established industry giants and championing the underdog. I created the unconventional “For Dummies” series and an innovative company culture emulating Lee’s esprit de corps. I am proud that the “For Dummies” book series and brand has helped tens of millions of people around the world and continues serving that mission 30 years later. Remaining positive during the early years and establishing a contrarian, underdog culture was influential in scaling the company from startup to IPO.

Who is the Fordham grad or professor you admire most?
My favorite professor was Dr. Maurice O’Connell, who taught Irish history and was the great-great-grandson of the legendary Irish Liberator, Daniel O’Connell. The Fordham icon I admire most is easy: Father Joseph O’Hare. I have fond memories of sitting next to Father O’Hare at football and basketball games, sharing laughs and cheers. His quick wit, insightful stories, radiant smile, and love of alma mater were always evident. He was a Fordham president who was a man of the people and a true friend. I dedicated a study room in the [Walsh Family Library] to honor our shared love of books.

What are you optimistic about?
My wife’s nickname for me is Captain Optimistic. I see the world as a glass half full. And every day I wake up optimistic as it’s a new day. Embrace it, enjoy it, and be a lifelong learner—and give back. I firmly believe in the resilience of the human spirit to triumph over adversity, persevere against all odds, and see the good in everyone.

Interview conducted, edited, and condensed by Claire Curry.

Watch John Kilcullen’s keynote address at the Fordham Foundry’s 10th anniversary celebration:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvcyhA4fAn4

“We were kind of shocked by the numbers that came out of it,” said Manning, who will graduate in December. “On average, I think something like 85% of the seats were just left empty.” And this was before the pandemic.

Manning walked away from that experience knowing that he wanted to do something to help the industry that he loved.

“I want the theater experience to stay alive—even with the combative forces from streaming services and other difficulties, especially with COVID,” he said.

That’s how Cinesave was born. The company, which was just chosen as the first investment by the Fordham Angel Fund, aims to help small independent theaters track and analyze data about when people are attending and help them make decisions about pricing, marketing, and other strategies.

“He’s thought of movie theaters—which I think is a very clever idea—as an airplane,” said Albert Bartosic, GABELLI ’84, head of the Fordham Foundry, which oversees the Angel Fund. “Once you push the button, the movie starts showing whether there’s two people in the seats, or whether there’s 1,000 people—it’s still the same cost.”

Bartosic said that by using dynamic pricing to get more people in the seats, theaters could not only benefit from ticket sales, but also the extra purchases of food and drinks.

Cinesave received $15,000 to start, and can earn an additional $10,000 if the company hits certain milestones. That would add up to the total that the Angel Fund can invest in a company—$25,000.

Fellows From Across Fordham’s Schools

The Fordham Angel Fund began about two years ago with an initial investment of $100,000 from Fordham and the Gabelli School of Business. Since then, the fund has been reviewing applications and working with founders. Cinesave was the first company chosen.

The fund has two main parts to it—students who work as venture associates, known as the Angel Fund fellows, and an investment committee, made up of a board of professional venture capitalists and angel investors. The Angel Fund comprises about 16 students from across all of Fordham’s undergraduate and graduate programs. The group allows them to gain hands-on experience in the startup and venture capital world.

“They’re out there looking for investment opportunities—they’re interviewing founders, they’re talking about companies, they’re assessing whether or not the company is ready for funding,” Bartosic said. “It’s a long road to find the entrepreneur, find the team, cultivate that relationship, understand the business, do the due diligence, and then finally, present to the investment committee.”

Jennifer PoChue, who also goes by J.A. Thomas in her writing, was one of the fellows from the Angel Fund who brought Cinesave to the group’s attention.

“There really is a sense of community in film, and that’s where my passion for the Cinesave project stems from,” said PoChue, who is working toward a master’s in social work at the Graduate School of Social Services.

Convincing the Angel Investors

The investment committee, which is the other half of the fund, is made up of five investment professionals who work as venture capitalists or who are angel investors in other companies.

“What they do at the meeting, in the nicest possible way, is ask annoying questions and [try to]shut down the idea,” Bartosic said with a laugh. “That’s their job—they can’t write a check to fund everything that comes through the door.”

Bartosic said that it’s a testament to Cinesave’s founders and the company’s model that the committee was convinced to invest in them.

Chan Park, a senior business administration major at the Gabelli School, oversees the fellows as the fund’s Rose Hill director of operations. He said that Manning’s commitment and idea are what sold the committee on Cinesave.

“They mentioned a lot about having a product that actually changes or helps solve an issue,” he said. “Cinesave really does that—it tackles an issue the movie theater industry hasn’t been able to solve.”

Manning said that participating in Foundry programs such as the Pitch Challenge helped prepare him for the process of applying to the Angel Fund.

“It’s always a challenge to take the ideas you have and communicate them properly to people who are important,” he said. “What [the Foundry mentors]did was strip down my business to a more reasonable pitch that focused on the parts that actually drew in people’s attention.”

Manning said that Cinesave plans to start with helping theaters first before potentially moving to a customer-facing model.

“We’re going to give these tools to theaters so they can evaluate how their company’s doing, and basically build smart ways for them to discount their own tickets,” he said. “As we evolve, we will eventually open up to that front-end consumer side.”

Ideally, at that stage, consumers would then be able to purchase discounted tickets from their site or app.

Manning said that the initial investment from the Angel Fund would go to startup costs such as incorporation and legal fees, advertising, and underwriting the costs of a website and payment-processing server.

Gaining Experience

Bartosic said that the students, both on the Cinesave side and the Angel Fund side, gained valuable hands-on experience.

“It’s a great experience for entrepreneurs to be able to see what it’s like to go through the process,” he said. “And it’s a great experience for the Angel Fund fellows to see what that’s like in terms of bringing a company to the investment committee and learning how venture capital works.”

Park said that he’s been able to see what works and what doesn’t from the investment committee’s view.

“I was really excited about a deal last semester that I thought was going to get funded, and the investment committee just disagreed with my views, which I think was great. I looked at the deal one way, but they looked at it a different way,” he said. “And through that, I got to learn a ton.”

Fordham welcomed more than 2,800 students to its incoming class on Opening Day, making it the largest class in the University’s history. The Class of 2025 is also the most diverse class Fordham has ever had, with more than 44% domestic students of color and 6.5% international students.

The new Rams hailed from 45 states, 51 countries, and all five boroughs of New York City. More than 600 students in the incoming class are from New York City, including more than 160 from the Bronx—up significantly from last year. The average high school GPA for the class was 3.67.

In his welcoming remarks to families, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, urged attendees to soak up the momentous nature of the occasion.

“For the students here, today marks the end of adolescence. You’re no longer kids. You’re young adults,” he said, adding that they have the opportunity to outshine their high school selves.

To the parents, he said, Fordham is honored to have been invited to be a part of their students’ lives.

“We will spend ourselves surrounding them with care,” he said during the Aug. 29 festivities.

“You must not get the impression that we’re going to be easy on them though. This is a Jesuit school. We believe that we have to mix rigor and love. We will cherish them and challenge them in equal measure and we will never insult them with low expectations.”

He also strenuously advised students to embrace the town that the University calls home.

“New York is in our DNA. When you come to Fordham, you’re taking on the city as well. The city is our classroom, our laboratory. Whatever you major in, minor in New York,” he said.

At Home in New York City

Many first-year students were already taking that advice, highlighting New York as one of the main reasons they chose Fordham.

First-year Gabelli School student Ryan Howard said that Fordham offered both the perfect location and academic programs.

“Fordham was the closest proximity to home, closest proximity to other things—you have [Manhattan], the Bronx, Arthur Avenue,” said Howard, who is from Long Island and will be studying at the Rose Hill campus. “The other schools [I applied to]—you walk 10 minutes away, you’re in the middle of nowhere. That’s one of the things that made Fordham appealing.”

John Perla, an incoming Fordham College at Lincoln Center student from Princeton Junction, New Jersey, was taking in the sights from his room on the north side of McKeon Hall. When he gets free time, one of his first treks will be to Citi Field in Queens to catch a Mets game. Manhattan, though, is what drew him to Fordham.

“The Upper West Side is one of the best neighborhoods in the city. When we came here, I just fell in love with it. Honestly, I’m just looking forward to getting back up here tonight and enjoying the view at night,” said Perla, who plans to pursue political science.

Natalie Foo, a first-year Fordham College at Lincoln Center student from California. grew up visiting New York every year, so going to college here was “sort of like a homecoming,” said her dad, Kent Foo. But that wasn’t her only reason for choosing Fordham.

“New York has a lot of possibilities, and that’s why I wanted to come here,” said Foo, who is interested in studying architecture and possibly art history.

“And what better place than New York?” she said, gesturing behind her to the gleaming glass-and-metal skyscraper she will now call home.

Marcelo Pachicano, a first-year Fordham College at Rose Hill student studying biological sciences, said that after growing up in Chicago, he chose Fordham partly because he wanted both a city and a vibrant campus.

“I wanted to stay where things were happening, but I also wanted the campus community,” said Pachiano.

His mother, Maria Pachicano, said that she was glad her son was getting to experience another city.

“And we’re Catholic so I like the fact that he went to a Jesuit school—that didn’t hurt.”

Pursuing Passions

Anton Karabushin, a first-year student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, said that he plans to study political science on a pre-law track. But he also wants to make sure he has time for his other loves.

“I’ll also be doing a lot of music and theater while here because that’s my other passion,” he said.

Karabushin was selected for the “Tony Awards for high school musicals” in Colorado, his home state, for his performance as Frederick in Pirates of Penzance. He has a long list of credits so far, including Rooster in Annie and Shylock in Merchant of Venice. “I’ve been pretty much singing and acting all my life,” he said.

Elise Downing, a first-year student at Fordham College at Lincoln Center, said that she plans to study political science with a fashion minor. She’s looking forward to the fashion opportunities her new city has to offer, such as Fashion Week.

“I’ve always loved New York and I’ve always wanted to move here,” she said. “Fordham is one of the best schools in the area, so I’ve been drawn here from the start.”

Finding a New Home

First-year Gabelli School at Rose Hill students Snehsrishti and Gurbax Assie—twins from Mumbai, India, have a few things to get adjusted to, including living in the U.S. and attending school in person again.

“We haven’t been to school since 2019. So it’s our first time again, in an exciting environment,” Snehsrishti said.

Following in the footsteps of their parents, the twins are planning to study entrepreneurship, with Snehsrishti also looking to explore alternative investments and Gurbax hoping to study finance.

“We had a session with [Al Bartosic, head of the Fordham Foundry] … the Foundry really stood out to us,” Snehsrishti said. Both siblings were also impressed with Hughes Hall, the Gabelli School’s home at Rose Hill.

“As soon as I walked into the Gabelli building, the first thing I noticed was the Bloomberg terminals,” Gurbax added. “I’m really excited to go into the investment club, where they give us very big funds to manage.”

Both Snehsrishti and Gurbax have already gotten involved in the Fordham community, thanks to the Global Transitions Program, which serves as an orientation for international students. Both said that they were grateful for the welcoming reception they’ve received from the Fordham community—including those they spoke to before arriving on campus.

“I think what really got me to commit is the upperclassmen—everyone I spoke to was just so nice,” she said.

Being Back Together

Even though the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are still being felt across the country, one of the things many students said they were looking forward to was being around people again, whether in classes, clubs, or activities, even if precautions have to be in place.

Shehan Hussain, a commuter student from Midwood, Brooklyn, who enrolled in the Gabelli School of Business’ Global Finance and Business Economics program, said that after a year of taking classes remotely, the Opening Day festivities added to his excitement of being able to take classes in person.

“College itself would be a new experience regardless of whether there was a pandemic or not,” he said. “It definitely amplifies the experience that this is the first time I’ll be in school in front of a bunch of people after a long time,” he said.

Angel Ducret, a first-year commuter student at Fordham College at Rose Hill from Manhattan’s Cristo Rey High School, said that he was looking forward to being back in person, even if it meant some adjustments.

“[Being virtual] was very tough, emotionally, mentally, and physically on me. So I feel like coming back in person, it’s going to take a few weeks this semester to kind of get back to it,” he said. “But I think after at least the fall, it’ll just feel like school again.”

Kathleen Hollinger, a first-year Gabelli School student who plans to study finance and computer science, said that she was excited for “just getting a chance to go to school in person again and being with other people in a classroom (and) the social aspects.”

Traveling from Near and Far

Hollinger and her parents Danae and Mike Hollinger were some of the first to arrive on the Rose Hill campus on Sunday, traveling all the way from Seattle.

“I really liked that it was a Jesuit school—both my parents went to Jesuit schools—and they had a really good business school program,” she said.

She was excited for the opportunity to live on and explore the East Coast.

“We’ve had a lot of people say, ‘oh the East Coast? Why aren’t you staying on the West Coast?’ I think it’s exciting actually to check out other parts of the world,” her mom Danae said.

Sandy Wong traveled all the way from California to move her only child, Nicole David, a first-year Gabelli School student, onto the Rose Hill campus.

“She’s growing up, she’s on her own—I’m just happy for her,” she said. “As long as you give them a good foundation, I think by the time they’re 18, I just feel comfortable—my kid is growing up, she knows what’s right and what’s wrong.”

Nicole Bennett, a native of Mystic, Connecticut, who enrolled in the Gabelli School Global Finance and Business Economics program, was one of the first to move into Lincoln Center’s McKeon Hall.

Her father grew emotional when he reflected on the day, as Nicole is the oldest of three, and therefore is the first to “fly the nest.”

“She’s my baby. I know she’s going to be OK, so I’ve got to let her go.”

—Reporting from Nicole LaRosa and Patrick Verel
—Video by Taylor Ha
—Photos by Chris Taggart, Bruce Gilbert, Kelly Kultys, Taylor Ha, Mike Trerotola, and Nicole LaRosa